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| Background |
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The Sharing Caring Project (SCP) was setup in August 1996 in direct response
to years of lobbying from ageing family carers who were increasingly worried
about what would happen to the people they care for in the future.
The SCP began as a three year Joint Finance project to identify the needs of older
family carers (approaching 70 years and over) and the people they care for,
and to work in partnership with families and services to improve the way
that services and support for this group are assessed, resourced, publicised and delivered.
Everything the SCP has achieved has been directly based on the report on the
findings of a survey carried out with more than 100 family carers aged 67 or more.
The report, Crisis Approaching, concluded that older family carers had
five action priorities they felt were most important in enabling them to
continue to care and be able to plan for the future.
The five priorities were:
To be known before a crisis occurs and to be supported to continue
to care for as long as both they and the person they care for wish to stay together.
Accessible information that is easy to find, understand and support to use information resources.
To be valued and respected for their lifelong expertise by services and workers.
To be involved in plans and decision-making processes, regardless of whether the person is still living at home.
Confidence and reassurance that support and help is available
in a crisis and that the person they care for will be happy, safe,
properly supported and have access to meaningful opportunities and activities in the future.
From August 1999 to 2001, much of the SCP's work focused on research into
the best ways to support people with learning disabilities and their older
family carers to plan ahead for the future.
This research was funded by the Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities
and Community Health Sheffield Care Trust.
The findings were included in the report by the Foundation entitled Today and Tomorrow (2002)
From 2002 onwards, the SCP was able to reduce its age limit and now offers
support to family carers of adults with learning disabilities,
regardless of the age of the family carer. The project is also open to family carers
who are no longer caring full-time at home. This is an essential part of our work
as it enables people to maintain their information and support networks as well
as giving family carers the opportunity to share their experiences.
The SCP is currently funded largely by the Carers Grant
and acts as a bridge to supporting family carers to access the services,
information and support they need to continue to care and plan for the future.
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