Learning & training opportunities report june 2010_final

Understanding the Barriers for Carers in

Accessing Learning and Training

Opportunities

Mapping & Research Project (North West)

Report Published

June 2010

Caring with Confidence , Carrwood Park, Selby Road, Leeds, LS15 4LG T +44 (0)113 385 4491

E [email protected] W www.caringwithconfidence.net

Caring with Confidence – Mapping & Research Project (North West)

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Contents

1. Introduction and background p3

1.1 Aims of this study 1.2 Previous research 1.3 This report

2. Methodology p4

2.1 Desk research 2.2 Supply - Learning and training organisation consultation 2.3 Demand - Carer consultation 2.4 Key stakeholder interviews

3. Caring with Confidence p6

3.1 Background to Caring with Confidence 3.2 Caring with Confidence training/learning programme 3.3 Caring with Confidence target groups 3.4 Caring with Confidence delivery to date 3.5 Learning to date

4. The policy and research context p9

4.1 Policy context 4.2 Research on carers 4.3 Summary

5. Learning and training provision in the North West p14

5.1 North West mapping 5.2 Types of organisations engaging carers across the North West 5.3 Provision across the North West 5.4 Barriers to providing learning and training opportunities in the North West

6. Carers needs p20

6.1 Interest in learning and training opportunities 6.2 Previously accessed learning and training support 6.3 Barriers to accessing learning and training provision 6.4 Outcomes of learning and training

7. Conclusions and recommendations p24

7.1 How current provision needs to adapt in the North West in the short term 7.2 How provision needs to adapt in the North West in the longer term 7.3 What role for Caring with Confidence 7.4 Moving forward and recommendations


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1. Introduction and background Caring with Confidence commissioned Equal Access Consultancy in October 2009 to undertake a mapping and research project in the North West of England in support of their project brief from the Department of Health on understanding the barriers for carers in accessing learning and training opportunities.

1.1 Aims of this study The overall aims of this mapping and research project as outlined in the project brief are as follows: o to provide a regional mapping/overview of the current learning and training opportunities for

carers living in the North West of England o to understand the need, quality, relevance and geographical spread of learning and training

opportunities in the North West o to produce a piece of research focusing on the short and long-term issues of carer related

learning and training opportunities o to contribute to the continuing discussions surrounding the future of Caring with Confidence and

its role within the carer community o to feed into the ongoing work being undertaken in support of accreditation.

1.2 Previous research

In spring 2008, Caring with Confidence commissioned an external consultancy, Waves, to conduct a national mapping exercise, in which a survey was distributed to a database of over 4,500 organisations, compiled from a number of individual databases managed and maintained by carer organisations. In total 639 questionnaires were completed, with 329 responses gained from organisations that provided or commissioned training for carers, and the analysis of these formed the basis of their report. This represented an overall response rate of 7.3%.

1.3 This report

This report presents the research findings from mapping and research in the North West of England, conducted by Equal Access Consultancy between October 2009 and March 2010. This research seeks to develop a wider understanding of the learning and training agenda for carers, exploring the supply and demand sides of the equation. On the supply side, the research explores the current levels of provision available to carers in the North West of England, the types of organisations delivering learning and training to carers, from the voluntary, statutory and private sector, the geographical spread of learning and training opportunities and the challenges and barriers to providing learning and training to unpaid carers. On the demand side, this research explores the needs, wants and desires of carers in relation to learning and training opportunities, specifically related to their caring duties but also wider needs for training and learning.


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2. Methodology

The mapping and research project examined both the supply and demand side of the learning and training equation, mapping and consulting with organisations that provide learning and training opportunities for unpaid carers. This section of the report presents the methodology adopted.

2.1 Desk research

At the outset of the project, a brief desk review was undertaken to place the work in the emerging context, examining the emerging policy, the general development of the carers agenda nationally and examples of research in this field.

2.2 Supply - Learning and training organisation con sultation

o North West mapping - Using a blend of research methodologies including desk based research and telephone interviews, we mapped the geographical spread of learning and training opportunities in the North West. Using internet research, local authority contacts were developed for each of the districts in the North West, carers centres were identified, along with further educational institutions and key support organisations related to the Caring with Confidence target groups. A snowballing method was then used to reach into key contact networks. A total of 512 contacts were mapped who indicated that they were engaged with learning and training for unpaid carers in some respect, or plan to be involved in providing learning and training to unpaid carers in the future. On occasion, multiple individuals from the same organisation were included, as they operated in either different local geographies or with different target groups.

o North West survey - Working with Caring with Confidence a questionnaire was developed, which was distributed to learning organisations via email and post. A targeted booster was used to follow up non responses among those groupings with low response rates.1 The total number of completed questionnaires returned was 1052, representing a response rate of 20.5%.

o North West interviews - 12 qualitative interviews were undertaken with a range of learning and

training organisations that represented specific types of provider or specific conditions, in the North West and wider where appropriate, which added qualitative depth to the survey findings.3

2.3 Demand - Carer consultation

o Carers needs survey – Working with Caring with Confidence, a questionnaire was developed which was sent to a database of over 3,000 carers in the North West to evidence carer need. The questionnaire was designed to assess the barriers to learning and training.4 The total number of completed responses to this survey was 544, with 29 partial responses, representing a response rate of 19.1%. The analysis carried out includes all respondents (5735). In addition, further questionnaires were sent through local organisations involved in focus groups and interviews. The questionnaire was also available for completion through the Caring with Confidence website.

o Focus groups - A series of five focus groups were conducted with carers across the North West and wider where appropriate, engaging with those carers who have, and have not benefited from the Caring with Confidence learning and training opportunities, carers in the Caring with Confidence target groups, and carers from a geographical spread of the region through Providers of the Caring with Confidence programme in the North West where possible.

1 See appendix 4 for a full copy of the survey.

2 With a further 90 partially completed. See appendix 1 for a breakdown of responses by geographical region. 3 See appendix 3 for a list of consultees. 4 See appendix 5 for a full copy of the survey. 5 See appendix 2 for a breakdown of responses.


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o Biographical interviews – Further, detailed biographical interviews were undertaken with four carers with an interesting journey and experience of learning and training e.g. transition to employment through gaining skills, civic engagement including volunteering, savings to the state in avoiding the need for mainstream services.

2.4 Key stakeholder interviews

We conducted 10 key stakeholder interviews to address the emerging issues from the supply and demand side analysis of learning and training opportunities, holding discussions surrounding the potential future of Caring with Confidence and its role within the carer community.6

6 See appendix 3 for a list of consultees.


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3. Caring with Confidence 3.1 Background to Caring with Confidence

Caring with Confidence (formerly known as the Expert Carers' Programme) started on 1 January 2008 and is part of the New Deal for Carers and the renewed National Carers Strategy. The Department of Health awarded a contract to a consortium comprising of The Princess Royal Trust for Carers, Carers UK, Crossroads Care, Partners in Policymaking and the Expert Patients Programme Community Interest Company (EPP CIC) who are the lead administrative organisation, to lead the delivery and on-going development of Caring with Confidence. The Department of Health allocated £4.7 million a year to Caring with Confidence for three years.

3.2 The Caring with Confidence programme

Caring with Confidence is a free, innovative programme of flexible sessions offering support to carers, empowering and enabling them. It informs them of their rights; the services available to them; develops their advocacy skills and their ability to network with other carers to support their ongoing needs. The first programme took place in August 2008 (pilot) and the project was expected to reach full capacity by June 2009. The programmes main aim is to:

‘Help carers make a positive difference to their li fe and that of the person they care for’ .

