Kirklees unpaid carers strategy: unpaid-carer friendly Kirklees

The survey information, conversations and I statements which form this strategy show that fundamental to unpaid carers' wellbeing is a culture throughout health, care, and wider society which positively helps unpaid carers. In other words, an unpaid-carer friendly Kirklees.

Individual health and care services have a huge impact on people's lives and need to be the right services for the right people, focusing on including unpaid carers and delivering the outcomes unpaid carers choose. We need to make sure that unpaid carers are equipped with the information and skills they need, good quality health and care services to support them and the people they care for, and unpaid carers don't face barriers to getting these nor to things in their non-caring life such as work and friendships.

An unpaid-carer friendly Kirklees includes good quality health and care services that include unpaid carers in everything they do, but is also much more than this. It's the relationship which we all have with unpaid carers. The relationship which businesses have with their customers who are unpaid carers, and their staff who have caring duties. The relationship families and neighbours have with people close to them who are caring for someone else. The relationship that public services have with unpaid carers when managing and planning our cities, towns, neighbourhoods, and countryside. It's a positive culture that understands, thinks about, and cares about unpaid carers.

Public Services strive to help people towards self-sufficiency and to maximise people's independence and this strategy operates within this agenda. This is due in part to the fact that social care and health resources are stretched and becoming scarcer, and in part because this goes a long way to helping people to be as healthy as possible, which ultimately is what we're striving for.

1. Enable as much self-sufficiency for unpaid carers as possible, where unpaid carers and communities support themselves. This will be most people. We will help as many people as possible to achieve this.
2. Provide information, advice, and training to help all unpaid carers cope with and manage their caring role as best they can. We will help unpaid carers move towards self-sufficiency as much as possible.
3. Where necessary, provide practical support to unpaid carers with complex caring roles to reduce the burden of caring. This will be the fewest people and will be available for those that need it the most.

A very important part of this is getting unpaid carers to identify themselves and seek help as early as possible. Generally speaking, the earlier an unpaid carer recognises them self as an unpaid carer and seeks help, the more independent they can be. Unpaid-carer friendly Kirklees aims to achieve this and to encourage everyone to do this as much as possible we need to make sure the process for identifying and supporting unpaid carers is as simple as possible.

1. I can easily access help, support, assessments, and appointments

We know:

Unpaid carers report struggling to access support and appointments due to waiting times, services not being sufficiently flexible around the unpaid carer's needs, the complexity of the health and care system, and services not co-ordinating with one another.

Unpaid carer identification matters as this is the first step towards targeted support to address unpaid carer needs and inequalities. However, there are many unpaid carers who are not identified by health care services. This arises as people often do not recognise themselves as carers, nor do health and care services identify carers in sufficient numbers.

Carers report that accessing a range of health and care services is a difficult juggling act, especially where those services have inflexible appointments or are not located near the carer or person they care for.

We have:

• A consistent message across health and care that Carers Count is the first port-of-call for unpaid carers, with Carers Count maintaining good visibility across the system.
• A simple referral system to Carers Count that can be used by any unpaid carer or any professional who identifies a carer
• Partnerships across health and care including the council, the ICB, primary health care, hospital trusts, social care providers, and the VCS looking at how we can improve our support to carers.
• A range of online digital information and advice accessible anywhere.
• A Carers Charter created across Kirklees Council, Calderdale Council, and CHFT.

We will:

• Continue to work in partnership across Kirklees using the Carers Strategy Group, the Carers Consortium, and other partnership working opportunities
• Use this strategy and the concept of unpaid-carer friendly Kirklees to encourage partners think about and improve access to services for unpaid carers.
• Invest in modern online options for carers to access information, advice, and carer self-assessments for those who choose this whilst maintaining face-to-face assessment support.
• Work as partners to co-ordinate services around the family.
• Monitor no. of carers assessments and reviews undertaken, and waiting times for these

How we will know we're achieving:

• Carers reporting they can access services in ways and at times that suit them
• Monitor no's of carers accessing services to identify gaps in provision
• Have a range of partners from across Kirklees including public services, employers, VCS, and unpaid carers engaging with this strategy, the Carers Strategy Group, and specific areas of work such as support for working carers.

2. I have breaks from my caring role and some time to spend as I choose

We know:

Getting a break from their unpaid caring role can be very important to enable unpaid carers to manage their own physical and emotional health as well as feel they have a life outside their caring role. Unpaid caring responsibilities can have a significant impact on both physical and emotional wellbeing.

