22/09/03 - Give a little time, make a big difference : Cumbria County Council

Today marks the start of National Shared Care Week and an opportunity for Cumbria County Council to recruit much needed carers to `Give a Little Time, Make a BigDifference’. The scheme involves carer families providing a disabled child with a break on a regular basis. This can be anything from an evening a week to a weekend a month. They give disabled children new experiences and new friends while their families get a break from caring full time.

The main aim of the week is to raise awareness of the scheme and to recruit new carers. Many people like the idea of fostering, but cannot commit to looking after a child or children full-time. But there are alternatives to fostering, one of which is Shared Care. Shared Care is a nationwide scheme where carers look after children with disabilities on a regular basis for short periods of time. Carers are linked in with families of children with disabilities to provide them with respite care. This means the parents of the disabled child get a rest from caring and it helps the child make new friends and gain independence. Carers get to have great fun and feel the satisfaction of knowing how much they are helping someone in need. County Councillor John Mallinson, Cabinet spokesperson for Care and Social Services explains why the scheme is so important. He says,

"There is a huge demand for this type of respite care because it is popular with both the children and their parents. Parents leave their children with someone they know and trust and their child enjoys the break too. Children get the opportunity to do new things and make new friends. Carers enjoy having the child come to stay. In a report commissioned by The Joseph Rowntree Foundation and published in 2000, it was found that short-term respite care provided in this way could be fulfilling for everyone involved. The report “Committed to Caring” finds that caring for a child with a disability can be fun. The more you do it, the more rewarding it gets. It indicates that more people would do it if they knew about it so raising awareness is the key.

There are around fifty families in Cumbria awaiting a link with someone who can provide short term care for their child. The children are of all ages and have a range of disabilities. Carers do not need any special qualifications, they are ordinary people who enjoy the company of children, are keen to help others and have some spare time to give”

Current shared carers come from all kinds of backgrounds, are all ages, some work and others are retired, some people are single, some are married and only some have children of their own. Some carers have previous experience of working with children with disabilities and many have not. As Judy Lewis, a carer on the Shared Care schemes explains,

“The child we care for is lovely and fits in so well with the family. Half the time we hardly notice she’s there as they all play so well together. We just love having her and we have a link Social Worker in case we need advice or support.”

Anyone wanting to know more about being a carer for Cumbria Shared Care can come to one of the following drop-in days;

Barrow Market Hall, Friday 3 October, 11.00 to 16.00

Carlisle Debenham's Restaurant, Thursday 25 September, 12.00 to 15.00

Kendal Westmorland Centre, Wednesday 24 September, 11.00 to 16.00

Workington Carnegie Theatre, Wednesday 24 September, 12.00 to 15.00