The programme consists of an introductory session “Finding Your Way” and the following six generic modules: • Caring and Coping • Caring and Communicating • Caring and Me • Caring Day-to-Day • Caring and Life • Caring and Resources. The programme is available through face-to-face group sessions (led by trained facilitators7), through self study packs or by accessing online sessions. Carers can mix and match the methods they use to develop their knowledge, or participate in learning and support.

“Caring with Confidence have put together a high qu ality and structured programme, they have done a really good job on working with carer n eeds, presenting it well.” – Department of Health

7Facilitators must achieve their “Passport to Practice” (internal accreditation) from Caring with Confidence. The process for a fully recognised facilitator is:

• Completion of an application form; • Interview; • Three day Facilitator Development Programme (currently residential); • Two observations of delivery within the first six sessions plus optional additional telephone coaching.

The “Passport to Practice” is awarded providing facilitators have successfully completed each of the above steps.


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3.3 Caring with Confidence target groups

Caring with Confidence is aimed at adult carers, with particular emphasis on target groups specified by the Department of Health. The core target groups are carers who are:

• in receipt of Carers Allowance (or care for 35 hours per week or more) – (1/3) • of black and minority ethnic (BME) heritage • or lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) – (1/3 LGBT and/or BME).

And, carers of (1/3):

• disabled children • adults with complex needs • people living with mental ill-health • people with dementia • people with long-term conditions • people nearing the end of life.

The generic programme is tailored and supplemented to meet the needs of carers from the target groups.

3.4 Caring with Confidence delivery to date

Caring with Confidence awarded contracts to 32 organisations to deliver face-to-face group sessions to carers in England. This followed a thorough procurement process in which 381 organisations submitted an expression of interest to become a Provider, 128 organisations went on to complete a prequalification questionnaire and from those submitted, a total of 76 organisations were formally invited to tender for a contract to deliver the programme, and 32 organisations were selected.

The overall target set for the whole project is to reach 27,000 carers across England over the 3 year period. To date the programme is not on target to achieve this output level. Positive feedback received from the end users indicates that the sessions have been received with significantly high proportions of carers rating the sessions as very good8. Caring with Confidence Providers have faced challenges in reaching the target number of carers, with difficulties in particular being experienced in reaching the Caring with Confidence target groups e.g. BME, LGBT, which are still relatively little understood. Many of these carers’ groups remain ‘hidden’ from support services, and little best practice exists for reaching them. In response to these challenges, Caring with Confidence has complimented its programme with a second tier delivery framework, which involves working through and engaging with grass roots community organisations which are better placed on the ground to reach carers in the specific target groups. This new model complements and supplements the existing structure, and early signs are that ‘hidden’ carers in the Caring with Confidence target groups are more likely to engage through grass roots organisations with which they identify at the very local level.

3.5 Learning to date

The programme has taken time to establish itself and begin to deliver against its ambitious targets. It is however a developmental programme, operating on a national scale and it has faced a number of challenges with its Provider base and the quality and pace of delivery. It is clear, like any national, life limited (3 year) programme, a significant planning and infrastructure stage is required before any delivery phase can commence. Evidence from this programme shows that the first half of the project (18 months) has been concentrated on building that framework and there is evidence that delivery is

8 14,967 feedback forms received of which 9,106 excellent (60.8%), 5,282 good(35.2%) 500 satisfactory (3.3%) poor (0.06%). 13,825 would recommend a friend (92.3%).


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now beginning to flow from the work done to establish the programme. o A key strength of the programme has been developing connections among carers, which has

contributed to the formation of new support groups, and the Caring with Confidence National Team is currently looking at different ways to sustain these support groups after the programme, as it is recognised as a significant achievement that needs to be built upon.

o The modular format facilitates carers’ participation and promotes their self determination. Whilst

this has enabled many carers to participate at their own pace and convenience, it has also impacted on the levels of absence, which have been higher than expected.

o In terms of the outcomes of the Caring with Confidence programme, there is no evaluation data

which picks up the longer term outcomes of participation. However while a national evaluation carried out by Leeds University is expected to report on this, it seems this would have been more appropriate to have an action research approach to the evaluation, in order to feed the findings to the National team for ongoing support.

o As a result of delivery issues to date, some of the wider aspects of the programme have been

under developed, for example work on benchmarking and accreditation. Moreover little progress has been made at a strategic level with local authorities and Strategic Health Authorities, to explore sustainable models for long term delivery of learning and training for carers.

The Department of Health awarded the contract to a consortium comprising of The Princess Royal Trust for Carers, Carers UK, Crossroads Care, Partners in Policymaking and EPP CIC. These expert carer organisations should have been able to provide greater support with reaching carers and particularly hidden carers, and more generally with the strategic development of the programme. The relationship with the board has improved significantly in the last 12 months, with greater engagement from all parts.


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4. The policy and research context

The health and social care agenda in the UK is being shaped by demographic change, with the number of people over 85 (the age group most likely to need care) expected to increase by 50% over the next decade. By 2026, it is expected that there will be 1.7 million more adults who need care and support. This demographic change, coupled with rising expectations of choice and control and tightening of public finances means that the UK will need to take a number of tough decisions on the direction of social care and support for carers in the medium to long term

4.1 Policy context

Our Health, Our Care, Our Say

The Department of Health’s 2006 White Paper ‘Our Health, Our Care, Our Say’, made a commitment to launch a New Deal for Carers, recognising the needs of the six million carers in the country. The New Deal for Carers, as set out in the White Paper, was made up of four constituent parts: • a major review of the 1999 Carers’ Strategy was promised9 - It was acknowledged that the 1999

strategy did not provide the framework for meeting all of the needs of England’s carers • a comprehensive national information service - to meet the many and diverse needs and

concerns of carers. Carers Direct, in place by Spring 2009, provides via a single telephone number and a website, access to the information needed by all carers

• the establishment of Caring with Confidence - a training programme for carers, empowering and

enabling them in their caring role. Caring with Confidence will ‘inform carers of their rights, the services available to them and provide information and training that will benefit the whole family. It will also develop their advocacy skills and their ability to network with other carers to support their needs’

• emergency care cover - £25 million additional funding per year was to be made available from

October 2007 to local authorities, to enable them to develop plans with carers to provide cover when the carer experiences an emergency that prevents them from caring.

The experience of caring differs according to the circumstances of the person cared for, and the cultural expectations and family structures within different communities. The White Paper acknowledged that little was known about a range of carers’ groups, for example those with learning disabilities, and LGBT carers. Cultural concepts of caring are not universally shared throughout all communities in Britain; for example many people from other countries who have not had experience of a welfare state do not share the same concept of ‘carers’. The National Black Carers and Carers Workers Network highlighted that they had been unable to find a word in Gujarati, Urdu, Punjabi or Bengali which translates into ‘carer’. These findings have been reflected in the Caring with Confidence target groups and highlight the difficulty of engaging with a carer sector that relatively little is known about.

Carers at the heart of 21 st century families and communities The revised Carers Strategy was published in June 2008, with a vision ‘that by 2018, carers will be recognised and valued as being fundamental to strong families and stable communities’. The carers strategy outlined a number of important issues for the training and support of carers, identifying the need for more personalised, targeted information which will reduce the difficulties carers face. While the strategy recognises the family as the cornerstone of the care and support provision, it identifies the need for additional information, advice and support, for families to undertake their caring roles effectively, with personalised support both for themselves and for the person for they care for.

9 Carers at the heart of 21st century families and communities - “A caring system on your side. A life of your own” was

published in June 2008.


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Importantly, the strategy acknowledges that families want recognition for the valued role that they play.

The strategy states that by 2018, carers will be respected as expert care partners and will have access to the integrated and personalised services they need to support them in their caring role. Underlying the approach is a recognition of the need to get the services right for the person being supported. Carers and their caring role are inextricably linked to the people they care for and if the support and services are not right for the person being supported then both the individual and the family will be affected.

