CASS co-ordinates a Locality Support Service for carers living in Southern Staffordshire.

Its purpose is to offer free and confidential information, advice and most importantly emotional support to carers. A locality worker currently provides home visits or telephone contact to carers in each of the following districts: Stafford, Cannock, Tamworth, Lichfield, South Staffs, Burton/Uttoxeter.

The service provides a skilled worker to actively listen to the concerns of an adult carer who is looking after someone of any age suffering from:

• Physical disability
• Learning disability
• Sensory impairment
• Dementia in younger and older people
• The effects of old age
• Mental health problems in the over 65’s 

Carers often don’t recognise themselves as carers and often don’t wish to be labelled as such, however once they realise the significance of the benefits associated with this title then work can be undertaken to improve their circumstances. Many carers are unaware of the welfare benefits they may be entitled to and the locality worker can assist in applying for these. Often they are unsure of their right to an assessment and require support to prepare for an assessment in order to obtain the best possible outcome for their circumstances. 

The Team comprises of six locality workers and a carers support worker.

Carers Support Worker - The Carers Support Worker is based at the CASS main office in Stafford on 01785 606675, email: enquiries@carersinformation.org.uk and is the first point of contact if you are a new carer or new to CASS.

Locality Workers - Each locality worker covers a particular area so will know more about local services available in your area and will be the same point of contact if you need to talk to us, once you are registered as a carer with CASS. 

A locality worker can help you with:

Information 

• On health or social care services and how to access them
• Under going assessments such as a carers assessment 
• Welfare benefits, applications to charity funds, carers break funds
• Other CASS services such as Carers Health Education and Wellbeing Service opportunities, Alzheimer’s Cafes, ring around service (for those carers who may be vulnerable and perhaps caring for someone who wouldn’t easily understand what to do if there was an emergency) contact Jane Hinton 01543 469872
• Sign post you to other community groups or organisations that may help you
• Liaison with other agencies - when you need help finding your way through the system and communicating your needs to people working in the Council’s Social Care and Health department or Health Services

Support

• As a carer you might appreciate the opportunity to talk about your feelings, anxieties and concerns.
• A locality worker is happy to discuss caring issues with you and how it may be affecting your own health and well being to help you cope with your caring role.
• Our staff are trained to listen sensitively to you and not be judgemental.
• CASS operates a confidentiality policy and this will be explained to you.
• This support can be given over the telephone or a locality worker can visit you at home or somewhere convenient for you to talk.

Click to view leaflet: Does someone depend on you?

How do I contact the Locality Support Service?

1. You can phone our main office (01785 606675) and leave a message requesting the locality worker for your area contacts you. If you are not already registered with us you will be asked to give details such as name, address, date of birth, ethnicity etc – all records held are in line with the Data Protection Act and not shared with others.
2. You can ask staff at the Drop in or Alzheimer’s a café to contact you.
3. You can leave a message on the locality workers telephone line [see below]. Workers are often out on home visits and so might not answer when you ring. They only work part time.

• The Locality Workers are available by phone 10am—2pm Monday to Friday (answerphone if unavailable)
• They can arrange to meet you at a time and place to suit you
• Locality Workers also make sure that carers issues are kept at the top of the agenda at local and national events and meetings—we’ll fight your corner

Adult Carers Support Team

Chief Officer Adult Services	Mac Cock	01785 606675 mac.cock@carersinformation.org.uk
Locality Workers
Carers Support Worker	Karen Leighton	01785 606675 karen.leighton@carersinformation.org.uk
Cannock Chase District	Helena Tranter	01785 661821 helena.tranter@carersinformation.org.uk
East Staffordshire Borough	Anna Everett	01889 569885 anna.everett@carersinformation.org.uk
Lichfield District	Sharon Braacx	01543 301140      sharon.braacx@carersinformation.org.uk
South Staffs District	Jan Playford	01902 746269 jan.playford@carersinformation.org.uk
Stafford Borough	Sue Cooke	01785 606675 sue.cooke@carersinformation.org.uk
Tamworth Borough	Sue Prince	01827 839071 sue.prince@carersinformation.org.uk
Alzheimer Café   Co-ordinator	Debbie Hill	01785 606675 debbie.hill@carersinformation.org.uk  Alzheimer Cafe page
Post Diagnosis Support Service	Victoria Leeming	01543 301140 victoria.leeming@carersinformation.org.uk     Post Diagnosis Support Service Leaflet

When you register with CASS your details will be passed on to the Locality Worker responsible for your area. Every effort will be made to contact you immediately but sometimes, due to the increasingly large number of referrals, that may not be possible and we will take a bit longer to get back to you. If you feel that your need is urgent, or if you have any other enquiries, please do not hesitate to contact the main office on 01785 606675 where telephone support is available.

What can I expect? 

• You can expect to be treated with dignity and respect  
• You can expect to know how to complain or pass on a compliment about the service you have received  
• You can expect to be treated as an individual with your own personal values 

Our service is currently free of charge; we hope to respond to your enquiries as promptly as possible within the resources we have to run the services. We value feedback from Carers about their experiences of using CASS and use this information to improve our services to meet your needs.

Carers want different things from CASS if we cannot help usually we know someone who can. It is not our responsibility to do everything for you but to assist you by pointing out the options available for you to choose and pursue and for us to explain things that are unclear to you. This is so you can have more choice and control over the things that affect your life as a carer. 

Does it make a difference?

Having a locality worker that is knowledgeable about the services and support available in the district you live can enable a carer to carry on looking after someone for longer if they wish to. It can help families discuss important issues and prepare for emergencies and plan for the future in a way that is less stressful. Many carers are tired and anxious and just need a listening ear to guide them through complex systems; medical terminology, financial matters, relationship issues etc. in order to feel more in control of their own lives.

There is no shortage of information, but accessing it when you need it and in a way you can digest it, at a pace that’s right for you as an individual is not always possible as a carer. Sometimes just knowing you can pick up the phone and contact someone you have previously met or talked to can reduce the anxiety and isolation felt by carers. Carers often have to put their own needs last and they can neglect their own emotional and physical well being. The locality service supports carers to care.

The locality support service assists people when changes occur – going into permanent care, bereavement etc, cases are not just abandoned options are discussed sensitively and support is continued if necessary for up to a year. 

Outcomes

• Carers receive emotional support from a locality worker dedicated to carers.
• Carers receive information about the welfare benefit system and gain access to other charities that might help them financially.
• Carers enabled to continue to hold down a job, contribute to a pension scheme and pursue a career if they so wish.
• Carers able to form an effective working relationship with their locality worker to allow them to become independent not create a dependency.  
• Carers have the opportunity to speak to someone who understands the difficulties they face. This can reduce stress and anxiety experienced by carers.
• The level of awareness of carers issues is raised, by working conducively with other statutory bodies and third sector organisations.
• Carers receive information about all aspects of caring and details of other organisations that can help at a local level.
• Carers are identified and their input recognised.
• Carers issues are taken forward to other arenas and representation is made on their behalf with their consent. 

The Carers Association has worked steadily in your community building its reputation as an independent approachable organisation, with strong values championing the needs of carers. It seeks to constantly raise the profile of carers and the issues faced by looking after someone in their own home. Its staff are well trained and supported to provide a high quality service with sensitivity.

For more information about this service Contact – Mac Cock CASS Adult Team Manager on 01785-606675

© copyright 2012 CASS

Carers Association Southern Staffordshire is a Company Limited by Guarantee. Registered No:4184030
Registered Office: The Carers Centre, Austin Friars, Stafford. ST17 4AP.
Cass is a Registered Charity 1086979