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Contact: For Families with Disabled Children

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Contact: For Families with Disabled Children

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Contact - for families with disabled children | Contact

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We are Contact, the charity for families with disabled children. We support families, bring families together and help families take action for others.

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North Wales Together: Seamless Services for People with Learning Disabilities is one of four Transformation Projects in North Wales, which is why we are also

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Eleri Davies, a trainee Educational Psychologist studying at Cardiff University is looking to talk to parents/carers of young adults with Down Syndrome who are 20-29 (who were 17-25 during the first lockdown in March 2020), across Wales and England. Please find here a video from Eleri explaining a bit more: Research Video Clip.mp4 Please find flyers with more information here: Letter Study Flyer - Cymraeg Study Flyer - English You can email Eleri at: daviesen1@cardiff.ac.uk

For our family carer network information, we have been approached by valued partners to hear people's experiences and thoughts on this very important topic. We would encourage any parent who is able and willing to share their experiences to help shape the implementation of this toolkit in Wales. Learning Disability Improvement Cymru has commissioned the British Institute of Learning Disabilities (BILD) to create a framework and toolkit to promote the Use of Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions for individuals with learning disabilities. To gather insights, we conducted a survey among healthcare professionals, social care professionals, educational professionals, and family carers in Wales. Now, we're entering the second stage of the project, which involves hosting focus groups to explore these approaches further. We would be thrilled if you could host a focus group and share your experiences as a family carer. As a token of gratitude, we will provide participants with a £30 Amazon gift. To express your interest, please contact josh@allwalesforum.org.uk To visit the organisations' websites, please click on their name in the text.

All Wales Forum and Carers Wales have teamed up to create a Working Carers Advisory group (WCAG) to help parent carers of loved ones with learning disabilities. They want to improve pathways to information, advice and support around training and employment. At the first meeting in July 2022, the group identified a bunch of actions on both an operational and strategic level that both organizations could do to support family carers. Carers Wales has also found some existing resources on their online support that could help family carers, and both groups have agreed to make these resources more accessible and to raise awareness of them. We're going to do this by delivering a communication and engagement plan, reviewing its effectiveness and developing priorities through future WCAG meetings. So, the aim of this plan is to help family carers of people with learning disabilities access the materials and information on Carers Wales's online resources. Why is this important? Well, being a carer is tough enough as it is, but for parents of children with learning disabilities, it can be even harder to find and keep a job because of their caring commitments. This can limit career and personal development opportunities, as well as affect their physical, mental and financial wellbeing. To help address this issue, All Wales Forum will be creating a number of opportunities to raise awareness and guide family carers to Carers Wales's Employment Hubs. They'll also periodically review the effectiveness of the pathway through the WCAG meetings. Here are the ways they're planning to do this: AWF Quarterly Newsletter - with info and links about Carers Wales's Employment Hubs (coming soon!) Posts on AWF social media channels - encouraging family carers to get in touch about their experiences and asking if anyone would like to share their story on working alongside caring Positive case studies of a parent carer talking about their experiences and skills - posted on AWF YouTube account Employment information page on AWF website - with links to additional information, video and Carers Wales's Employment Hub AWF Digital Forum - with meeting notes from WCAG meetings and useful employment information in general AWF Events - dedicated time at events to discuss issues pertaining to employment Overall, we hope this is an initiative and we hope it'll make a big difference for family carers of people with learning disabilities. Let's spread the word and support this important cause! Useful organisations for work and caring Carers Wales: This organization provides a range of information, advice and support for carers in Wales. They offer resources and advice on how to balance work and caring responsibilities, including information on flexible working and carer's leave. They also have a helpline that provides support to carers in Wales. Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014: This act sets out the legal duties of local authorities and health boards in Wales to assess and support the needs of carers. The act requires that local authorities take a whole-family approach, which means they must consider the needs of the person being cared for and their family as a whole. Flexible working: Flexible working arrangements can be helpful for carers who need to balance work and caring responsibilities. In Wales, employees have the right to request flexible working arrangements, and employers have a duty to consider these requests. Carer's Leave: Carer's leave is an entitlement that allows employees to take time off work to care for someone who needs it. In Wales, carer's leave is unpaid, but it can be a helpful way to balance work and caring responsibilities. Employers for Carers: This organization provides resources and support to employers who want to support their employees who are carers. They offer information on how to implement flexible working arrangements, provide information and advice to carers, and create a supportive workplace culture. Support from your employer: Employers have a duty to support employees who are carers. This can include offering flexible working arrangements, providing information and advice on caring responsibilities, and offering support and resources to help balance work and caring responsibilities. Advice from Citizens Advice Bureau: Citizens Advice Bureau provides free, confidential advice on a range of issues, including employment and caring responsibilities. They can provide advice on your legal rights and entitlements as a carer, and help you access support and resources. Important Information and Links Carers Wales - Working Carers Guide Please find below the link to a guide from Carers Wales that may be useful to working carers. https://www.carersuk.org/wales/help-and-advice/your-health-and-wellbeing/online-support-sessions/ https://www.carersuk.org/media/ts3n2g4r/carers-wales-working-carers-guide-eng-final.pdf There is also lots of information available to organisations who are looking to become more carer friendly as part of this push, Working and caring for someone: https://www.nhsemployers.org/articles/supporting-staff-caring-responsibilities Employers for Carers: https://www.employersforcarers.org/ Citizens Advice: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/family/looking-after-people/carers-help-and-support/ Working Families - Caring for Someone: https://workingfamilies.org.uk/article-categories/caring-for-adults-and-disabled-children/ Contact - https://contact.org.uk/about-contact/what-we-do/support-for-families/ Carers Trust - Rights at Work: https://carers.org/downloads/resources-pdfs/working-for-carers/carers-rights-at-work.pdf Age UK - Balancing work and caring: https://www.ageuk.org.uk/information-advice/care/helping-a-loved-one/juggling-work-and-caring/ These links provide information and support for people who are balancing work and caring responsibilities. They cover topics such as rights and entitlements for working carers, advice for employers, and resources for managing work and caring responsibilities. DWP guides to working and benefits in Wales. Carer's Allowance: This is a UK-wide benefit that can help you if you're caring for someone for at least 35 hours a week. You can get Carer's Allowance if you're working, but you must earn less than a certain amount. Here's a link to the DWP's page on Carer's Allowance specifically for Wales: https://www.gov.uk/carers-allowance/eligibility-wales. Universal Credit: If you're working and caring for someone, you may be eligible for Universal Credit. This is a UK-wide benefit that helps people with low incomes, including those in work. Here's a link to the DWP's page on Universal Credit in Wales: https://www.gov.uk/universal-credit. Employment and Support Allowance (ESA): If you have a health condition or disability that affects your ability to work, you may be eligible for ESA. This benefit is designed to provide financial support to people who are unable to work due to illness or More...