Often getting a break from the unpaid caring role can be difficult and there are waiting lists for carers break services.

We have:

• Preventative approaches which support carers to maintain relationships (as part of the caring role and outside of the caring role) and to maintain activities and hobbies outside of their caring role, helping unpaid carers maintain a sense of self.
• Respite provision and carer break provision to enable carers to step away from their caring responsibilities for a short time.

We will:

• Continue to invest in the above preventive, respite, and carer break provision.
• Work to reduce waiting times to access carer break services.

How we will know we're achieving:

• We will have preventative, respite, and carer break services in place.
• We will not have long waiting times for preventative, respite, and carer break services.
• Carers reporting they can get a break from their caring role.

3. I have good quality information and advice about my situation and my options

We know:

How and where unpaid carers access information and the language we use is key to early identification and empowerment for unpaid carers.

Having specific resources for unpaid carers that unpaid carers know are for them and that they can turn to when needed is important.

Often a good place for unpaid carers to receive information and advice is at frontline health and care services where an unpaid carer can have the information given to them at the time they need it. However, this isn't always provided and when it is provided this can have drawbacks in that carers report feeling overwhelmed at such times and can struggle with information overload, especially when the information is regarding longer-term support whereas the carer is focused on dealing with a crisis now.

We have:

• Invested in Carers Count as the first port-of-call for carers when they need information and advice. Any carer can contact them about any issue and Carers Count will help the carer work through it.
• Invested in online resources for carers including locally built and updated resources as well as a partnership with Carers UK to access a wide range of national online unpaid carer support and information.
• Many partners who identify, recognise, and provide information to carers when they use frontline services. Carers Count provide support to any organisation to do this.
• Identification of unpaid carers during hospital discharge processes and where needed we will contact carers a few days after a hospital discharge to check they are OK and provide information and advice once the carer has had a little 'breathing space' following a hospital admission.
• Carers recognised within social care assessments and have key information provided, for example about support and finances.

We will:

• Create and maintain high quality self-serve online support for unpaid carers and encourage unpaid carers to access this as it suits them.
• Skill-up and enable unpaid carers who are digitally excluded to get online.
• Be clear about what we do and what unpaid carers can do for themselves.
• Be clear about how long it takes to access different support options.
• Prioritise unpaid carer support face to face and over the phone for those who need it most.
• Work to make the multiple contact points across partners unpaid-carer friendly.
• Ask carers where they feel they need more information and advice and the best places we can provide this.

How we will know we're achieving:

• Carers reporting they have the information they need and know what they need to do and where to turn for help, and this was provided in a timely manner and in an appropriate way.

4. I am involved in discussions about me, about the person(s) I care for, and about designing help and support for us

We know:

Being seen, heard, and included in discussions about care and support is very important to unpaid carers. Unpaid carers are experts by experience and their expertise is needed to design effective and appropriate support. Unpaid carers must be seen as equal partners in the provision of health and care support to the people the care for.

Many carers do not know how to get involved or get their voice heard in service or strategic discussions.

We have:

• A Co-produced Kirklees Unpaid Carers Strategy.
• Carers Strategy Group which has key role in influencing the design and delivery of services and in demonstrating the effectiveness and implementation of this strategy.
• Unpaid carer peer networks throughout Kirklees where carers can see they are not alone and have a joint voice when needed.
• The Kirklees Co-production Board where citizens have a key influencing role in the development of Kirklees Council support.
• The Kirklees Learning Disability Carer Voice group, Kirklees Involvement Network, PCAN, and the Kirklees Neurodiversity Partnership.
• Training for social care assessors to explain the importance of identifying carers, including carers in the assessment process, and ensuring that carer voice is clearly identifiable in the assessment documentation and support plans.
• Messages to all partners that carers are experts by experience and equal partners in the delivery of services to the people they care for.
• A Carers Charter created across Kirklees Council, Calderdale Council, and CHFT.

We will:

• Use partnership forums such as Carers Strategy Group to deliver messages to partners about the importance of recognising and including unpaid carers.
• Use partnership forums such as Carers Strategy Group to help carers influence the design and delivery of services.
• Deliver training to social care assessors to explain the importance of unpaid carer input into social care support.
• Ensure carers know how they can get involved service design and delivery via online information, newsletters, and information and advice provision.
• Use Carers Strategy Group to monitor and oversee how well unpaid carers are involved and recognised and treated as partners in health and care provision.

