Consultation on the refreshed Housing Strategy

Young people can be champions of change in mental health care

‘If you don’t deal with the mental health of young people, the cost to the community is disastrous, never mind the public purse,” says Jacqui Dyer, chair of Black Thrive and vice-chair of the England Mental Health Task Force. Black Thrive, based in Lambeth, south London, aims to tackle the systemic issues behind poor mental health outcomes in black communities.

“We’re working with the local authority, schools and mental health [workers] to improve services – and the voice of children and young people will be central,” says Dyer. “Part of how mental health services have to change is to listen to what communities are saying in order to respond better when young black people show up in a crisis or require early intervention.”

Giving children and young people a louder voice in the running of mental health services is also the aim of a project called Amplified, run by the charity YoungMinds and funded by NHS England. It promotes their participation in the design of NHS child and adolescent mental health services (Camhs).

“There’s a massive stigma around accessing services, especially in some ethnic minority communities,” says Laurie Oliva, YoungMinds’ head of participation. “For some black young men, the first time they get access is in the justice system. If that’s the case, we’re failing them.”

Oliva argues that the participation of children and young people as champions of change is “absolutely key” to transforming the system as a whole.

“It’s about really changing the way we think and act around children’s mental health,” says Oliva. “Even when you do get help, you can be bounced around the system telling your story over and over and over to different people. By the time you’ve found the right place, you’ve had a poor experience that will more than likely exacerbate the very problem that you’re trying to deal with.”

George Hodgson, 21, is a youth adviser for Amplified, giving talks to professionals and some of the hundreds of young people the project reaches out to every year. Towards the end of secondary school, Hodgson experimented with ecstasy and started to have panic attacks and suicidal thoughts. Then he discovered that the waiting time for Camhs was 40 weeks and his three-year battle to recover his mental health began.

“Professionals sometimes think they know best and in one sense that’s true, because they’ve done the training – but young people know what works for them,” Hodgson says.

“When I went to Camhs I was told what treatment I would get without being asked what I thought, which I found a bit strange. It was a case of like it or lump it.”

He says he loves his adviser role and that the stigma around mental illness is starting to evaporate – something he has noticed in talking to other young people.

“I’m making a difference just as a young person standing in front of 250 year 11 students talking about it,” he says.

Meet your MP about the social care Green Paper 2018

People are starting to talk about the social care crisis. Everyday seems to bring another news story about the social care crisis and politicians are starting to listen.

The Government has promised to consult in 2018 on a long-term solution to social care funding for older people in England in what is officially called a Green Paper.

The Government is also having a separate process to find out how the social care system can work for working age people.

Right now, the Government is deciding what options it should put in the consultation and, unless we take action, there’s a risk that support for carers might be forgotten.

Meet your MP

If you’re a carer – why not meet your MP and tell them why the Green Paper has to include support for carers?

We have written a:

• Guide to meeting your MP
• Template letter for carers to use
• Factsheet

You can use them to make it as easy as possible for you to meet your MP.

Time for a long-term solution

The Government has recognised that a long-term solution for social care is needed.

However, unless carers get their voices heard, the Government might put forward solutions that mean carers have to pick up more and more caring responsibilities. We know that carers already provide the majority of care, and we know that many are nearing breaking point.

Get your voice heard and make sure support for carers is central to the proposals in the Green Paper.

Further information

If you have any questions, get in touch with our Campaigns team.

Please let us know if you set up a meeting and how it goes. You can email us or send us a tweet @CarersTrust – include a photo from the meeting if you can.

Hospitals send patients home to be cared for by children as young as four

It says kids as young as four are looking after their sick parents.

Chief executive Javed Khan said: “Many health professionals simply treat the person in front of them rather than ask questions about who’s caring for them when they go home. Caring can take a huge toll on children’s wellbeing and future chances.”

There are nearly 700,000 young carers in the UK, according to stats from the BBC and Nottingham University.

Barnardo’s believes numbers have increased as more families struggle for support because of cuts. Their average age is 12 and some work more than 30 hours a week, cooking, cleaning and shopping.

Barnardo’s survey of young carers:

• Two-thirds said they began caring while still in primary school and one in eight started aged five.
• 22 per cent were identified and referred by a parent, 15 per cent by a teacher, 15 per cent by a social worker and only five per cent by a GP.
• 45 per cent support their siblings. Over 80 per care for their mum.
• 90 per cent were caring for someone with a physical disability, a mental health issue or a long-term health issue.
• Over 50 per cent said their emotional health and wellbeing had been affected.
• 56 per cent said it made them anxious and worried.
• 67 per cent said caring made them tired in class.
• Over 25 per cent said they performed over 30 hours of tasks a week.
• 50 per cent said caring prevented a university place or dropping out of a course.

