VOCAL Voice of Carers Across Lothian

In Scotland, approximately 1.5 million individuals are carers, with 68% of adults currently providing unpaid care. The results of our 2023 Edinburgh Carers Survey show that Carers who received support from a carer organisation felt significantly more supported to continue caring. VOCAL offers free Think Carer training sessions to health, social care, and third-sector professionals. These sessions provide valuable insights on: • Identifying unpaid carers • Understanding who carers are • Recognising why carers may need support • Learning how and where to refer carers for additional support The one-hour online sessions are free to attend. Here are the upcoming training dates: Edinburgh: Tuesday 10 September at 10am Thursday 26 September at 2pm Monday 7 October at 10am Wednesday 23 October at 2pm Midlothian: Tuesday 17 September at 3pm Monday 30 September at 11am Wednesday 16 October at 12pm Tuesday 29 October at 2pm Additionally, VOCAL offers sessions specifically focused on Midlothian services: Think Wee Breaks: Thursday 5 September at 12pm or Tuesday 1 October at 3pm Think Future Planning: Wednesday 25 September at 10am or Thursday 24 October at 1pm No matter your role or workplace, this training can help you better support unpaid carers. Registration is now open, and you can reserve your spot here: https://ow.ly/JZNH50T3V3I For more information or to arrange a bespoke session, please email thinkcarer@vocal.org.uk.

Last week, we proudly celebrated 30 years of VOCAL! Our event for carers and partners was a great success, filled with reflection on our history and the evolution of the carers’ movement in Scotland. We had the privilege of hearing from carers who shared their personal stories, as well as professionals who highlighted the critical importance of carers' rights and the current challenges within health and social care. While we honoured the past, we also cast our gaze forward, exploring the future needs of carers and how VOCAL can make a difference. We are deeply grateful to everyone who attended for their energy, commitment, and invaluable time. A huge thank you also goes to the dedicated volunteers from Phoenix Group who played a crucial role in bringing this event to life, and to our speakers and partners who contributed as well.

Denise, our Partnership Training Officer in Midlothian attended the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce “Behind the Scenes” event at IKEA last week to promote our funded offer of employer support to businesses across Edinburgh and Midlothian. To find out more, please visit: https://ow.ly/JBmk50TcnhE

Shayna, a student social worker in the Learning Disability Team in Midlothian, recently attended our Think Carer training sessions. She joined to gather more information to share with her clients. Shayna found the session very helpful and was surprised to learn about the different types of unpaid carers and the support available to each. She said: "I had a basic understanding, but after attending the session, I realised there was much I didn't know. It was very valuable to learn about VOCAL and the services they provide." If you want to feel more confident having conversations with carers, join our next sessions. Find out more and register here: https://ow.ly/sPz150SpSpk

Caitlin, who works as a PrePare Nurse Team Lead in Edinburgh, recently attended VOCAL's Think Carer training session. She said: "Before the training, my understanding of carers was limited. After the session, I now view carers differently, keep their roles in mind, and refer them to VOCAL for support. I learned how long it takes for people to identify as carers, especially within the substance use area. “The training was highly relevant to our work with kinship carers and those in caring roles who might not recognise themselves as carers. Knowing what VOCAL offers and how to support carers was incredibly useful. "I definitely recommend this training to other professionals. I feel more confident in having these important conversations and signposting support.” Whatever your role and wherever you work, our training can support you to develop and understand how to better work with unpaid carers. Find out more and register here: https://ow.ly/FHpV50SpR3V

In Scotland, approximately 1.5 million individuals are carers, with 68% of adults currently providing unpaid care. VOCAL offers free "Think Carer" training sessions to health, social care, and third-sector professionals. These sessions provide valuable insights on: • Identifying unpaid carers • Understanding who carers are • Recognising why carers may need support • Learning how and where to refer carers for additional support The one-hour online sessions are free to attend. Here are the upcoming training dates: Edinburgh: Tuesday, 9 July at 10am Wednesday, 24 July at 2pm Thursday, 15 August at 10am Monday, 26 August at 2pm Midlothian: Tuesday, 2 July at 2pm Thursday, 25 July at 3pm Thursday, 15 August at 10am Tuesday, 27 August at 10am Additionally, VOCAL offers sessions specifically focused on Midlothian services: Think Wee Breaks: Wednesday, 31 July at 2pm or Tuesday, 20 August at 1pm Think Future Planning: Tuesday, 30 July at 12pm or Wednesday, 21 August at 11:30am No matter your role or workplace, this training can help you better support unpaid carers. Registration is now open, and you can reserve your spot here: https://ow.ly/AUM450SmbRM For more information or to arrange a bespoke session, please email thinkcarer@vocal.org.uk. Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership NHS Lothian Edinburgh Council City Chambers Midlothian Council #CarerTraining #CharityTraining #HealthAndSocialCare

Unpaid carers in Scotland contribute £13.1 billion of unpaid care each year. Ahead of the general election on Thursday 4 July, the National Carer Organisations (NCOs) have released their 2024 General Election Manifesto, advocating for Scotland’s 800,000 unpaid carers. The manifesto includes calls on the next UK government to take actions such as building on the Carer’s Leave Act, providing better support to carers to remain in work, and increasing funding for social care. You can read the full manifesto on the Coalition of Carers in Scotland website: https://ow.ly/YmkW50SkEbu #CarersVotesCount #CarersManifesto

This #CarersWeek, we are launching our joint report, ‘Unpaid carer experiences in Edinburgh’, with Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership. The report presents the results of the Edinburgh Carers Survey alongside key recommendations. 1,169 carers took part in the 2023 survey, which was commissioned by Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership and delivered in partnership with Edinburgh’s carer support organisations. The results, unfortunately, paint a stark picture of caring in Edinburgh, revealing the significant challenges and pressures faced by carers in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the cost of living crisis, and demographic changes. Rosemary McLoughlin, Chief Executive of VOCAL said: "The results of the Edinburgh Carers Survey are very concerning. Carers play a vital role in our community, yet they often do so at great personal cost and they are shouldering increasing responsibilities as health and social care budgets tighten and care services reduce. It is imperative that we work together to ensure carers can take regular breaks from caring and to ensure that carers’ health and finances are not negatively impacted by taking on a caring role.” The report has a number of recommendations, and we have been working with our partners in health and social care to drive change and support an improvement in local carers’ experiences. To read the full report, please visit website: https://ow.ly/ApfY50ShFxW Thank you again to all carers who contributed to this research, and helped us spread the word!

A carer is someone who provides unpaid care and support to a family member or friend who has a disability, illness, mental health condition, or who needs extra help as they grow older. It is not someone who volunteers or is employed to provide support. Many carers see their role as what any parent, partner, friend, or family member would do. Because of this, and for other reasons, it can take many carers years to recognise their caring role. Caring can be hugely rewarding but it can also have an impact on all aspects of your life. Having the right information and support for you and those you care for can make all the difference. You can find out more about carer support on our website, and fill in our referral form if you want to get in touch with our team. If you think you might be an unpaid carer, VOCAL is here to support you! https://ow.ly/RI0U50Rzbsb #CarersWeek2024

🎉🏅 A huge congratulations to all our runners who took part in the Edinburgh Marathon Festival at the weekend 🏅🎉 • Cameron and Jessica Hill – Junior 2k • Anton Olivier – Half marathon • Satay and Himmat Singh – Half marathon • Lucy Butterworth – Full marathon Thanks to all of you for your incredible effort, we have raised a total of £1,647 for VOCAL! Thank you to everyone who supported, donated, and cheered along the way. Together, we’re making a difference for unpaid carers!