Standing Commission on Carers A Standing Commission on Carers was announced in September 2007 with a long-term remit, including a key role in the implementation of a carer strategy as well as a responsibility to advise the Government on matters it feels relevant to carers in the longer term. The Commission is designed to ensure that the voice of carers is kept ‘at the heart of government’ by being an influential and powerful advocate for carers, both within government and with external stakeholders working with carers across the country to ensure that their voice is heard at a local and national level. The Standing Commission on Carers published its first annual report in October 2009, highlighting the importance of raising the profile of carers as equal citizens, but in need of more active support – financial, practical and emotional. Carers need to be understood as the diverse group that they are, and carers need to be able to receive support in a flexible manner which recognises that those they care for will not always have a static condition, and the nature and level of support needed will change over time. Carers have repeatedly told the Commission that they wish to be recognised and respected as expert partners in care, to have their contribution valued and to be supported in what is often a very challenging role.

Shaping the future of care together Published in July 2009, this Green Paper set out the Government’s proposals for ways to reform the care and support system for adults in England. The key message from the Green Paper is for a need to share the costs of care between individuals, families and government. The responsibility for paying for care could be shared between people who need care, and the state, but the Green Paper encourages an examination of how responsibility for providing care is shared between family members and the state.

It is acknowledged that the current system can place too much responsibility for care on informal carers and suggests that people should be able to choose how much of their care and support is provided by a carer and carers should be able to choose how much care and support they wish to provide. With improved survival rates, many carers are now providing higher levels of care and support and performing more complex care tasks than in the past. With people living longer and a trend for starting families later and later in life; many people find they have a double caring role, looking after young children and elderly relatives. While the Green Paper acknowledges it would not be affordable to replace family care with state-funded care and support, a high amount of care and support can have a big impact on the carer’s health and wellbeing, which can have economic impacts, both for the family and for wider society, if people have to drop out of the workforce because of high levels of caring responsibilities.

The proposed National Care Service would help carers by making the process of getting care and support easier, supporting carers, particularly people who care for those who would have received no funding from the state under the current system. This will give people more flexibility in deciding how much they want to care for a family member.


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The Big Care Debate

Following the publication of the Green Paper in July 2009, the government launched The Big Care Debate around the questions raised in the Green Paper. Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced a commitment to the National Care Service at the end of 2009.

“So we will say in Labour's manifesto that social care for all is not a distant dream, that to provide security for pensioners for generations to come – we will bring together the National Health Service and local care provision into a new National Care Service… for those with the highest needs we will now offer in their own homes free personal care”.

This announcement about social care for the elderly is a move towards adopting the green paper. In early 2010 the main political parties failed to reach a cross party consensus on funding the future of social care in the UK. The Princess Royal Trust for Carers is calling on all political parties to include a series of guarantees for carers in their manifestos. They include: a guarantee that the Carers' Strategy will continue throughout the next Government; a carers' centre in every area; and a right to a break for every carer. The charity also wants parties to promise that every carer will receive financial support if needed.

4.2 Research on carers

Carers in the regions - profiles

A recently published profile of carers in the North West draws much of its understanding of carers from 2001 Census statistics. Now nine years old, this data set shows that 40% of carers are aged 50 to 59, however it is older carers (65 plus) who provide the highest intensity of care, with approximately 50% caring for more than 50 hours per week.


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Examination of ethnicity shows that those with South Asian heritage are most likely to care for more than 20 hours per week, and that within these ethnic groups, women are disproportionally burdened with caring responsibilities. The 2001 Census shows the geographical distribution of carers, with a clear north south divide and urban focus, with a significant concentration of carers in South Wales, but in largely rural counties of Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire. Carers in the North West are more likely to not have access to a car, providing a further barrier for them in their caring duty, with 24% of males and 30% of females caring over 50 hours per week with no access to a car, compared to 19% and 26% of non carers respectively (16% and 23% nationally for non carers). By 2030, the number of carers will increase by over 96,000 or 11% in the North West, however a larger percentage increase is predicted for England as a whole at 15%10.

10 Carers in the Region A profile of the North West, Leeds University for Department of Health.


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The 2011 Census will give a revised picture of the caring population and will take into account significant migration that has occurred in the last 10 years, and the increased aging of the population. It would be expected that the regional carer profiles will be updated at the earliest opportunity to provide commissioners with a sound evidence base to inform investment decisions.

“If only I'd known that a year ago” A book titled “If only I'd known that a year ago” which includes an introduction written by a former carer of a person affected by Parkinson’s disease, contains a directory of every carers organisations in the county and 20,000 copies have been circulated to date. Subtitled 'A guide for newly disabled people, their families and friends', the book provides an introduction to relevant services, rights and facilities, covering areas such as accommodation, aids and equipment, education and employment, discrimination, health and social services, transport, sport and leisure, benefits and personal relationships, it gives all the information needed to 'start the ball rolling' and the signposts to gain more detailed knowledge as required.

Achieving Equality in Health and Social Care - A fr amework for action

Recent research by the Afiya Trust has highlighted that Bangladeshi (2.4%) and Pakistani (2.4%) groups had the highest rates of spending 50 hours a week or more caring11, but many minority ethnic carers tend to care unaided and in isolation. The report outlines a number of underlying factors for the continuing health inequalities experienced by BME communities in the UK. These include individual/community factors such as cultural behaviours and structural explanations such as social deprivation and exclusion, but also evidence that racism, racist victimisation and discrimination can affect a person’s and community’s health. The key message from the research is that race equality matters and needs to be at the centre of all future policy development in health and social care. While there is an acknowledgement that service users, carers and communities should be at the centre of policy development, the opportunities for participation or leadership for people from BME communities have remained minimal and this situation needs changing if people from BME communities are to have equal and equitable access to health and social care.

4.3 Summary

While there has not been extensive research specifically on the needs of carers in respect of learning and training opportunities, the emerging policy context clearly outlines the importance of support for carers in their caring role and the need to increasingly recognise the role of all carers in wider society.

11 Afiya Trust citing 2001 Census


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5. Learning and training provision in the North Wes t 5.1 North West mapping

Within the mapping exercise undertaken for this commission, contacts mapped were categorised by the five sub regions within the North West region (see figure 1). These were geographically distributed across the region as follows; 38% of all contacts located within Greater Manchester, 21% located within Lancashire, 16% in Merseyside, 14% in Cheshire and 11% in Cumbria. Figure 1 - Learning and training organisations by s ub region, North West England

14%

11%

21%

15%

39%

Cheshire

Cumbria

Greater Manchester

Lancashire

Merseyside

The number of contacts in each sub region is generally reflective of the extent to which support networks have developed in a location, its urban nature and the size of the population it serves. This is reinforced when this mapping is examined at a district level. Figure 2 plots the organisations mapped and the district population, and the correlation is clear.


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Figure 2 - Learning and training organisations by d istrict and sub region, North West England

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Cheshire East

Cheshire West & Chester

Halton

Warrington

Allerdale

Barrow in Furness

Carlisle

Copeland

Eden

South Lakeland

Bolton

Bury

Manchester

Oldham

Rochdale

Salford

Stockport

Tameside

Trafford

Wigan

Blackburn

Blackpool

Burnley

Chorley

Fylde

Hyndburn

Lancaster

Pendle

Preston

Ribble Valley

Rossendale

South Ribble

West Lancs

Wyre

Knowsley

Liverpool

Sefton

St Helens

Warrington

Wirral

Cheshire Cumbria Greater Manchester Lancashire Merseyside

No of organisations

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

350,000

400,000

450,000

500,000

District population

Organisations mapped Mid Year population etimates 2008,

Figure 2 clearly shows the greatest concentration of mapping contacts in the large urban areas of the North West, with 49 contacts in Manchester and 27 contacts identified in Liverpool. A number of smaller urban areas appear to be well represented by organisations providing learning and training support to carers, and these include Carlisle and South Lakeland in Cumbria, and Blackburn, Burnley and Preston in Lancashire, where contacts mapped are high in relation to overall population.

