Projects
Carers Support Project
This project has supported carers and their families by offering both emotional and practical support when needed. The aim of the project is to support carers holistically and thus help reduce the stress and anxiety of caring for a loved one.
The biggest issue for cares is financial; many carers have given up work to care. Many are sill not aware of their entitlements and this project helps carers to claim welfare benefits. It also supports them through the appeal processes and represents carers at tribunals.
The support offered is to help access other services to ease the burden of caring, advocacy, and referrals to counselling, relaxation and complimentary therapy.
We offer two trips a year and a Christmas event to families.
Carers Minority Communities Support Project
Through our years of work it has placed us in an ideal position to continue to offer a culturally co-ordinated support services to diversity of cultures in the London Borough of Hillingdon.
The services offered to carers has several aspects - information and advice on accessing local services, advice on entitlements to welfare benefits, advocacy, providing translation and interpreting in a range of ethnic languages. Carers assessments, housing, running and facilitating training programmes, support groups and outreach in the community to raise awareness.
The project provides information translated orally and written in Punjabi, Hindu, Urdu, Gujarati, Somali and Bengali.
Carers Wellbeing Project
The Carers Wellbeing project can give information and advice on respite issues, from requesting the break with social services to thinking about how you would like to spend some free time. A break is a rest from the day to day role as a carer. An opportunity to recharge their batteries and to step away from the situation. Sometimes, all they need is an hour or so away to spend some quality time on themselves focusing time on their own needs and at their own pace.
Need an un-interrupted break, time to yourself? Need to escape from the pressure of your caring role? Respite Support worker can point you in the right direction, working in partnership with the The British Red Cross; who are trained in therapeutic care - their volunteers can help ease your tensions away with a soothing neck and shoulder massage, a hand massage or pampering manicure - the choice is yours!
Young Carers Support Project
The aim of this project is to identify children and young people between the ages of 5-18 years, who have caring responsiblilities within the London Borough of Hillingdon. We will assess Young Carers needs, arrange, provide or recommend appropriate services and support. We offer information, support and advice to young carers and their families. Involve the young carers in developing flexible models of care. We are raising the awareness of the situation of Young Carers with other professionals and the general public. To work with the schools in Hillingdon to help them develop procedures to enable them to identify young carers who have caring responsibilites at an early stage.
Young Carers Substance Misuse Project - SPACE
This project became part of Hillingdon Young Carers in September 2005. The 'SPACE' project supports children and young people between the ages of 5-18 years caring for a family member with a drug and/or alcohol problem.
We support the family holistically and offer emotional support, 1-1 support, advocacy, advice and information on benefits, housing, health and education.
Visit the Young Carers Website
Older Carers Support Project
The Older Carer support project assists and supports carers who are aged 60 and over. Due to a combination of factors such as people living longer and an emphasis on 'care in the community', there is a growing number who find themselves in a caring role in their retirement years, most often for husbands, wives or parents. Older carers can be very vulnerable because of their own health needs - over half of older carers report a long-standing illness or disability.
The project provides a broad range of information and advice on subjects such as health and social services, welfare benefits, care homes and community facilities. It also provides advocacy and a listening ear.
Older Carers Development Project
This project started in 2005 and its purpose is to work directly with supporting older carers as well as to raise the profile of the needs of carer’s within the borough. Working primarily with G.P. practices in Hillingdon, the project develops links with professionals working in the field and is there to support carers to identify their own needs as well to help them to access the services that are available.
Carers Health Liaison Worker
The purpose of this project is to support carers when accessing health services by identifying and providing health related advice, information, advocacy, support and training to carers and their cared for about such services.
Research has shown that carers have higher health needs than the general population and are twice as likely to suffer ill health as a result of caring full time. Carers can find it very difficult to understand the structure of local health services and to access these services for the cared for and themselves. This project also supports relationships with health care professionals for carers and the people they care for.
This project also forms a link with Health Services by providing specialist information to professionals on the needs and concerns of carers.
Information & Advice Project
The Information & Advice Centre was set up in 2005 to enable Carers to drop in and receive any information or advice they require without an appointment. In May 2006 HRH Princess Anne officially opened the Centre.