Flexible working should be a ‘day one’ right for carers, say MPs

Carers should be entitled to request flexible working from the first day of their employment, a report published today by an influential parliamentary committee has urged.

The report from the work and pensions select committee noted that flexibility was crucial in allowing carers to balance their caring responsibilities with workplace demands.

Under existing law, individuals have a right to request flexible working but only after they have been with their employer for 26 weeks. The select committee warned that this often forced carers to use annual leave or take sick days to fulfil their caring responsibilities during that time.

There are an estimated three million people – or one in nine of the UK’s workforce – balancing care with paid work. The report flagged that, under existing legislation, many carers “conclude that caring and work cannot be combined”.

Emily Holzhausen, director of policy and public affairs at Carers UK, told People Management: “People who are carers are often not necessarily identified in the workplace, but we know one in six have given up work to care at some point in their careers, which can have devastating consequences on their finances. This can in part be changed by introducing different employment practices… as our population ages, the number of carers is only going to increase, so we need to be thinking ahead.”

The report calls on the government to amend the Flexible Working Regulations 2014 to put in place a right to request flexible working from the first day of employment, putting an end to the six-month “period of uncertainty” that can deter carers from staying in work.

“The vast majority of carers want to continue working and, with the productivity challenge this country faces, this change makes real economic sense,” Holzhausen said.

“Changing legislation is important because it drives cultural change, and enables businesses that are aware of the benefits to implement them quickly. But a broader cultural change is also needed, and greater support offered to smaller businesses that are less flexible because they can’t afford to lose particular staff.”

A further report recommendation urges the government to consider extending existing legislation around parental leave to offer five days of statutory paid leave for carers who have to take time off work at short notice; a move Holzhausen described as “crucial”, particularly for carers with lower incomes.

Frank Field, Labour MP for Birkenhead and chair of the work and pensions committee, said the government had a responsibility to “lead on both practice and policy”, adding: “[Carers] are a great untapped resource for our high-employment, low-productivity economy – and a sorely unrecognised one.

“They contribute hundreds of billions of pounds in unpaid work to our economy, which is not counted on any Treasury balance sheet. Ensuring work pays and that employers adapt to accommodate caring is not just good for the carers: it is necessary for the whole economy.”

Interested in online support for caring for a friend or family member affected by psychosis?

Inviting Carers to help try out COPe-Support

We are running a study to find out if COPe-support works to improve carers’well being and how well they cope with caring. We are inviting carers supporting a loved one affected by psychosis to Join the study. Carers can be parents, partners, siblings, other relatives or close friends.

If you’d like to find out more

 If you are supporting a loved one affected by psychosis, aged 18 or above, living in England, and enjoy using internet resources, we would like to tell you more about COPe-support.

Contact Dr. Jacqueline Sin – Study Coordinator:

T: 07817 027 035

E: [email protected]

W: www.cope-support.org

Participants will be paid £30 in total for their time

This study has been approved by South Central – Oxford C Research Ethics Committee (18/SC/0104) and Health Research Authority (IRAS 240005)

The Two Noble Kinsmen at Shakespeare’s Globe

Inspired by the play’s Morris language and references, The Two Noble Kinsmenis set in pastoral ‘Merrie England’ and brought to life with original music composed by acclaimed folk musician Eliza Carthy, and dance choreographed by Ewan Wardrop.

‘The invitation to direct a play with so little stage history comes with great dollops of intrigue, relish and excitement. It is described in the Arden Shakespeare as ‘a Jacobean dramatisation of a medieval English tale based on an Italian romance version of a Latin epic about one of the oldest and most tragic Greek legends’!

This production will delight the ear with words and melodies. We’ll have merry May Day capers, and I don’t know how many dances there’ll be, but methinks the more the merrier. Come along, join in, and add to the history of a play that includes some of the last words Shakespeare ever wrote for the stage.’

These tickets are in the yard (standing), please be aware that the Globe has no roof and performances are subject to weather.

If you would like to attend please contact Yvonne Lubwama – [email protected]. These tickets are first come first served.

A quarter of older workers consider leaving because of their health

According to the Centre for Ageing Better, an EfC member, two in five people with a health condition have not received any support at work.

Its research, published in its Health warning for employers: supporting older workers with health conditions report, suggested that early access to support, empathetic management and small adjustments to working patterns and the working environment could all help enable people with a condition to remain in employment for longer. Its survey of 1,000 employees also found that 44% of those aged 50-64 had a health condition, compared to 25% of 25-49-year-olds. Almost a quarter (23%) of 50-64-year-olds were managing two or more long-term conditions.