The AWF is unique among Learning Disabilities bodies in Wales in that it is the only organisation that represents nationally, collectively and solely the views of Parents and Carers of people with learning disabilities. We are an umbrella body for locally and regionally based organisations and support groups made up of parents and carers. Our wider alliance partners share a commitment in working to improve the rights and recognition of parents and carers and families supporting loved ones living with learning disability. The Forum is also governed by parents and carers, ensuring that our client base has a clear input into the strategic direction and core work of the organisation.

The Forum prides itself on our capacity to reach out across Wales and make real changes, including influencing policy, supporting local alliance groups, engaging in innovative projects and highlighting key areas of need that are yet to be addressed fully.

We achieve most of our work through the true spirit of partnership and shared resources, and we believe that in the future years this method of working will not only continue to prove effective in delivering outcomes, but it will also become essential if we are to continue to generate innovative and essential support solutions to families across Wales.

Advice helplines

Carers UK provides high quality advice and information to carers and the professionals who support carers. Staffed by experts, they have years of experience of dealing with the problems carers face.

The Advice line is open Monday to Friday, 10am - 4pm, tel: 0808 808 7777

Mencap WISE is a free service that offers support, advice and information in English and Welsh. The service is available to everyone in Wales, whether you are a person with a learning a learning disability, a family member or a friend. They can give you the information you need to understand the rights of people with a learning disability and to support them to access services or challenge decisions.

The Mencap WISE Helpline is open Monday to Friday, 9am - 5pm, tel: 0808 8000 300

The EYST Multi-lingual Helpline Wales is for anyone over the age of 18 living in Wales, particularly if you identify as Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic, or if you would like to speak to someone in a language other than English or Welsh.

The EYST Helpline is open 10am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Phone 0808 801 0720 or text 07537 432416.

Brecon Carer Groups
Bridgend Parent and Carer Group
Caerphilly Carers Group
Cardiff and the Vale Parents Federation
Ceredigion Carers Forum
Community Lives Consortium Relatives Forum
Conwy Connect - Carers
Denbighshire Carers Forum
Learning Disability Flintshire
Gwynedd LD Carers outreach
Knighton Parent Carer Group
Powys Carers Groups
Mencap Carers Support Group,
Anglesey Mencap
Carmarthenshire family support

Merthyr Carer Action Group
Monmouthshire Carers Group Montgomeryshire Family Carers Centre
Montgomeryshire Open Door parent carer group
Newtown Newtown Carers Group
Parents for Change, Newport
Pembrokeshire Carers Group
Radnor Carers Group
Rhondda Cynon Taff Carers group
Smile Parent Group
The Carers Outreach Service, Bangor
Welshpool Carer Group
Ystradgynlais Parent Group
Llandrindod Wells Carer Group

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Eleri Davies, a trainee Educational Psychologist studying at Cardiff University is looking to talk to parents/carers of young adults with Down Syndrome who are 20-29 (who were 17-25 during the first lockdown in March 2020), across Wales and England.

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BILD helps those supporting complex needs - to champion rights, ensure excellent support and continually improve practice through Positive Behaviour Support (PBS). The overall aim is to improve the quality of a person's life and of the people around them.

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bild | Our vision is a society where everyone can enjoy the same rights and opportunities

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Our members play a crucial role in our work, helping to raise awareness and promoting good practice. Join us and enjoy a range of benefits, as well as keeping up to date with the latest news, research and practice developments.

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Our members play a crucial role in our work, helping to raise awareness and promoting good practice. Join us and enjoy a range of benefits, as well as keeping up to date with the latest news, research and practice developments.

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If your mental or emotional state quickly gets worse, or you're worried about someone you know - help is available. You're not alone; talk to someone you trust. Sharing a problem is often the first step to recovery.