We will empower Carers to identify and meet their own needs. We have clients that are here for appointments or searching for information in other directions. We will offer emotional support and a listening ear to their issues.Core Service
The core of the organisation is based in office premises in Uxbridge, employs the Chief Executive and an administrator funded annually by the London Borough of Hillingdon Carers Grant. The core provides day to day management/administration for the organisation, manages the projects, facilitates the board of directors, leads in the development of the organisation and provides social advocacy on caring issues to local policy makers.
Support Groups
Children in Hillingdon Parent Support (CHiPS)
Chips provides support for parent/carers of children with a wide range of disabilities and/or special needs, including: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autistic Spectrum Disorders, Cerebral Palsy, Downs Syndrome, Dyspraxia, Epilepsy, Pervasive Developmental Delay, Speech and Language Disorders, Sensory Impairments, Spina Bifida and amongst our members are many more rare conditions.
SHHAJO Support Group
A group for Bengali carers who look after someone with a disability or has special needs. It is facilitated by the Hillingdon Carers Minority Communities Support Project.
The group aims to provide culturally sensitive support to carers, alleviate social isolation, empower the carers to voice their needs and concerns, raise awareness of what help is available in the borough and to organise social/recreational activities for the group and their families.
Shhajo meets on the last Thursday of each month at Christ Church, Redford way, Uxbridge.
SANGAM Support Group
Sangam Support Group is run for Asian parent carers of children/and young adults with disabilities and special needs. The Group is facilitated by Carers Minority Community Support Project. Sangam meets on the first Wednesday of each month at Hillingdon Carers, Uxbridge.
Young Carers Saturday Club
This club is for young carers aged 5 to 18 years old who help to carer for another member of their family who has a disability or health problem. We aim to help and support you and to help you have some fun! So come along and see what we are all about.
Meetings are held on Saturdays at Harlington Young People's Centre, Pinkwell Lane, Harlington from 10.30am til 12.30pm. Our sessions include arts, sports, music, games and fun... lots of fun!! We also provide food and drinks.
Being part of the Young Carers Saturday Club is a good way to have fun and offers them a good way to meet other young people in similar situations. Many Young Carers find it difficult to make friends and socialise out of school because of their caring responsibilities. This is a good way to get together with other young people and take part in many activities, all of which are free. All Hillingdon Young Carers expect from them is to have fun and enjoy being part of a group.
Partnership Projects
Carers Relaxation Project – The British Red Cross
Carers are offered relaxation for nine sessions on alternate weeks at two different venues
in the Borough, for them to receive therapeutic care delivered by specially trained
British Red Cross volunteers. The Respite worker provides support to enable carers to attend, assists in facilitating
the session and gives ongoing support
to carers as needed.
Carers Art Project – LBH Arts Service
This is an 'Arts for Carers' project that offers carers the opportunity to access structured arts-based courses which allows them to take a short break from their caring responsibilities. They range from allsorts of themes from floristry, creative crafts
The project is supported by the London Borough of Hillingdon Arts Service.
Counselling service
Counselling has been available to carers for several years. We have two qualified counsellors, one is a Black Ethnic Minority counsellor. Counselling is offered to carers that feel they are under a lot of stress and need to talk to someone who is not within the family environment.
Counselling sessions usually last 50 minutes and take place regularly in a private and confidential setting. The overall length of time spent in counselling depends on the concerns and issues of the carer.
Complimentary Therapy
This service offers a variety of complimentary therapies to elevate stress, to give the carer a break from caring and energise them to able to return to their roll of carer.
These therapies take place at a organised venue.
It has been very popular and we continue to look for funding to maintain this project.
Relatives of Residents In Care Homes in Hillingdon (RRICHH)
RRICHH (formerly Hillingdon Relatives Association) is a support group for the friends and relatives of any adult in or about to enter a care home and to those who use respite care services. For information about RRICHH please contact Hillingdon Carers on 01895 811206.
Hillingdon Carers, 126 High Street, Uxbridge, Middlesex UB8
1JT
Phone: 01895 811 206. Email: office@hillingdoncarers.org.uk
Website designed by Jason
King.
Website Updated by Madeleine Jarvis assisted by Adrian Amarasinghe.