Agenda item

To consider a report of the Executive Director Core Services and the Executive Director Communities (Item 4a attached) in respect of #BarnsleyCares – Carers’ Strategy for 2017-20 (Item 4b attached), Barnsley Carers’ Strategy Action Plan (Item 4c attached) and Barnsley Adult Carers’ Service – Carer Feedback (Item 4d attached).

The following witnesses were welcomed to the meeting:

·         Wendy Lowder, Executive Director – Communities, BMBC

·         Jayne Hellowell, Head of Commissioning – Healthier Communities, BMBC

·         Jo Ekin, Commissioning Manager – Healthier Communities, BMBC

·         Steph Johansen, Regional Head of Operations for Barnsley Carers’ Service, Making Space

·         Julia Goddard, Carer Support Worker, Making Space

·         Barnsley Carer Representative

·         Sarah Sinclair, Interim Head of Service Commissioning, Governance and Partnerships, People Directorate, BMBC

·         Kate Hensby, Manager for Young Carers’ Service, Barnardo’s

·         Lennie Sahota, Service Director, Adult Social Care and Health

The Executive Director introduced this item, informing the Overview and Scrutiny Committee of the progress of the Carers’ Strategy 2017-2020 and Action Plan, also highlighting that the report also includes details and progress of the local commissioning and social care responses to supporting unpaid carers in Barnsley.

The Head of Commissioning then went on to explain that lots of partnership work has been done and that Barnsley now has an integrated carers’ service for adults plus a young carers’ service, which is a statutory service delivered through Barnardo’s.  The issue of carers now has a much higher profile, a rearranged governance structure and investment from the Better Care Fund to fund the service.  The service is currently being evaluated as there is a desire to continue funding the service as it provides invaluable support to carers.

The Manager for the Young Carers’ Service (Barnardo’s) gave a brief outline of the services they deliver; a young carer’s case study and reported developments and achievements for the benefit of Members.  

In the ensuing discussion, and in response to detailed questioning and challenge, the following matters were highlighted:

Barnsley Carers’ Service operates under a hub and spoke model, with the central hub based at Priory Campus with information, advice and support delivered at a number of community venues, including Family Centres and GP surgeries, with plans to expand further in the near future, possibly aligned to Area Councils.  The contract is not a year old yet and there is still work to be done in terms of raising the profile of the service.  Some GP surgeries host carer clinics and there is an aim (working in partnership with Barnsley Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) colleagues) to have a carer presence in every GP surgery, with a facility to produce ‘information prescriptions’ about the carers’ service which can be printed off and given to patients. 

In Barnsley 108 young carers accessed the carers’ service provided by Barnardo’s, but the number of young carers may be significantly more as many are ‘hidden’ carers.  Referrals from adult services are low.  There are many reasons why this is the case, including fears around Social Services’ involvement, the perceived stigma of parents whose children care for them and the way adult services are currently set up.  This is one of the reasons why a 3^rd sector provider delivers the service as it is viewed as being separate from statutory services.  Referrals tend to come in following a family crisis, such as concerns around school attendance, and time and effort is then taken to deal with individual families, capacity building around the family and signposting to other services where necessary.  It was acknowledged that there is a need to improve referral rates and ensure that the needs of the most vulnerable children, young people and families are met whilst working with other services such as Substance Misuse, Mental Health etc.

A Member enquired about respite for young carers at crucial times such as when taking GCSEs.  It was explained that respite is not provided, but rather young people are supported to do appropriate levels of care.  This could mean increasing one-to-one support either at home or in school; involving other agencies to reduce levels of caring; offering support  via mobile phone and text messages (for example, prompts to get ready for school) and organising activities.  Young carers are never expected to take on a caring role which would impact on their education.  All young people are made aware of the different organisations which are there to help them, such as Childline, Mindspace, I Know I Can (IKIC) and Chilypep and can be contacted via mobile phone apps and social media.

Barnsley has a larger percentage of young carers than other Local Authorities.  This has been the case for many years, but nowadays there are integrated structures to support them and lots of awareness raising is done in schools.  There is a current campaign to raise awareness by giving a credit card size information card to every child in schools to remove discrimination and raise awareness.  400 children and young people in Horizon were each given a card with contact details and this initiative was shortlisted for a Northern Housing Award.  Teachers are also more aware of what to look out for.  The youngest referral to date for a young carer has been for a 4 year old.  The exact number of young carers is difficult to establish, and many come through when the family is known to Adult Services such as Substance Misuse and Mental Health.  Young carers who are supported report a positive impact on their mental wellbeing and emotional resilience. 

There is a need to remove the stigma of being a carer and to raise awareness of the support available.  A number of mechanisms are used, including leaflets, newspaper articles, social media and work with other organisations, pulling all services together and removing duplication to make the journey simpler and stress free. 

Julia Goddard (Making Space) gave an overview of services to support carers, explaining that these depend very much on the individual and their needs, starting with a 1:1 meeting with a support worker which then leads on to other things such as help with finances, housing, wellbeing, psychological therapies, debt management, benefits and carers assessment.  Making Space try to meet any needs that are brought up in the conversation and the Support Workers are almost walking directories.  They also intend to recruit Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) workers in areas where there is a need to support specific communities.       

It was highlighted that it is only possible to claim Carers Allowance until the age of 65.  This is a problem in Barnsley, as many carers who are in their 70s and 80s care for family members, which has an associated financial impact (unless they have private pensions) and could adversely affect their quality of life.

The Barnsley Carer Representative spoke about the positive impact Making Space had on her life as a carer, highlighting the benefits of services to support carers when they don’t know who to approach for help and may be isolated in terms of a family and friends support network. 

It was felt that there was a gap in provision for ex-service personnel and their carers who may be suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other conditions relating to their armed forces service.  It was reported that the Armed Forces Champion is Cllr Joe Hayward and the Armed Forces Lead Officer is Jayne Hellowell, who is leading on bringing forward Barnsley’s Armed Forces Plan to address this.  A lik to both Barnardos and Making Space will be included within the plan which is currently being developed.

When social care assessments are undertaken the views and wishes of the carer are always taken into account.  If carer needs are identified early support can be provided in a timely manner, including signposting to other avenues of support.  Work is underway with communities to identify the best way to offer support and to identify ‘hidden’ carers, as early identification could prevent a crisis situation later, bringing the hospital and other organisations on board to raise the profile of carers, as many do not recognise that they are ‘carers’. 

It was felt that Councillors had a valuable role to play in spreading the message and raising the profile of carers within their communities.  Councillors were happy to be involved and offered to distribute information leaflets etc., within their community and at community events such as galas.

RESOLVED that:

(i)            A letter will be  sent to MPs requesting the Carer’s Allowance should not be stopped at pensionable age

(ii)          Contact information regarding the Adult Carers’ Service (Making Space) and Young People’s Carers’ Service (Barnardo’s) will be circulated to Elected Members

(iii)         Carers’ services should be linked to the Armed Forces Covenant Group and included within the Armed Forces Plan, and

(iv)         Witnesses be thanked for their attendance and contribution.