5.2 Types of organisations engaging carers across t he North West

A broad range of organisations were found to be engaged in providing learning and training opportunities to unpaid carers. In mapping the organisations providing these learning and training opportunities to unpaid carers, the following typology has been developed, breaking down a number of key groups to reflect the Caring with Confidence target groups. The typology of organisations is as follows:

• academic • colleges & FE • community specific – BME • community specific – LGBT • condition specific – Dementia • condition specific – Mental health

• condition specific- Disability • condition specific - End of life • general carer • local authority • NHS & PCT • training organisation.

Figure 3 demonstrates the number of organisational contacts mapped under this typology in the North West, with the ‘condition specific’ group the largest grouping (199), which is unsurprising given the diverse range of conditions people can suffer from that would lead to a requirement for carer support. These organisations have developed specialist approaches to supporting carers which address the very specific needs of their target community (e.g. Age Concern, Mind, British Heart Foundation).


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The second largest grouping of contacts is found in the general carer grouping (102), which includes organisations which address the needs of all carers and would include organisations such as Crossroads Care and The Princess Royal Trust for Carers. Figure 3 - North West organisations providing learn ing and training opportunities

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

200

Academic

Colleges & FE

Community specific

Community specific- BME

Community specific- LGBT

Condition specific

Condition specific - D

ementia

Condition specific- Mental health

Condition specific- Disability

Condition specific - E

nd of life

General carer

Local authority

NHS & PCT

Training Organisation

No

A low number of contacts were found providing learning and training opportunities in the academic grouping (1), community specific – LGBT grouping (5), condition specific - disability grouping (3) and condition specific – end of life grouping (10). The academic grouping can be largely discounted, given that we discovered only 1 contact, Deputy Head of Department, Professional Development at the University of Chester. It is clear that academic and university departments on the whole are not providing learning and training support to unpaid carers. It is surprising however that such a low number of contacts were mapped in the condition specific – disability grouping, given that both physical and mental disabilities are likely to require specific learning and training for those who care for disabled people.

5.3 Provision across the North West

The survey of learning and training providers for unpaid carers12 examined the operating geographies of organisations. Sixty per cent of all respondents operate at the level of their district, with 14% operating at county levels, 11% operating at a regional scale and 15% operating nationally or as part of a national group or organisation. So while the number of carer organisations are generally reflective of their urban location and the population served, the majority operate within the politically defined geography of the district.

12

See appendix 2 for details of survey response rates and a detailed breakdown of respondents by geography and typology.


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Figure 4 - Organisational operating geographies

15%

11%

14%60%

National

Regional

County wide

Local Authority

The operating geography of organisations is largely influenced by the funding sources provided to these organisations, with the vast majority of organisations drawing a substantial share of their funds from the Local Authority. Other significant funders include the PCT and the National Lottery, but more frequently organisations used their own resources to provide learning and training opportunities. Figure 5 - Funding by source and county

0

5

10

15

20

25

Cheshire Cumbria Greater

Manchester

Lancashire Merseyside

No of organisations

Own organisation Local Authority PCT Lottery LSC

5.4 Barriers to providing learning and training opp ortunities in the North West

The main barrier to providing learning and training opportunities in the North West is funding, with 52% of all providers citing this as the biggest challenge. The two, joint second, largest challenges faced by providers, are engaging carers, and providing the financial support to enable carers to partake in the learning and training offer (e.g. to cover travel costs and respite care). Organisational capacity and the existence of local provision were less likely to be barriers, although almost one third (29%) of organisations felt that their organisational capacity provided a big obstacle to providing learning and training opportunities to their carers. This demonstrates the need for support both financially and organisationally for providers of learning and training for unpaid carers.


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Figure 6 - Main obstacles 13 in providing learning and training opportunities t o carers

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Funding to provide training

Funding to enable carers to participate

Uptake: carers time

Organisation capacity

Existence of local provision

%

Providers of learning and training opportunities perceive carers to need learning and training in the following areas; stress management - 87% of organisations stated that carers had a very significant need for stress management, 84% stated the significant need for support around carers health, 80% of organisations stated that carers had a very significant need for confidence building and 77% felt that there was significant need for support around finances, 71% condition specific training and a lesser extent (49%) felt there is significant need to support carers with training to get them back to work.

Figure 7 - Perceived carers' needs from providers

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Confidence

building

Stress

Management

Condition

specific

training

Finances

Training to

get back into

work

Carers

health

%

There is a strong correlation between perceived needs and the learning and training opportunities provided, but also a number of discrepancies which need to be considered. From the North West mapping the most frequently provided learning and training opportunities are confidence building (from 19% of providers) and stress management (from 18% of providers) with 50 and 48 (of the total 195) responding organisations providing this type of training respectively, which reflects providers perceptions of carers needs.

13 Big obstacle includes all those respondents who have chosen to score their responses between 7 and 10; whilst

'obstacle' corresponds to the range 4 to 6 and 'no obstacle' to the 1 to 3 range, where 1 = no obstacle and 10 = big obstacle.


19

A total of 40 providers (15%) offered training in moving and handling, which surprisingly was not listed as a significant need of carers. There were 39 providers (15%) of condition specific skills, reflecting a highly perceived need. Thirty four providers (13%) offered support around finances and benefits, another highly perceived need and a lower percentage of providers offer support in getting back into work (11%), which is reflective of the lower perceived need. Carers health, the second most highly perceived need does not appear to be addressed specifically in the learning and training offer in the North West, and this needs to be explored in more detail.

Figure 8 - Learning & training offer in the North W est

02468101214161820

Medication

Moving and

handling

Condition

specific

Finances /

benefits

Stress

management

Confidence

building

Training to

get back into

work

%


20

6. Carers needs 6.1 Interest in learning and training opportunities

The respondents to the carer survey, when asked about their interest in learning and training opportunities to support them in their caring role, were almost evenly split, between those who are interested in accessing learning and training opportunities relating to the caring role (53.4% or 252 out of 472) and those who are not (46.2% or 218 out of 472). Figure 9 - Are carers interested in learning and tr aining?

54%

46%Yes

No

Exploring this in more detail, there is a clear age differential in relation to carers interest in learning and training, with younger age groups more interested than those in older age brackets. The age bracket most interested in learning and training (50-64) is however also the age bracket least interested, with half of respondents in this bracket both interested and not interested in learning and training opportunities to support them in their caring role. Carers under the age of 50 are much more likely to be interested in learning and training provision compared to those aged over 65 who are much less likely to be interested.

Qualitative research has supported this finding, with carers on the whole more concerned with their support needs being met than learning or training, for many just getting together with carers provides that support and links them into networks where they can access further support. Learning and training opportunities provide a frame for carers to reach the wider support they need.

Figure 10 - Interested by age

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

18 to 25

years

26 to 34

years

35 to 49

years

50 - 64

years

65 - 74

years

75 - 84

years

85 +

years

%

Yes No


21

Exploring carers needs in terms of learning and training, those responding to the survey are most interested in learning and training opportunities around stress management (68% or 123 out of 181), condition specific training (e.g. stroke, dementia) (55.6% or 85 out of 153), and first aid (53.7% or 88 out of 164), with confidence building in 4th place. The topics in which the respondents are not at all interested include back into work training (48.4% or 61 out of 126) and moving and handling (27% or 38 out of 141). Figure 11 - Rated interest in learning and training topics

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Basic caring

skills

First aid

Medication

Moving and

handling

Condition

specific (e.g

stroke,

dementia)

Finances

Stress

management

Confidence

building

Back into

work training

%

A lot A little Not at all

6.2 Previously accessed learning and training suppo rt

Of those surveyed, 24% had accessed Caring with Confidence previously, those consulted in focus groups who had been on the Caring for Confidence training found it very useful, the programme provided lots of useful local information which professional bodies had not been providing to carers.

