Issue 3 | June 2009 www.caringwithconfidence.net

Welcome back to Caring with Confidence News Update.

A lot has been happening with the programme over the last month and we've exciting developments to tell you about in the articles below.

Please share our news with your friends and colleagues too and encourage them to sign up to receive our updates.
In the headlines...

You may have seen or heard in the news over the last few weeks about our official launch. Although you have perhaps known about Caring with Confidence for a while now as we’ve worked on developing the programme, this marked the full roll out of the programme through local providers to deliver our face-to-face sessions across England.

This means we’re now offering Caring with Confidence through three routes: group sessions, self-study workbooks and online sessions.

The launch was supported by Mike Tomlinson, husband of the hugely inspirational athlete and fundraiser Jane Tomlinson CBE, who passed away in September 2007 after a long battle with cancer.

Mike’s time supporting and caring for Jane in the later stages of her cancer led to his involvement with Caring with Confidence:

“I have personal experience of caring for a loved one and it can often be an isolated and difficult experience as you struggle to balance the needs of the person you care for with your own and those of the wider family.

“Support was available but not in such a way that it could be accessed easily. The flexibility Caring with Confidence offers means that people across England will be able to access these vital support services and meet with other people in similar situations to exchange information and share knowledge.”  (Mike Tomlinson)

The media launch also coincided with a number of successful regional events taking place around the country to promote the programme and we’ll be continuing our efforts to raise the profile of the programme as we move towards Carers Week (8-14 June).

If you, or an organisation you work for is able to help us spread the word about Caring with Confidence, please do get in touch with us.
 
Group session locator

A new search facility is now available on the Caring with Confidence website which enables carers to find out about group sessions running in their area.
 

This facility will continue to grow as more sessions begin to be delivered through our network of Providers. Sessions have already begun in the following areas and more sessions across the country will be up and running over the coming weeks:

      Derbyshire                   East Riding of Yorkshire

      Essex                            Leicestershire

      London                         Merseyside

      Lincolnshire                North Yorkshire

      Tyne and Wear           West Yorkshire

And don’t forget, carers can get involved from home regardless of where they live.   
Making a difference

 

One mum from Leicester who has been caring for her 17 year old daughter since birth has found her life changed by the Caring with Confidence programme running in Leicester.

Shama Omar, a mother of five, from Belgrave, has cared for her daughter, Sana, who has autism and severe learning difficulties almost full-time since she was born.

She found herself becoming isolated to the point where she stopped going out. Shama said: “Caring can be very isolating. I think it is especially so in the Asian community, where a stigma is attached to it.

"No-one wants to invite you around and at one function I was asked to wait outside with Sana's wheelchair. I found it very insulting. It makes you feel as if you have done something wrong and it is all your fault. In the end I stopped going out.”

Shama, was then offered the chance to take part in Caring with Confidence. She said: "For the first time, I realised there were people in the same situation.

"My confidence began to grow, as I found that I could help others. The sessions gave me the chance to talk to carers from all sorts of backgrounds. Many had similar difficulties and some I found I could help by sharing my experiences as a carer.”


 
Our progress

 

The Caring with Confidence Progress Report 2009 is now available.

This report documents the progress of the programme since our last report in October.

It includes information on the development of our tailored modules and the process we went through to identify the organisations who are delivering the group face-to-face sessions.

The report is available to download from the publications area of our website.

Printed copies can be sent upon request. Please email or call us on 0113 385 4491.
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