Although they will look different they won’t be different. They will continue to raise awareness, provide information and campaign for more support for carers.

They are confident that they will be even more effective at focusing the attention of Social Services, the Government and the NHS on the role carers play.

The change is to clarify that they are an organisation of carers, and to emphasise who carers are. This has come about because they have had widespread feedback in the past that Carers National Association is a confusing name. People have tended to think they are care workers or a trade union, or even a department store! - these perceptions need to change.

Carers National Association launch themselves as Carers UK on 19 September 2001.

The Carer Premium is included in the calculation of Income Support, income based Jobseeker’s Allowance, Housing Benefit and Council Tax benefit. It is intended to help those who cannot support themselves by working because of their caring responsibilities, and who do not gain from receiving Invalid Care Allowance because it is taken fully into account in the calculation of their benefit entitlement.

Invalid Care Allowance (ICA) is for people who have given up the opportunity of full time work to care for a severely disabled person. In April, as part of the move towards encouraging people to work when they wish to and are able to, the new earnings limit for ICA was linked to the National Insurance lower earnings level, and so raised to £72.

The increase will allow a working carer to keep considerably more of their earnings before losing ICA, and will allow some carers to receive this benefit who are currently unable to claim.

The earnings limit will continue to rise annually in line with the National Insurance lower earnings level - a demonstration of the increased recognition given to carers by the Government.

For more information about the Carers Premium, contact your local Social Security office. For information about Invalid Care Allowance, contact the ICA unit Customer Services on

The Parkview Society, a voluntary organisation, is a provider of high quality residential care and supported living schemes in the community, for individuals with a mental health problem or with a learning disability

The Sandy Bay resort offers a full range of entertainment, swimming pool and leisure facilities. The caravan has 3 bedrooms, a shower and is fully equipped.

The book aims to:

Understand how stress works

Look at attitudes to stress

Help to identify when stress is present

Look at the ways that pressure builds up and skills which might reduce unnecessary pressure

Increasing your level of resilience and planning ahead

A new initiative is being introduced by Devon Fire and Rescue Service: it is the aim of the Chief Fire Officer to have a smoke detector fitted in every home in Devon. Early detection of a fire is particularly important where someone has a special need or disability.

Working towards this goal, they are currently fitting free smoke detectors to homes in Devon. The scheme works like this: whoever wants a smoke detector sends their name, address and contact number to the Fire Service, who will arrange for the smoke detector to be fitted. They are also operating a scheme whereby they supply smoke detectors to volunteers who fit them on behalf of the Fire Service.

A new fund is launched this month, to promote educational breaks for the 51,000 or so young people who provide care for a sick or disabled family member. Grants of up to £5,000 from Crossroads Caring for Carers will fund one-off projects or provide the start-up for longer term programmes.

For more information about applications, telephone

If you, or someone you know, is disabled or elderly, the SWEB Priority Service Team is there to help! They have many services which may be of benefit including:

Password scheme

Large print bills

Talking bill service

Room thermometer

For more information, or to register as a priority Service Customer, please contact Pete Pearce or Suzy Drew on

Meetings of the South Brent Carers’ Support Group are being suspended for a little while, as most of the present Committee, who are themselves looking after frail, ill and disabled family members, have reluctantly had to resign due to personal commitments.

If you have a bit of spare time and feel you would like to help run the Carers’ Support Group in the village, so that it can be managed independently once again, please get in touch with Mavis on:

If you would like information, support, advice, guidance, or just simply to chat and have a cup of tea, please go along - you will be made very welcome!

This friendly new group has been set up (and will be run by) parent-carers.

Membership is open to the parent-carers of children and young people with special needs of all kinds. These parent-carers must either live in Teignbridge or their children and young people must receive services there.

They aim to provide members with:

A source of mutual support

Access to relevant information

A means of making their views known to the statutory agencies

It is important that your doctor knows that you are a carer. If you haven’t received a pack from your GP Practice yet, you might like to ask the receptionist if they have started to compile their carers’ list yet, and if so, whether your name is on it.

They sometimes arrange outings to places such as the Eden Project and the Butterfly Sanctuary, and they also have meals out.

The Torbay Carers Register started operating in mid January 2001. By the end of July, over 400 carers had been registered and 330 Carers’ Emergency Response cards had been issued.

The Register’s purpose is:

The target for the register is 1000 carers by March 2002

During the past year the Finance and Benefits Team of Torbay Council has been offering free benefits checks for carers, regardless of whether they are users of Social Service services or not. In the past year, 289 carers have had the checks, which are confidential and by home visit. Over 85% of those seen were better off as a result.

The service is being continued for the next year.

The Torbay plan will be developed to meet the needs of disabled people or carers who are in work but need help to remain there, newly disabled people who want to get back to work, and people who would like to move closer to work through training or education initiatives.

The first draft of the initial action plan is underway, but central to all planning is the need to continue a dialogue with disabled people and carers in Torbay.

Torbay Council welcome comments (either good or bad) from individuals who have had experience in employment, training or education opportunities.

Types of situations which would fit the criteria for an application to the fund are:

When an older person has been a victim of crime and needs help with locks or urgent repairs

Transport costs to visit a relative or close friend in an emergency

When an older person has had an accident and has particular expenses resulting from that accident

All applicants must be aged 55+ and resident in the Torbay area.