Freshers Week in Carmarthenshire

Posted on September 27, 2024September 27, 2024 by Michael Ford

Freshers Week in Carmarthenshire

As young people across the country prepare to embark on the next chapter of their lives for college or university, young carers face unique challenges in balancing their academic ambitions with their caring responsibilities. Carers Trust Crossroads West Wales steps up to support these young carers, offering essential guidance, arranging continuing support information as they make the significant transition into further and higher education.

During Freshers Week, our entire team was present at colleges and universities across Carmarthenshire to connect with new and returning students who may be young carers. We aim to ensure that young carers are identified early, feel welcomed, supported, and informed about the assistance available to them during their studies.

Relocating for uni

Moving away to university is a significant milestone, but it can also be a time of uncertainty, particularly for young carers who are used to balancing their education with caring responsibilities at home. Carers Trust Crossroads West Wales understands the complex pressures young carers face and is dedicated to providing practical solutions to help them succeed in this new environment and offer peace of mind of support available for the family remaining at home.

Our experienced staff are equipped to engage directly with young carers at Freshers Fairs, answering questions, offering information and resources, and helping to identify specific support services that can make their university experience smoother.

Collaborating with Education Establishments

Our commitment to young carers goes beyond Freshers’ Week. Carers Trust Crossroads West Wales actively collaborates with schools, colleges and universities on an ongoing basis. We regularly engage with teaching staff, student support services, and key establishment members. These interactions are vital for ensuring that young carers are identified early, allowing them to access the help they need before they become overwhelmed.

Through our outreach programmes and staff training sessions, we equip others with the tools to identify, support and refer these students on. Whether it’s by identifying potential young carers in their classes or guiding them to relevant resources, education establishments play a crucial role in early identification, creating a supportive environment for young carers and helping them access additional support.

Future Frontline Professionals

In addition to working with education staff, Carers Trust Crossroads West Wales also reaches out to student teachers, nurses, and other future professionals. By raising awareness during their training, we aim to build a network of informed individuals who can identify and support young carers in their future careers.

This outreach is critical, as young carers often remain hidden within educational and healthcare settings, only being identified when their responsibilities begin to take a toll on their academic or personal well-being.

For more information about our services and how we support young carers, please visit our get in touch with our dedicated team. Together, we can make a difference in the lives of young carers across West Wales.

Supporting Young Carers in Education

Posted on September 26, 2024September 26, 2024 by Michael Ford

Supporting Young Carers in Education

At Carers Trust Crossroads West Wales, we are incredibly proud of the work our dedicated Education Engagement Team is doing to support young carers across Carmarthenshire. Our two members of staff, Rhys and Clare, offer a two-pronged approach by embedding much-needed support into schools, colleges, and universities, ensuring that young carers receive the help they need to thrive in education.

Equipping Education Professionals

One of the key areas of our work is providing Continuing Professional Development (CPD) training to all education practitioners. Our training focuses on the unique challenges young carers face in balancing their caring responsibilities with their education. Using the latest Welsh statistics, we highlight how these responsibilities can affect attendance, academic performance, and overall wellbeing. By raising awareness, we help staff understand the needs of young carers, enabling them to provide appropriate support and create a more inclusive learning environment.

Empowering Young Carers

In addition to working with staff, Rhys and Clare along with other team members, directly engage with students and pupils through assemblies, class presentations, and school clubs. Our aim is to help young people self-identify as carers and connect them with the support they need. Many young carers do not recognise their role or the impact it has on their daily lives. By offering information and guidance in a safe, supportive space, we empower these students to seek help early. Once identified, they are connected with a dedicated keyworker who provides personalised, ongoing support tailored to their individual circumstances.

Setting an Example for Other Regions

Our service is making a significant difference in the lives of young carers in Carmarthenshire. By embedding this essential support within educational establishments, we are creating a model that other regions could benefit from. Early identification and targeted assistance are key to ensuring that young carers can succeed academically, socially, and emotionally. Carers Trust Crossroads West Wales is proud to be at the forefront of this effort, working closely with schools and colleges to ensure that no young carer is left behind.

We believe that this integrated approach not only improves outcomes for young carers but also serves as an exemplary model that other areas across Wales—and beyond—can follow.

For more information about our work or to discuss how we can support your educational institution, please get in touch with our team today. Together, we can make a real difference for young carers.

Our Impact

During the 2023/2024 academic year, Rhys and Clare engaged with 3,000 young people, offering them vital support, resources, and opportunities. Notably, after an engagement session 10% identified as young carers, reflecting our commitment to reaching and supporting this often underrepresented group.

By addressing their specific needs and challenges, we will empower young carers to manage their responsibilities while also focusing on their personal development, education, and well-being. Our engagement with these young people highlights the importance of inclusive programmes that cater to diverse backgrounds and experiences.