How we will know we're achieving:

• Feedback from unpaid carers in forums such as Carers Strategy Group and carer peer support networks.
• Feedback from partners regarding the initiatives they are undertaking to ensure this happens.
• Ability to see the carers input within social care assessment documentation and support plans.

5. I have a flexible, understanding workplace

We know:

Nationally, every day 600 unpaid carers give up paid work to care. In Kirklees this is nearly 1,500 people a year or 28 people each week who leave their jobs to care. This impacts on unpaid carers finances and their sense of self.

1 in 6 people who work in Kirklees are caring for a loved one.

Being a carer can have a negative impact on people's physical and mental health, and working carers can experience higher levels of stress as they try to balance caring and working responsibilities. Many others will pass up on promotions, extra responsibilities, or reduce their working hours because their lives are so full outside work that they feel they can't take on more in work, even if they are the best person for the job.

The negative impact of caring whilst working is felt disproportionately by women who tend to be the main carers within households, and in particular women aged 45 to 64.

The best interventions (as reported by carers) are:

1. Supportive line manager/understanding employer 89%
2. Flexible working offered 88%
3. Paid care leave of between 5-10 days per year 80%
4. Long term unpaid leave 75%
5. Link to good information and advice 69%
6. Peer support network 65%

This illustrates the importance of good organisational culture and support for managers to be good managers.

We have:

• Dedicated resources within Carers Count to engage employers across Kirklees to raise awareness of unpaid carers and support employers to understand how they can best support their working unpaid carers.
• Membership of Employers for Carers with umbrella benefits for all health, care, and SMEs across Kirklees.
• Care support services provided to the people working carers care for, allowing them to maintain with work, education, training, or volunteering.
• Information and Advice for unpaid carers about finances, benefits, and getting into work.

We will:

• Work with employers across Kirklees to increase the use of flexible working arrangements for unpaid carers in line with the above feedback and good practice from Employers for Carers.
• Monitor the number of employers who engage with unpaid carer awareness raising activities and who offer flexible arrangements for unpaid carers, aiming to increase this number year-on-year.

How we will know we're achieving:

• Feedback from unpaid working carers about changes in their workplaces.
• Monitoring shows increasing numbers of employers which engage with the working unpaid carer programme and offer flexible working arrangements.

6. I can prioritise and take care of my own health

We know:

Unpaid carers prioritise the health and wellbeing of the person they care for. This is an important and rewarding part of being an unpaid carer. However, unpaid caring responsibilities can have a significant impact on an unpaid carer's time and energy leading to people neglecting their own health. Often unpaid carers do not realise this is happening or do not understand the longer-term impacts this has. This is exacerbated by the move towards more community-based health and social care services as this puts an increasing burden on carers, even though this is what many carers and the people they care for want and choose.

We have:

• Partners recognising unpaid carers and explaining the importance of prioritising the unpaid carers' own health.
• Recognition of unpaid carers' needs within social care assessments, with support put into place to help the carer focus on them self.
• Simple signposting and referrals to Carers Count to support carers with their health and wellbeing.
• Recognition of the impact of caring and dedicated wellbeing sessions focusing on unpaid caring as part of Kirklees' holistic wellness service.
• GP practices across Kirklees have unpaid-carers champions, registers, and contact unpaid carers with targeted recommendations such as flu vaccinations for unpaid carers.
• Resilience is discussed and support provided as part of carers information services and carers assessments.

We will:

• Broaden partnership working and ensure messages about the importance of unpaid carers prioritising their own health are widely provided with more wellbeing services (e.g. smoking cessation, home safety checks, housing support, etc.) asking "are you caring for someone" within their questions.
• Continue to invest in services which prioritise the health of unpaid carers.

How we will know we're achieving:

• No. of referrals received from GP practices to Carers Count.
• Carers attending resilience training sessions
• Carers report they are taking care of their own health.
• Feedback from a wide range of partners that they are encouraging carers to prioritise their own health.

7. I have someone to talk to

We know:

Unpaid carers report feeling lonely and can struggle to maintain active social lives.

Unpaid carers can lose social contact as their caring journey progresses. Over time unpaid carers can gradually drop out of social events and stop regularly keeping up with friends. As this is gradual, and the unpaid carer is focused on the wellbeing of the person they care for, this can go unnoticed until it's too late. Sometimes unpaid carers are aware this is happening but feel powerless to stop it.