The report estimated that around 700,000 additional people will be classed as working age when the state pension age increases to 66 in 2019. If the proportion of people aged 65 or over who are unable to work matches that of 60-64-year-olds currently, approximately 90,000 additional people would be eligible to receive Employment and Support Allowance, it claimed.

Jemma Mouland, senior programme manager at the Centre for Ageing Better, suggested that significant numbers of older people were missing out on the benefits of work because of their health.

“Falling out of work involuntarily leads to significant long-term problems, including loss of income and retirement savings, weakening social connections, and a diminished sense of purpose.

“Government and employers can do more to improve workplace-based prevention and management of health conditions. Many of these adjustments are small and inexpensive, but can provide a huge benefit to people who want to continue working in later life,” she said.

Almost one in five (19%) of the survey respondents chose not to tell their employer about their condition. Almost a third (30%) of these were worried about their job security, and 29% said they were embarrassed about discussing their health at work.

The Centre for Ageing Better said employers needed to normalise conversations about health and encourage their staff to discuss their requirements with their managers. They should also ensure that employees with conditions were offered support such as flexible working arrangements and workplace adjustments.

It said the Government also had a role to play in assisting employees with health conditions. It recommended that it reviewed regulation and guidance, considered the needs of people with long-term and slow onset conditions, and promoted schemes such as Access to Work to keep people in employment.

Shared from Personnel Today

Carers Thames Walk 2018

The walk starts at 10:00 on Saturday 9th June at Southwark Cathedral and you have the option to enjoy the 2.5 mile, 7 mile or 10 mile walk which takes in lots of the landmarks and sights of London.

Please let us know if you would like to take part, we have sponsorship forms which can be collected from the office.

We are hoping to raise £2,000 which can be used for carers activities and outings.

To register for the event please call 020 7708 4497 or email [email protected]

Councils cannot cap personal budgets under Care Act, Ombudsman warns

The Ombudsman has issued the advice after an investigation found Wiltshire Council had a policy of placing people into bands, and paying in line with those banding levels, regardless of need. This is contrary to the Care Act.

The Ombudsman became aware of the council’s system after a woman, whose adult son had substantial and complex health problems and disabilities, had her support cut significantly.

The Ombudsman’s investigation found the council at fault for using an outdated matrix tool to calculate the amount of support offered to the family, and for reducing the support offered immediately, rather than as a staged reduction as the matrix tool said it should. It was also at fault for the way in which it reduced their funding for transport.

Michael King, Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, said:

“Councils cannot put a cap on people’s budgets: the Care Act says eligible needs must be met, regardless of the cost.

“The reduction in support, and the haste by which those changes were introduced, has had a significant impact on the mother.

“Having to care for both her husband and her son has left this woman exhausted. She said she has been treated by her doctor and reported being frequently distressed, tearful and unsettled by the changes.

“I am pleased the council has accepted the formula it used to calculate people’s budgets was not in accordance with current guidance and has now agreed to stop using it.”

The mother, who is also a carer for her husband, complained to the Ombudsman that her support had been cut when she moved home, despite having reassurances from social workers that her support would remain the same.

Her son, who has severe learning disabilities and epilepsy, lives at home with his parents. He uses a day care centre every week day, and had been receiving respite care 104 nights a year.

The council carried out a fresh assessment of the son’s care needs after the family moved home. Despite the son’s care needs remaining unchanged, the new assessment reduced his number of respite nights to 68 a year. The council said this reduction would be introduced gradually, but instead it was done immediately.

The assessment also reduced the son’s transport funding, which left the council asking the mother to drive the son to daycare twice a week. The mother said she could not do this, but again these transport changes were introduced immediately.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman’s role is to remedy injustice and share learning from investigations to help improve public, and adult social care, services.

In this case the council has agreed to apologise to the mother and restore the previous level of respite care, pending a re-assessment compliant with the Care Act 2014. It has also confirmed it will offer her 24 days respite care in recognition of that which was wrongly withdrawn.

The council has also agreed to repay the mother the £747.50 she paid the council for transport, and pay a further £500 in recognition of her distress and time and trouble.

The Ombudsman has the power to make recommendations to improve a council’s processes for the wider public. In this case the council has agreed to review its policy and procedure on respite care to ensure it is compliant with the Care Act 2014.

It has also agreed to review files for evidence of use of the outdated matrix tool, and anyone whose transport was cut. It will write promptly to anyone similarly affected by the issues in this report and review their cases.