Putting Carers on the Map – Carers Week 2024

Posted on June 25, 2024June 26, 2024 by Michael Ford

Putting Carers on the Map – Carers Week 2024

Carers Week is an annual campaign to raise awareness of caring, highlight the challenges unpaid carers face, and recognise the contribution they make to families and communities throughout the UK. It also helps people who don’t think of themselves as having caring responsibilities to identify as carers and access much-needed support. Carers Week is led by Carers UK with the support of a number of other charities.

This year we celebrated Carers Week 10th – 16th June and helped to ‘Put Carers on the Map’ in Carmarthenshire with an informative and relaxing day at Llanelli Library.

A warm welcome awaited carers who had the opportunity to chat to staff from 16 organisations and find out more about support available in their caring role. There was time for a friendly chat, cake and a cuppa as well as being introduced to two wonderful Carmarthenshire Therapy Dogs, Sheba and Marshall.

Carers also enjoyed a Creative Arts Workshop, Virtual Reality Demonstrations as well as having a de-stressing and soothing mini Thai Massage Therapy session from Services | Nuumam Thai Massage | Llanelli

A big thank you to all carers who attended, organisations who supported the event and Carmarthenshire County Council who funded the event.

Carer’s Groups, Information Drop-In & Peer Support – Adferiad

Posted on June 24, 2024June 24, 2024 by Michael Ford

Carer’s Groups, Information Drop-In & Peer Support

Do you care for a family member, friend, or neighbour?
Would you like to meet up with people in a similar situation?
Join our friendly group for a cuppa and a chat where you can access
information & advice from our staff on how we can support you as a carer.

Adferiad Carer Groups CCISS Flyer

Carers Support West Wales

Posted on June 21, 2024June 21, 2024 by Michael Ford

Carers Support West Wales

During Carers Week 2024, the Carers Support West Wales team shared their latest promotional bilingual videos promoting the services available on their regional website, Carers Support West Wales (CSWW).

The CSWW website supports the provision and accessibility of consistent carer specific information, assistance and advice for unpaid carers in the three counties. CSWW is divided into three distinct sections, allowing carers to easily navigate the platform and explore information locally and regionally.

On the ‘My Community’ section, carers will find local offers, promotions and discounts that can support them in their caring role in their community. An interactive map provides a quick visualisation of any activities close by as well as the relevant contact details.
The ‘Support’ section provides support that is felt could benefit them as a carer such as how to register as an unpaid carer with your GP and how to register for a Carers Recognition Card. Using a filter system to navigate this, carers are able to search several local and national organisations to find the information they need.
The ‘News’ section shares essential information that is timely and relevant, from a list of support with cost-of-living crisis to Carers magazines providing local and national information that may be useful to carers and professionals.

For more information, please visit carerssupportwestwales.org or contact info@carerssupportwestwales.org

Dementia support with Admiral Nurses

Posted on June 21, 2024June 21, 2024 by Michael Ford

Dementia support with Admiral Nurses

Hywel Dda University Health Board, in partnership with Dementia UK, provide a specialist service for carers of people living with dementia who are experiencing difficulties as a result of their caring role.

The team covers Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire with a focus on delivering person–centred and relationship-centred dementia care.

The West Wales Admiral Nurse Service provides practical advice and emotional and psychological support from diagnosis to post-bereavement, helping people to learn coping strategies and come to terms with the diagnosis. The service can help carers to navigate health and social care systems; provide education on dementia, signpost carers to other services and support carers to develop coping strategies.

Admiral Nurses support people at difficult times in their dementia journey, including when the condition progresses, or when tough decisions need to be made, such as a transition into residential care.

Part of the role of an Admiral Nurse is to deliver specialist interventions to carers and one particular intervention we offer is the Strategies for relatives programme (START), this intervention aims to provide carers with coping strategies and has been proven to reduce depression and anxiety for family carers of people with dementia when measured at eight months and two years after they had received the intervention. We have delivered 106 individual START sessions either 1-1 or in a group setting.

One of the carers who recently attended a START group said this:

“The START programme made me feel very supported and cared about. The Admiral Nurses were kind and very helpful. They treated us with compassion and understanding. I cannot rate them and the START course highly enough. Meeting other carers was really helpful too. We got along really well and supported one another. It’s so important not to feel you are the only one caring for someone with dementia. It’s good to feel you are not alone and that is what the START programme did for me. Thank you.”

If you are a carer of someone living with dementia and would like to be referred to the service, please contact your health or social care professional who can make a referral for you.

More information about the charity Dementia UK can be found here: https://www.dementiauk.org/

Charlie Duhig
Admiral Nurse Clinical Lead.

Is a Carers ID & Emergency Card for you?

Posted on March 28, 2024March 28, 2024 by Michael Ford

Having a Carer’s ID or Emergency Card can have benefits for you and the person you care for. If you are a carer in Carmarthenshire, you can apply for a Carers Emergency Card. If you are involved in an accident or emergency or are seriously ill the card will alert others that you have someone at home who cannot manage without your help. Having a Carers Emergency Card can have benefits for you and the person you care for including, Carer discounts and peace of mind for you and the person you care for.

You can apply today by following the link: For me – Delta Wellbeing