”It’s only when you meet other carers that you get this level of information.” - Carer

Other types of training accessed included condition specific training (11%) around dementia, Alzheimer’s and Dyspraxia. Seventy five had attended formal NVQ training in Health Care and a number of others had accessed non caring specific training through care providers in IT and cookery.

Figure 12 -Type of learning and training accessed b y respondents

0 5 10 15 20 25

Condition specific: Alzheimers

Condition specific: ASD and Dyspraxia

Cookery

IT

Emergency First Aid

NVQ Health Care

Condition specific: dementia

CwC

%


22

6.3 Barriers to accessing learning and training pro vision

The main obstacle to accessing learning and training opportunities for those interested is time, with 48% (159 out of 331) respondents identifying it as a major obstacle. The second largest obstacle is the availability of transport to get to a learning or training venue, which 41% (119 out of 291) consider an obstacle. Respite care is a large obstacle for over 30% of carers responding to the survey. Figure 13 - Main obstacles in accessing learning an d training

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Time (length of

session)

Transport to get to a

venue

Needing someone to

look after the person /

people you care for

Cost

%


In understanding carers demand in more detail we asked carers14 what the biggest barriers for them taking part in learning and training were. Almost 80% said that the provision of respite care was ‘very’ important for them to access learning and training. The responsibility of their role makes it difficult for them to engage without this external support. A further significant factor, with 54% of carers stating this to be ‘very’ important, are travel costs, to and from the learning or training on offer. As demonstrated in section 4 of this report, those with significant caring duties are less likely to have access to a car, and even less likely in the North West compared to England as a whole. Location, especially in rural areas highlights specific transport and accessibility issues and has an impact on carer resources. While only 8% of respondents categorised themselves as other than white British, however translation was cited as ‘very’ important for more than 20% of carers.

Figure 14 - What is 'very important' for carers to access learning and training

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Respite care Travel costs Translation

%

14

See appendix 3 for details of survey response and breakdown of responses by age, gender, ethnicity, employment status etc.


23

The timeliness of sessions is important and can act as a barrier to engagement and therefore it is important to make training available at different times. Organisations such as St John Ambulance run their courses during the day and during the week, because they mainly serve an elderly community, however this is obviously an issue for working carers who need support at more convenient times such as weekends and evenings.

6.4 Outcomes of learning and training Once the carer has been to a group session or a series of group sessions, there is often then an appetite developed to meet again for mutual and peer support. Often carers want some continuity and support, however not all providers have the capacity or resource to support a group of trainees who wishing to continue to meet for mutual support.

Commissioners would however be keen to support those providers who can make provision for these add-ons and develop these types of softer outcomes. The training at St John Ambulance has lead to a group of carers being established that meets regularly for coffee at a local cafe and one of the carers does the coordination of this.

Case Study (case study names have been changed to protect identities) John cares for his mother who is 102 years old! He is her full time carer and has attended training sessions with St John Ambulance which he found very beneficial, in particular John valued the information on financial management and as a consequence he is now claiming a council tax rebate. John has really benefitted from the support provided by St John Ambulance, meeting other carers has been uplifting for him. He is an older person himself and at times feels very lonely looking after his elderly mother, but he is totally devoted to her care. He feels undervalued and will need continued ‘support’ when he stops being a full time carer.

“Anyone who is a carer should be visibly identified and they should be valued and recognised” - John

Case Study (case study names have been changed to protect identities) Anne cares for her husband who suffers from Multiple Sclerosis and has been a carer for more than 10 years. Her husband’s needs have steadily increased over the past six months as his condition deteriorates. Caring is a full time responsibility for Anne. Her husband used to be an active member of the Baptist Church and as his wife Anne was always busy with work in the parish and community. Anne was also a nursery nurse by profession and previously worked for five years on the children’s ward of Barnstable Hospital. Anne stopped work and took early retirement to look after her husband as he needed full time care. She attended the St John Ambulance course for carers and was so delighted with it, she found she grew in confidence and was able to make time for herself.

“My confidence gave me permission to leave him... a nd have a little time to myself” - Anne


24

7. Conclusions & recommendations

7.1 How current provision needs to adapt in the Nor th West in the short term

Understanding the intricacies of carer demand is extremely difficult as the grouping of people who are identified as carers is vast and diverse and carers’ needs and views are spread over a broad span and are shaped by a number of variables such as age, gender, culture, ethnicity, sexuality and language. There is significant demand for support of any type, including learning and training, however this is poorly expressed, with many carers unaware that support exists and unaware of the difference it can make to the quality of their lives. There is a particular lack of understanding amongst BME carers of services available for example.

Intelligence about carers needs to be developed and shared with local providers, including the findings of this report. There are many hidden carers and reaching these is a key challenge, particularly for Caring with Confidence and their Provider base as many of the Caring with Confidence target groups are disproportionally ‘hidden’ groups.

Publicity and promotional work could be more creative and literature needs to be more targeted, and from the experience of carers groups consulted, DVD’s are considered an effective and efficient tool. Copies can be made available at GP surgeries and places of worship for example, helping to reach hidden carers.

Carers in the North West need learning and training opportunities around stress management, condition specific training, first aid and confidence building amongst others. Providers of learning and training opportunities perceive carers to need learning and training in stress management, support around carers health, confidence building and finances. There is a discrepancy here between the demand expressed by carers and the perception of learning and training providers around carers health. This may be that carers themselves are failing to identify their own needs to examine their own health, instead prioritising the health of the cared for, however this fails to explain why carers health, the second most highly perceived need, does not appear to be addressed specifically in the learning and training offer in the North West.

The topics in which the respondents are not at all interested include back into work training (48%) and moving and handling (27%), however a significant number of providers offer moving and handling courses. Funding is a key driver and in the short term the environment for developing and funding adult education is going to be difficult. The year 2010/11 maybe transient with the funding environment undergoing a major overhaul, and the LSC being replaced with the Skills Funding Agency. Transport and respite care are barriers that can be overcome with sufficient support structures built around training, however this requires funding which is often in short supply. Training needs to be scheduled at suitable times and venues and carers need support with travel arrangements and arranging sitting services. Improved intelligence about carers groups can only support more evidence based decision making which can translate into more effective delivery approaches.

7.2 How provision needs to adapt in the North West in the longer term

Carers lack trust and confidence in the system, as it does not fully understand their needs. In accessing hidden carers, providers need to be culturally aware, e.g. not holding training during religious or cultural festivals, Caring with Confidence also need to use language which is appropriate, with the current approaches considered euro-centric. Caring with Confidence can support the development of approaches to reaching hidden carers, with a grass roots, community based approach (e.g. through community groups, GPs, housing associations) which can offer a route to engagement that carers are comfortable with as a first step engagement and can play a role in reaching a wide range of carers through a wide marketing campaign.


25

Providers also need to be more condition aware. The Caring with Confidence model sometimes utilises carers to facilitate, but this does not build the condition specific knowledge (for instance, carers of dementia sufferers have expressed the need for anger management training, an area not covered but important for them and their role).

