Community directory

Carers in Hertfordshire. Central Team

Supporting carers in North Herts, Stevenage and Welwyn and Hatfield districts.

Carer planning teams are also based in Hemel Hempstead Tel 01442 253344 west.team@carersinherts.org.uk and our head office in Hertford Tel 01992 586969 contact@carersinherts.org.uk. Carers can contact us at any of these centres for advice, support and opportunities to become involved.

Are you caring for a relative or friend who: has a physical or learning disability, dementia, mental health problems, misuses drug or alcohol, is ill or frail? It doesn’t matter if that person lives with you or elsewhere, is an adult or a child, or what age you are. If they rely on you for support, then you are a carer and Carers in Hertfordshire’s free services are for you.

We can provide the information you need to make choices about your life and caring role and the opportunity to have your voice heard by the people who plan services that affect your life.

In our carer planning service we can talk with you 1-1 about:

• Carers assessment – what it is and how to get one
• Benefits for carers – and access to specialist advice for more complex problems
• Time off – it’s importance, how to arrange it and, in some instances, money to help make that possible
• Community care and health services – what is available and help to access them
• Access to advice on legal issues relating to caring like residential care, wills and trusts
• Sources of emotional support and space to talk about what you need to support YOU
• Emergency back up – what would happen if you were not there, and making a contingency plan
• Having a life outside caring, whether in employment, through leisure activities or continued learning

We offer a range of free workshops and training related to caring, but also courses and learning events to help with your life outside caring through our Carers and Learning project. Details of all these will be mailed to you free in our quarterly publication ‘Carewaves’ and are also listed on our website. Help in getting you to venues and support with funding alternative care for the person you care can be available if required.

We give carers a voice:

• Individually, by informing and advising about access to services and enabling carers to speak up about what they need
• Collectively, by opportunities to meet with other carers, finding common experiences and speaking directly to service providers and planners
• Across the county, by building up a picture of carers’ concerns and difficulties every time a contact is made with Carers in Hertfordshire and using this knowledge to influence plans for future services

We have specialist involvement workers and projects for mental health, learning disability, parent carers and family carers of someone who misuses drugs or alcohol. See our website for latest news and events www.carersinherts.org.uk

And for young carers aged 9 – 18 www.koolcarers.org.uk
Carers in Hertfordshire’s Young Carers Project can offer:

• Information
• Free breaks and activities
• A voice on young carers’ issues
• Support groups
• Information and support within schools

Carers in Hertfordshire was set up in 1995 as a carer-led charity.
The organisation is governed by trustees, some of whom are carers themselves.

Registered charity number: 1085491