main content Carers strategy launched for Bromley

This week saw the launch at the Carers Bromley AGM by the Council and partners of a carers’ strategy for Bromley to strengthen the service and support available to carers to the year 2010 and beyond. A carer can be anyone from a young person supporting a parent to an older person caring for a partner. Over 28,000 people in Bromley are known to have a caring role for someone with chronic ill health, a disability or an older person living at home. However, only 4,000 have identified themselves to support services.

A new carer’s register, to be compiled by the Council and its partners, will record the thousands of carers within the borough who have not made themselves known to social and health care services. The Carers’ Register will make sure carers in Bromley can get the advice, information and support when they need it including respite support through a new ‘emergency respite fund.’ A Carer’s Partnership Group will also be established to give carers a stronger voice about their needs so services and resources can be targeted accordingly. Making sure carers know about the support available to them will further help them access the right services at the right time and extending Direct Payments will increase choice, flexibility and control for carers by enabling them to make their own support arrangements.

Said Councillor Graham Arthur, Executive Councillor for Adult and Community Services:
“Carers are vital to the well being of so many people who want to live as independently as possible with dignity. This is a comprehensive strategy for Bromley to help the Council and its partners reach out to the wider carer community, to listen to their needs and help them get the right support at the right time. This includes young carers whose needs have recently been so well documented.”

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Editor’s Notes 

28,000 people in Bromley identified themselves as having a caring role (Census 2001) 

The Carers’ Strategy underpins ‘New Deal for Carers’ recently announced by the Government with locally available advice and information supporting National Carers Helpline and support resourced by the new ‘emergency respite’ fund 

For media enquiries, please contact Amanda Day, Communications Officer on 020 8313 4390 or email amanda.day@bromley.gov.uk. 

For general enquiries, please contact Andy Crawford on 020 8461 7446 or email andy.crawford@bromley.gov.uk