This Carers Rights Day, Sefton Council, in collaboration with the Sefton Carers Centre, as well as partners in health, education, social services, voluntary and community groups, is starting its consultation about its draft All Age Carers Strategy and would like to hear from residents.

The All Age Strategy focuses on unpaid carers in the Borough. This can mean anyone who looks after someone that would struggle to manage without additional help and is not paid to do it.

Helping unpaid carers

According to the latest Office of National Statistics Census, more than one in ten Sefton residents aged five and over count as unpaid carers. This is higher than the average in the North West and in England as a whole.

The new, draft All Age Carers Strategy sets out 11 key aims for supporting unpaid carers in Sefton over the next three years.

Among these are looking after the health and wellbeing of unpaid carers, helping them plan for crisis situations and ensuring that all carers will have a voice and be treated as experts when discussing the care of their loved one.

Other priorities include preventing loneliness, offering regular breaks and improving access to education, training and employment.

The All Age Strategy also focuses on helping young carers during each stage of care as they grow into adults. Sefton Carers Centre has a Young Carers Service, which gives young carers the support they need to be able to take part in school activities and feel fully part of their community.

Have your say

People can find a link to the draft All Age Carers Strategy on the Council’s website. There is also a link to an easy-ready version of the Strategy. If anyone is unable to access an online version or if they need a large print version, they can call 0151 934 2888.

Comments on the draft All Age Carers Strategy can be emailed to yourseftonyoursay@sefton.gov.uk.

Feedback will be included in the Strategy and, once the consultation ends in February, a final version of the Strategy will be published.

Cllr Paul Cummins, Sefton’s Cabinet Member for Adults Social Care, said: “Caring for someone else is a selfless and noble act. We want to do our bit to help by having a support structure in place for unpaid carers so that they always have somewhere to go if they need a helping hand.

“This consultation is really important because we want our All Age Strategy to work for unpaid carers and the best way to do that is to hear how they feel and what they need. They are experts in their own experience, and we hope to hear lots of constructive feedback from them.”

The consultation is available digitally and paper copies can be found in the Carers Centre and any Sefton library. It is open to anyone aged five and over who looks after a family member, friend, or loved one.

Keeping people safe

This year, Carers Rights Day falls in Safeguarding Adults Week, which focuses on raising awareness of key issues and best practice. Safeguarding refers to the protection of the health, wellbeing and rights of adults at risk, helping them to live safely, free from abuse and neglect. It is about people, agencies, and organisations working together to prevent and reduce the risks of abuse and neglect. During the week, the Safeguarding Adults Partnership Board has been sharing messages and support on their social media pages.

The online consultation for the All Age Carers Strategy can be found on Your Sefton Your Say.