There is a mismatch and inconsistency in services and support across the country Supply of learning and training is often incoherent with not enough joined up working and with little evidence of any lead or coordination of provision. Many providers are delivering because a need has been expressed, but there is a need to address provision with a more strategic approach. Local authorities and Strategic Health Authorities should be playing this role and are increasingly doing so, however there is no national body to act as a bridge or support for all those interested in the agenda.

7.3 Caring with Confidence recommendations

The following recommendations are specific for the current Caring with Confidence programme:

• Caring with Confidence need to measure the impact of their North West marketing and assess the extent to which it reaches carers who have not previously engaged with carer specific organisations

• Caring with Confidence needs to clearly articulate the impact of its training Evaluation findings from the national evaluation by Leeds University needs to be distilled into core messages that will appeal to commissioners of services

• the programme needs to respond to and evolve to better address the needs of the Caring

with Confidence target groups. The current programme is very prescriptive and would benefit from a greater degree of community and locality tailoring

• the Caring with Confidence programme has not been previously available in minority

languages15. Bi-lingual training is important not just for those who do not speak English but also for those who speak English as a second language. Where English is not first language, individuals when challenged with learning new concepts, utilise their mother tongue as their ‘thinking language’

15 Despite the programme requiring a third of its carers engaged to be from BME groups.

Case Study (case study names have been changed to protect identities) Susan has been the primary carer for her mother-in–law for the last 15 years and she also looks after her husband who is unwell with arthritis and her three children. Susan herself became ill and she was desperate for support When in hospital with her mother-in-law she talked to the social worker about her needs and the social worker signposted her to Manchester Carers Centre after an internet search. Susan went along to a coffee morning and was introduced to the Caring with Confidence programme which she signed up for. “It has given me a lot of confidence… got me motiva ted… and made me feel less guilty

about leaving my mother in law alone” - Susan Susan has really enjoyed the course and found it a life changing experience She now has caring support for her mother–in-law and is thinking that she would like to get back to some form of work. The Caring with Confidence programme has given her the boost and confidence she needed.


26

• while it has been encouraging and positive to recruit facilitators who are carers, there also

needs to cover for specialist fields. The mapping has highlighted that condition specific organisations are the largest deliverers of training and support for carers, and the Caring for Confidence programme should look to develop delivery partnerships with more conditions specific organisations who could add value to the generic modules

• carers regard professional advice highly and in particular Caring with Confidence sessions

around medication and first aid would benefit from the advice of trained professionals and relationships could be developed with condition specific agencies or professional bodies at a local level (e.g. St John Ambulance, Red Cross). Working with these organisations would be complimentary and encourage could encourage more carers to attend Caring with Confidence sessions.

7.4 Future role for Caring with Confidence

Caring with Confidence has a strong product which carers require. Carer feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and the programme offers learning and training which can make a real difference to carers and those they care for. Learning and training can have added value in engaging hidden carers, acting as a first step engagement route for carers and subsequently linking them into wider support structures. These are the types of outcomes that commissioners would be interested to see evidenced. The Department of Health has invested significantly in supporting carers under the revised carer strategy with both Caring with Confidence and Carers Direct established as new services. A number of key roles have been identified for Caring with Confidence moving forward, these are as follows:

• Strategic body for the sector – Managing delivery nationally is an extensive role, the National

Team are heavily engaged and this is an unsustainable approach. Caring with Confidence should move away from its current delivery focus and adopt a more strategic role. It should be seeking to encourage carer learning and training to be funded, managed and delivered at a local level. It should be seeking to engage strategic partners with a view to developing buy in and partnership approaches, influencing carer strategies as they are developed and implemented by Local Authorities, NHS trusts, Primary Care Trusts and Strategic Health Authorities

• Champion for carer learning – Caring with Confidence should be the nationally recognised

body for carers learning and training. Caring with Confidence should set the standard for carers learning, collate intelligence about carers, and understand and advise how to reach hidden carer groups. As a learning champion, Caring with Confidence should signpost and advise carers who wish to pursue further training opportunities. Caring with Confidence has developed experience of learning and training at a national level which is not held by any other organisation and this knowledge should be retained wherever possible

• Brokerage role – Caring with Confidence, as a nationally recognised organisation and

learning champion should act as a broker in bringing together learners, trainers and providers in all their diversity. Caring with Confidence should act as a bridge between the various types of providers of learning and training for carers, providers from sectors or backgrounds where the level of partnership working with the strategic leads for carers are under developed. This role does not exist nationally and Caring with Confidence should be the expert body to support those who have evidenced carer needs in their locality or with their own organisations client group (e.g. condition specific organisations, colleges etc.) with those who can support and fund training provision which can clearly demonstrate desirable outcomes (e.g. Local Authorities, NHS trusts, Primary Care Trusts, Strategic Health Authorities). Synergy also needs to be developed with Carers Direct, the national body providing information to carers


27

• Research and evidence role – Learning and training can have a significant impact on carers and those they care for. This commission has highlighted there is insufficient research nationally, particular around the Caring with Confidence target groups. Caring with Confidence can continue to develop the evidence base and intelligence around engaging hidden carers in learning and training and robustly evidence outcomes and impacts through the national evaluation.


28

Appendix 1 - Learning and Training Organisation Con sultation Survey Breakdown Figure A - Breakdown of survey respondents from the North West

36%

25%

8%

10%

21%

Greater Manchester

Lancashire

Cumbria

Merseyside

Cheshire

Figure B - Type of organisations (number of respond ents)

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

200

Academic

Colleges & FE

Community specific

Community specific- BME

Community specific- LGBT

Condition specific

Condition specific - Dementia

Condition specific- Mental health

Condition specific- Disability

Condition specific - End of life

General carer

Local authority

NHS & PCT

Training Organisation

0

5

10

15

20

25

Mapped contacts Survey responses

These carer organisations have an extensive reach into their local communities, holding databases of carers in their local areas, or carers who have registered a specific interest in the offer of that organisation. Over 35% of organisations hold databases with an excess of 900 contacts, and 15% of these hold a database of more than 2,000 carers.


29

Figure C - Reach of carer organisations

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

under 100 100 - 900 900 - 2000 2000 plus

No

No of carer contacts

Figure D - Identification of carers need

23%

2%

8%

4%

63%

Informal conversation with unpaidcarers

In-house survey

External consultant survey

One off research

Regional plan


30

Appendix 2 – Carers Survey Breakdown The total number of completed responses to this survey is 544 and 29 partial responses. The analysis carried out includes all the respondents (573). 74% of respondents are female (404 out of 546) and 26% male respondents (142). Figure A - Gender of respondents

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

Female Male

No

Forty one per cent of respondents are between 50 to 64 years of age (224 out of 547), and 22% between 35 and 49 years of age (121 out of 547). There are also few young carers among the respondents, some under 18 years old (2 out of 547) and other between 18 and 25 years of age (7). Finally, two of the carers responding to this survey are 85 plus years old. Figure B - Age of respondents

0

50

100

150

200

250

Under

18

18 to

25

years

26 to 34

years

35 to 49

years

50 to

64

years

65 to 74

years

75 to 84

years

85 +

years

No

92% (492 out of 537) of respondents is white British and the second highest proportion is 3.4% (18) Pakistani, but the sample is ethnically varied.


31

Figure C – Ethnicity of carers

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

African

Bangladeshi

Black British

Chinese

Danish

Indian

Irish

Pakistani

Polish

White and Asian

No

Figure D - Carers' s employment status

0 10 20 30 40 50

Student

Looking for work

Self employed

Voluntary work

Employed full time

Not working due to illness/disability

Employed part time

Not working due to caring

Retired

%

Eight two per cent (429 out of 523) of respondents care for one person, 15% (81) care for two people and 1.7% (9) care for three people.