We have:

• Unpaid carer peer groups throughout Kirklees, where people can meet and talk to others in similar situations and see that they are not alone.
• Messages from partners, including as part of social care assessments, that carers need to recognise they can lose social contact over time and to encourage unpaid carers to maintain their social networks.
• Information and advice service for carers, including drop-in sessions.

We will:

• Maintain investment in unpaid carer peer networks across Kirklees.
• Listen to carers and respond with new peer support groups as needed.
• Continue to identify unpaid carer needs as part of care assessments, encouraging carers to have time to themselves.

How we will know we're achieving:

• Fewer carers report being socially isolated or lonely.
• Carers report they feel able to participate in work, education, volunteering and / or social activities outside of their caring role.

8. I am happy with care services that the person I care for and I use

We know:

Unpaid carers have clearly stated that sustainability and continuity of support for both them and the person they care for is vital to unpaid carers' long-term wellbeing. As well as this, unpaid carers need to be able to trust that the person they care for will be well looked after by when in the care of health and care services and the unpaid carer is not with them. Unpaid carers need to know where to turn if they are not happy with a service and can report feeling powerless when dealing with large statutory organisations.

We have:

• An established and respected infrastructure of unpaid carer support services, including information and advice, mental health support, advocacy, dementia support services, health and care assessments, respite, day opportunities, young unpaid carers support, peer networks, and support with employment, finances, relationships, and wellbeing.
• Routes for complaints and compliments.
• Safeguarding pathways.
• Various forums where carers can have their voice heard.
• Advocacy services.
• Self-advocacy, confidence building, and 'speaking up for yourself' training.

We will:

• Maintain investment in unpaid carer peer networks across Kirklees.
• Listen to carers and respond with new peer support groups as needed.
• Continue to identify unpaid carer needs as part of care assessments, encouraging carers to have time to themselves.

How we will know we're achieving:

• Partners will listen to carers views on services via feedback, forums, informal discussions, complaints, and compliments and act where needed.
• Continue to invest in and prioritise support for unpaid carers.

9. I am understood, my environment is right for me, and I have my individual and cultural needs met

We know:

Unpaid carers in Kirklees are diverse and come from a rich range of cultures, backgrounds, ages, genders, and communities. This includes the armed forces, White, Black, Asian, and ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+ communities, and unpaid carers with different beliefs and disabilities.

Different unpaid carers from different backgrounds need to be reached and engaged in different ways. One-size-fits-all inevitably excludes some people.

Females are the most likely people to provide care, especially aged 55 to 64. On average females take on caring responsibilities over a decade earlier than other people. This impacts their wellbeing, finances, and sense of self.

Many carers feel excluded by the digital world, sharing concerns about cost, privacy, scams, and a lack of skills or interest.

An unpaid carer's environment - their home, the street they live on, the shops, towns, and workplaces they use - need to enable them to provide the unpaid care they provide, and this isn't always the case. This includes adaptations, transport, and the socio-economic environment.

We have:

• Diversity monitoring so we know who uses our unpaid carer services and can make sure that all unpaid carers can receive information and advice relevant to them, have equal opportunities to access services, and that barriers are identified and addressed so no one is excluded or disadvantaged.
• A range of support, including wellbeing sessions and pamper days, provided directly as a result of carers saying this is how they would like to engage with services.
• Unpaid carer peer support groups which reach out to specific communities, for example South Asian women.
• A range of non-digital support for unpaid carers who do not want to access services digitally.
• Town centre regeneration projects that focus on meaningful provision accessible by everyone, recognising that not everyone is cognitively aware or non-disabled.
• A corporate design guide for regeneration across Kirklees.
• Kirklees planning teams working in partnership with people who understand disabilities.

We will:

• Continue to monitor the diversity of unpaid carers who use services. Where we identify that any community is not accessing services equally we will work with that community to understand why and how this can be addressed.
• Listen to carers and provide support in a manner which suits them.
• Provide digital skills sessions for carers who want to get online but don't feel they have the confidence or skills.
• Engage more partners with messages about using person-centred strength-based approaches to the design of assets and people's environment.

How we will know we're achieving:

• Diversity monitoring will show that unpaid carers from all Kirklees' diverse communities access carers support.
• Unpaid carers report they feel support provided is welcoming and is relevant to them and their individual needs.