Supporting Black and minority ethnic carers

1
Supporting Black and minority ethnic carers

• Sheila Killick
• Joint Acting Director
• Carers Centre for Brighton Hove

2
How we support carers

• Individual casework
• - emotional support
• - information
• - advocacy
• Groups/Activities in local areas
• Development work/outreach to carers and
  professionals

3
Groups/Activities

• Coffee Mornings
• Time4Me days in local areas
• Support groups for carers of people with cancer
• Massage/alternative therapies, legal surgeries,
  carers breaks
• The gardening space

4
Development work/Outreach

• Positive relationships established with a range
  of BME voluntary sector organisations
• Outreach to BME community groups
• Participation in BME Elders Day 2007 and 2008
• GP Link Worker scheme

5
Individual casework support for BME carers

• During 2007/2008 19 interpreting sessions
  arranged through Sussex Interpreting Services in
  Arabic, French, Bengali and Spanish
• Out of 85 carers monitored 10 currently
  supported by the Adult Carers Team are from BME
  groups

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Casework Example - Maria

• Carer for husband with physical disabilities,
  North African origin, also has 2 young children
  and her own debilitating health problems
• Maria is very stressed and tearful at first
  meeting with Support Worker. Other contributing
  factors to her stress levels
• - Difficulties regarding her childrens
  education and transport to school
• - Anti-social behaviour problems where the
  family live

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Maria (continued)

• Advocacy
• - Referrals made to Social Care Health
  Services to Community Safety Racial
  Harrassment Team
• - School transport issues and home tutoring
  student
• - Successful grant application for trip to visit
  sick relative
• Information/Signposting
• - Referred to Money Advice Community Support
  Services
• - Referred to aMAZE for help with educational
  issues
• - Information given re accessing English classes
  
• Groups/Activities
• - Linked in to coffee mornings, Time4Me days
  free massage

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Casework Example - Hana

• Hana, Malaysian origin, referred herself to our
  services while caring for her adult son with
  cancer and severe mental health problems.
• Hanas main need at point of referral was for
  emotional support. However, she had also given up
  her own business to care a couple of years
  previous and needed help regarding welfare
  benefits.
• Hanas caring situation was causing some tensions
  in her relationship with her husband

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Hana (continued)

• Advocacy
• - Referral to Social Care Health
• - Help with welfare benefits
• - Successful grant applications for hospital
  travel costs counselling
• Information/Signposting
• - Info given re Buddhist Centre carers support
  groups
• - Hana also attended carers coffee mornings,
  Time4Me days,
• had some massage and attended counselling
• Emotional Support
• - Ongoing throughout contact with the Support
  Worker and for a
• while after her son sadly died

10
Supporting young carers

• 10 of Young Carers Project caseloads are from
  BME groups
• In 2006-2007 Easter and Summer group activity was
  run for 5 Arabic speaking children  
• The YCP has good links with the BME young peoples
  youth group and has played 5 a-side football
  matches with them
• The YCP is aiming to do more outreach to young
  carers from asylum seeking communities in 2009

11
The Future

• Ongoing equalities training programme for staff
• Some recent appointments will increase Black
  minority
• ethnic representation in our staff team
• More outreach and development work.
• ? A scoping exercise and possible development of
  a
• specialist post

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Supporting Black and minority ethnic carers

• Carers Centre for Brighton Hove
• 01273 234045
• www.thecarerscentre.org