32

Figure E - Hours of care provided weekly

13%

26%

61%

Up to 19 hours

20 - 49 hours

50 + hours

Figure F - Condition/illness affecting the people c ared for

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

HIV / A

ids

Drug addiction

Alcohol addiction

Learning diffic

ulty

Sight im

pairm

ent

Hearing im

pairm

ent

Dementia

Mental health problem

Physical illn

ess

Old age

Physical disability

%

Sixty eight per cent of the carers responding to this survey look after members of their family, whilst 37% cares for their partner.


33

Figure G - Relationship with people cared for

63%

34%

2%1%

Family

Partner

Friend

Neighbour

Figure H - Age of the people cared for

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Under

18

18 to

25

years

26 to 34

years

35 to 49

years

50 to

64

years

65 to 74

years

75 to 84

years

85 +

years

%


34

Figure I - Age of the people cared for and carers

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Under

18

18 to

25

years

26 to

34

years

35 to

49

years

50 to

64

years

65 to

74

years

75 to

84

years

85 +

years

Cared for

Carers

Seventy two per cent (383 out of 534) of the carers responding to this survey live in the same household as the people they care for. Figure J - Length of caring role

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Less than 1 year 1 - 5 years 6 - 10 years 11 + years

%


35

Figure K - Care and support provided by carers

0 20 40 60 80 100

Nursing/medical care

Night care

Personal care (wash, dress, etc.)

Providing help with finances

Being on call

Household tasks

Emotional support

Accompanying out (i.e shopping, appointment

etc.)

Shopping, collecting prescriptions etc.

%

Figure L - Proportion of respondents accessing lear ning and training opportunities by age

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

Under

18

18 to

25

years

26 to 34

years

35 to 49

years

50 to

64

years

65 to 74

years

75 to 84

years

85 +

years

%


36

Appendix 3 - List of Consultees Carer consultation - Focus groups

Focus Group 1 – Asian Parent Carers (8 carers)

Focus Group 2 – Manchester Carers Centre (12 carers)

Focus Group 3 – Alzheimer’s group – Manchester (5 carers)

Focus Group 4 – BME National Panel, Birmingham (12 carers)

Focus Group 5 – St John Ambulance, Somerset – Best practice case study (10 carers)

Carer consultation - Biographical interviews

Biographical interview 1 – St John Ambulance, Somerset

Biographical interview 2 – St John Ambulance, Somerset

Biographical interview 3 – Manchester Carers Centre

Biographical interview 4 – Manchester Carers Centre

Key stakeholder interviews Key stakeholder 1 – Lina Patel, Tameside Council & Government Office North West Key stakeholder 2 – Alison Temple, St John Ambulance, Somerset Key stakeholder 3 – Liz Phillips, East of England Strategic Health Authority Key stakeholder 4 – Shane Hayward Giles, Department of Health Key stakeholder 5 – Jude Glide, Somerset Key stakeholder 6 – Ross Young, Somerset Key stakeholder 7 – Dave Williams, Manchester Carers Forum Key stakeholder 8 – Edward Gee, City and Guilds Key stakeholder 9 - Joan Norayan, City and Guilds Key stakeholder 10 – Keith Mogford, National Open College Network


37

Appendix 4 – Learning and training organisations' s urvey questionnaire

Learning and training opportunities

Organisation Survey Equal Access Consultancy has been commissioned by Caring with Confidence to carry out a survey on the learning and training opportunities provision currently available to carers in England. Caring with Confidence is part of the New Deal for Carers and the renewed National Carers Strategy. If you would like further information about Caring with Confidence please visit our website at www.caringwithconfidence.net We would be very grateful if you could take the time to complete this survey. It will take no more than 5 minutes and, as a thank you, you will be automatically entered into a prize draw to win £50 (for your organisation) at the end of survey.

By completing this survey you will also have the opportunity to have your details included on the Caring with Confidence online directory. If you agree, the questions marked with an asterisk will be transferred to the directory and made viewable to all carers and anyone accessing the Caring with Confidence website. If you would not like your details to be added to the dire ctory please tick the box

Please note: An email will be sent to you to confirm your directory submission. You can amend/remove your details any time by contacting The Caring with Confidence National Team.

Thank you in advance for your participation. If you would like to complete this survey online p lease go to [link]

If you have any problems completing this survey please contact The Caring with Confidence National Team on 0113 3854491

If you think you are not the best person to fill in this questionnaire, please pass this onto the relevant person SECTION 1: YOUR ORGANISATION 1. Details of the organisation

Name of organisation

Main contact

Address

Town/city

Postcode

County

Telephone

E-mail

Website


38

2. About the respondent

Your name

Your position in the organisation

Your email address

3. What type of organisation is yours? (Tick all that apply)

Local authority

General carer

Condition specific: dementia

Condition specific: disability

Condition specific: complex needs

Condition specific: mental ill-health

Condition specific: long-term conditions

Condition specific: nearing the end of life

Community specific: black and minority ethnic heritage (BME)

Community Specific: lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT)

College - Further education

NHS - PCT

Training organisation

Other (please specify):

4. How many unpaid carers are you currently in cont act with?

Number of carers in database

5. Which geographical area do you cover?

6. Does your organisation currently provide learnin g and training opportunities for unpaid carers?

7. If you are NOT providing learning and training o pportunities, do you signpost to other organisations?

Yes If yes, please provide details:

No

Yes Go to question 9

No


39

8. If you are NOT providing learning and training opportunities at t he moment, has your organisation provided learning and training opportu nities in the past or do you have any plans for the future?

Tick Yes, we have in the past and will in the future Go to question 15

Yes, we have in the past but will NOT in the future Go to question 19

No, we have not in the past but we will in the future Go to question 15

No, we have not in the past and we will NOT in the future Go to question 19

Please provide more details:

SECTION 2: PROVISION : Learning and Training 9. If you are providing learning and training oppor tunities, which of the following topics do you

cover in the courses / sessions you offer to unpaid carers? (Tick all that apply) Tick

Medication

Moving and handling

Condition specific

Finances / benefits

Stress management

Confidence building

Training to get back into work

Carers health


10. Please write a brief description of the services yo u offer to carers (for inclusion in the online

directory only):

11. When planning the learning and training you off er to carers do you specifically target any of

the following groups? (Tick all that apply) Tick

Age specific (e.g elderly, children)

Nearing end of life

Condition specific

Disability specific

Gender specific

Ethnicity specific

Religion specific


40

Sexual orientation specific

Gender reassignment

All carers


12. How many unpaid carers on average access the le arning and training services you provide on a monthly basis?

Average monthly number of unpaid carers

13. Who funds the learning and training services yo ur organisation offers to unpaid carers? (Tick

all that apply)

Own organisation

Local Authority

PCT

Lottery


14. Are these services provided free of charge to u npaid carers?

Yes

No

15. What have been the main obstacles in providing lear ning and training opportunities to carers?

Where 1 = no obstacle & 10 = big obstacle

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Funding to provide training

Funding enabling carers to participate

Uptake (carers time and availability)

Organisation capacity

Existence of local provision


SECTION 3: CARERS NEED

16. In terms of learning and training opportunities , how significant are the following needs of unpaid carers? Where 1 = not significant, 10 = very significant


41

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Confidence building

Stress management

Condition-specific training

Finances

Training to get back into work

Carers health


17. How have you identified these needs? (Tick all that apply) Tick

Informal conversation with unpaid carers

In-house survey

External consultant survey

One off research

Regional plan


18. How important are the following for your unpaid carers when accessing learning and training?

Where 1= not important, 10 = very important.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Travel costs

Respite care

Translation


SECTION 4: ENGAGEMENT 19. What, in your experience, is the most effective method to reach unpaid carers? Where 1 = least

effective, 10 = most effective.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Leaflets / posters

Referrals


42

(i.e from GP surgeries / carers centres etc)

Local paid-for advertising

Word of mouth

Local targeted events / gathering


SECTION 5: ACCREDITATION 20. How does / did your organisation recognise unpaid c arers participation in learning and training? (Tick all that apply) Tick

Internal recognition (e.g. certificate) Go to question 22

External certification (e.g. accredited certificate) Go to question 21

None Go to question 22

Other (please specify): Go to question 22

21. If your organisation uses external certificatio n, which accrediting body do you use? (Tick all that apply)

City and Guild

Open College Network

National Extension College

Royal College of Nursing

St John Ambulance


22. Do you think learning and training opportunitie s for unpaid carers should be accredited? Tick

Yes If no, why? (please specify): No

23. Please rate the significance of following reaso ns for accreditation, using a scale of 1 to 10,

where 1 = low significance, 10 = high significance

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

To provide carers with more confidence in their skills


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To formally value the caring role carried out

To enable the learning of new skills

To further employment opportunities


Thank you for taking the time to complete this surv ey.

