The Department of Social Care is working in partnership with other Government Departments and Third Sector organisations to develop appropriate support for carers. The partners have drafted a Carers’ Charter which creates a framework for developing appropriate support for carers.
Who is a carer? - A Carer is defined as someone who supports a relative, friend or a neighbour who for any reason needs help with daily living and receives no payment for doing so.
What do carers do? - Carers provide physical and emotional support to vulnerable people. They help the person they support to deal with the issues of daily living, particularly those more specifically associated with a short or long term illness or disability, mental health issues or problems resulting from alcohol or substance misuse.
The type and amount of support provided may vary considerably depending upon individual needs and therefore it is not possible to fully define the role, produce a job description or person specification.
Each situation is different and the role will not be the same for everyone. In addition caring responsibilities usually vary over time and may be difficult to predict from day to day.
Anybody can become a carer at any time, as the result of a sudden event, such as an accident, or through a gradual process when someone’s physical or mental health slowly deteriorates.
We want to hear views from both carers themselves and the general public on the draft charter.
In order to take into account summer holidays the consultation will run until Friday 21 September 2012.
Electronic copies of the consultation and further information about the proposals are available on http://www.gov.im/socialcare/services/adults/carers.xml or www.crossroadsiom.org.
Paper copies of the consultation document can be collected from:
Crossroads Care Isle of Man Carers’ Centre, 35/36 Derby Square, Douglas, IM1 3LW or The Department of Social Care, Markwell House, Market Street, Douglas, IM1 2RZ or The Tynwald Library, Legislative Buildings, Finch Road, Douglas, IM1 3PW.
