‘Our Carer Voice’ is coming to Golborne Library this month, asking anyone who cares for someone to have their say on the support they most need.
The session takes place on Monday 23 October from 10am, and is hosted by Carers Wigan and Leigh, who work alongside Wigan Council and other local organisations to improve the services available to Carers locally. An evening session via Zoom is also available if you can’t make it in person.
Anyone who provides regular unpaid care for another person is welcome to come along and share their experiences and opinions.
What happens at a Carers Voice session?
The session is designed to be a safe space to express and discuss thoughts, ideas and views on things that are of public interest. In this case, the Carers Voice Sessions will focus on the interest of Carers and to be sure discussions are representative of the views of Carers, it’s members will be Carers.
Any carer over the age of 18 can join. You could be looking after an elderly parent, a sibling, a child with additional needs, a friend or neighbour. Whatever your experiences as a Carer, they will be valuable in the pursuit of making positive change happen for Carers in Wigan and Leigh.
Who is a carer?
The word ‘Carer’ refers to someone who provides regular, unwaged help and support for a spouse/partner, family member or friend who is frail, has physical or learning disabilities or any illness including mental health, sensory loss, substance misuse or is alcohol dependent (receiving Carer’s Allowance does not mean you are classified as a ‘paid carer’). This also includes those with parental responsibility for a child with special needs or a disability. Young people under the age of 18 and children may also be carers and are known as Young Carers.
Get support from others
If you are a Carer you do not have to necessarily do everything on your own. By joining Carer Voice Wigan and Leigh, you can share your own experiences with other Carers, learn about what support is available for Carers and raise any issues you have as a Carer. Your views will be fed back to the Carers Partnership Board, where they can influence the planning and provision of carers’ support services for the future.
For example, the board want to know:
- Have you felt supported by the current system?
- Do you feel confident in your caring role?
- Do you feel support is easy to access?
- What are your stories and have there been any challenges?
Carers are more than welcome to bring their loved ones along to the session, and no pre-booking is needed. However if you would like more information, you can email carers.mailbox@wigan.gov.uk or call 01942 697885.
If you’re not able to make it in person to the session at the library, there’s also the option to join a zoom meeting later that day from 7pm – email for the joining link.
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