The survey is being coordinated by Equal Access Consultancy, an independent research organisation working within the guidelines of data protection and ethical code of conduct. If you want to know

anything more about Equal Access Consultancy and this research please do not hesitate to contact Atiha Chaudry on: [email protected]

Please tick this box if you are happy for us to con tact you again with regard to this research

If you would like to be added to the Caring with Co nfidence mailing list and receive further information about the programme please tick the box

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME AND COOPERATION


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Appendix 5 – Carers' survey questionnaire

CARER SURVEY

Understanding the learning and training needs of carers Equal Access Consultancy has been commissioned by Caring with Confidence to carry out a survey looking into learning and training opportunities in the North West for carers. Caring with Confidence is part of the New Deal for Carers and the renewed National Carers Strategy. If you would like further information about Caring with Confidence please visit our website at www.caringwithconfidence.net. Your opinion is important! We would be very grateful if you could take the time to complete this survey and help improve the understanding of the needs of carers. It will take no more than 5 minutes and, as a thank you, you will be automatically entered into a prize draw to win one of three £50 vouchers.

SECTION 1: ABOUT YOU 1.1.1.1.

Name

Address 1

Address 2

Town/city

Postcode

County

Telephone

E-mail

2. Are you...?

Female

Male

3. Is your current gender different to the gender you were assigned at birth?

Yes

No

4. Are you...?

Heterosexual Lesbian

Gay Bisexual


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5. How old are you?

Under 18 50 - 64 years

18 – 25 years 65 - 74 years

26 – 34 years 75 - 84 years

35 – 49 years 85 + years

6. How many people do you care for?

7. What is the condition / illness of the people yo u care for? (Tick all that apply )

Alcohol addiction Mental health problem

Dementia Old age

Drug addiction Physical disability

Hearing impairment Physical illness

HIV / Aids Sight impairment

Learning difficulty

Other, please specify:

8.What is your relationship to the people you car e for? (Tick all that apply)

Family Neighbour

Partner Other, please specify: Friend

9. How old are the people you care for? (Tick all that apply)

Under 18 50 - 64

18 - 25 65 - 74

26 - 34 75 - 84

35 - 49 85 plus

10. How long have you been a carer?

Less than 1 year 6 - 10 years

1 - 5 years 11 + years

11. How many hours of care do you provide each wee k?

Up to 19 hours

20 - 49 hours

50 + hours


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12. What care and support do you provide? (Tick all that apply)

Being on call Household tasks

Accompanying out (i.e shopping, appointment etc)

Personal care (wash, dress, etc.)

Emotional support Nursing/medical care

Providing help with finances Night care

Shopping, collecting prescriptions etc


13. Do you live in the same household as the perso n/people you care for?

Yes

No

14. What is your employment situation?

Employed full time Not working due to illness/disability

Employed part time Retired

Student Self employed

Voluntary work Looking for work

Not working due to caring


15. What is your ethnic group?

Tick White:

British Irish Any other White background (please specify)

Mixed: White and Asian

White and Black African White and Black Caribbean White and Chinese Any other Mixed background (please specify):

Asian or Asian British: Indian Bangladeshi Pakistani Any other Asian background (please specify):

Black or Black British: African


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Caribbean Any other Black background (please specify):

Chinese / other ethnic groups: Chinese Any other ethnic background (please specify)

16. What is your first language?

English Arabic Bengali Chinese Punjabi Somali Guajarati French Urdu Polish Other, please specify:

17. Do you have any special requirements such as w heelchair, hearing loop, interpretation? Tick

Yes If yes, please specify:

No

18. If yes, has this affected your ability to acces s any learning and training opportunities relating to your caring role in the past? Tick

Yes If yes, please specify:

No

SECTION 2: CARERS NEED

As part of this survey we would like to find out more about the support needs you might have in caring for someone and whether you are interested in learning and training opportunities designed to support you in your caring role.

19. Have you accessed learning and training opport unities in the past / are doing so currently? Tick

Yes

No If no, go to question 22

20. Please provide details of any learning and training opportunities you have a ccessed relating to your caring role .

When?


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Where?

Which organisation?

What did you do?

21. How was your participation recognised? Tick

Not formally recognised

School/institution certificate (internal recognition)

Externally accredited certificate (e.g. City and Guilds certificate / qualification)


22. How much of an obstacle are the following issue s for you when accessing learning and training opportunities?


Needing someone to look after the person / people you care for

Transport to get to a venue

Cost

Time (length of session)


23. Would you be interested in accessing initial / further learning and training opportunities relatin g to your caring role? Tick

Yes If no, why? Then go to question 25

No

24. Would any of the following topics, in terms of learning and training opportunities be of interest to you?

A lot

A little

Not at all

Basic caring skills

First aid

Medication

Moving and handling

Condition specific (e.g stroke, dementia)

Finances

Stress management


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Confidence building

Back into work training


SECTION 3: VALUING CARER PARTICIPATION IN LEARNING AND TRAINING We would like to find out more about whether you think that participation in learning and training should be recognised through accreditation. Accreditation can mean a range of things from receiving a certificate of attendance at a learning session to a formal recognition like an NVQ provided by an external accreditation body like the City and Guilds. 25. How important is it to you that any learning an d training you attend, relating to your caring role , is recognised through certification and / or external accreditation? Please tick


If you ticked ’Not at all’, please specify why and go to the end of the survey:

26. How would you like your participation in learni ng and training, relating to your caring role, recognised? Please tick your most preferred option below: Tick

Certificate of attendance provided by the learning provider

Certificate endorsed by a professional external body (e.g a recognised health related organisation such as St John Ambulance)

Formally assessed accreditation (through exam or coursework) by an external body which can lead to further learning / qualifications (e.g City and Guilds)

Accreditation by an external body which can lead to further learning / qualifications (not formally assessed though an exam or coursework)


27. Why do you think it should be recognised in this wa y? (Please tick the two that you feel are the most important to you)

It provides more confidence in caring skills

It formally values the caring role carried out

It enables the learning of new skills

It provides further employment opportunities



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Thank you for taking the time to complete this surv ey.

The survey is being coordinated by Equal Access Consultancy, an independent research organisation working within the guidelines of data protection and ethical code of conduct, so please be reassured that all of your answers will remain confidential and anonymous. If you want to know anything more about Equal

Access Consultancy and this research please do not hesitate to contact Atiha Chaudry on: [email protected]

Please tick this box if you are happy for us to con tact you again with regard to this research

Please tick this box if you would like to receive f urther information and be added to the Caring with Confidence mailing list

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME AND COOPERATION

Please return this form in the pre-paid envelope pr ovided

Learning & training opportunities report june 2010_final

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