Developing Services Open learning Caring for Carers Good Practice Site Map
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Meeting the needs of families growing older together

Local Services, and in the light of the White Paper, local Partnership Boards, will need to develop service responses on three levels.

Creating a local context for good practice:

  • Developing policies to support families growing older together (including links with elderly services and learning disability services) .

  • Appointing dedicated staff to target support.

  • Investing in staff training.

Develop local outreach programmes:

  • To help identify 'hidden' older carers.

  • Facilitate peer support through group work.

  • Target older carers for health provision campaigns.

  • Develop family work which includes siblings in planning processes.

Develop support programmes that allow longer-term relationships to develop through continuity of contact.

  • Visiting schemes.

  • Flexible short breaks.

  • Shared care schemes.

  • Domiciliary and outreach support projects.
Meeting the needs of older family carers and their adult children with learning disabilities - the challenge for local Learning Disability Partnership Boards
What does the White Paper and the supporting guidance have to say in relation to improving support to families growing older together? A number of targets have been established and older family carers are an obvious priority Local Learning Disability Partnership Boards will need to consider how they will deliver around the following objectives.

(Sub-objective 4.2)

  • "Establish a complete picture of older carers (aged 70 and over) in the local area in order to plan services in partnership with them."

  • Linked to this is "a proposed performance indicator of the percentage of carers of 70 and over for whom a plan has been agreed."

(Objective 6)

  • "Enable people with learning disabilities and their families to have greater choice and control over where they live and how they live."
    A local Housing Strategy to be developed by Winter 2002/2003

  • "Developing 'supported living approaches' for people living with older carers will be a priority for both revenue and capital elements of the Development Fund."

  • "Focus on developing short term breaks and identify older carers as a priority group for the Carers Special Grant 2001/2002."

  • "Prioritise people with learning disabilities living with older carers for the development of the Health Action Plans."
    Identification of health facilitators by summer 2003

  • "Developed person centred plans for people with learning disabilities living with older carers - significant inroads to be made by 2004.
How can local Partnership Boards start to deliver on these targets? Some simple questions that need to be asked:

1 How will you know what is needed

Identification
One of the criticisms of the first round of JIP's (Joint Investment Plans) is the lack of connection between local needs analysis and local action planning. How will you know what is needed to support older family carers and their sons or daughters with learning disabilities if you don't know who they are or where they are? A vital prerequisite for any service development has to be the development of a comprehensive database.

2 How will you make contact?

Proactive outreach
For Local Authorities without an up to date register this is not an easy task and will involve a range of approaches. Learning disability services will need to be proactive in establishing links with local...

  • Older people services.
  • Primary care groups.
  • Community and religious organisations.
  • Voluntary organisations.

...to actively identify older family carers. This will require focusing attention outside learning disability services.

3 How will you ensure that the perspectives of older family carers are represented at Board level?

Dedicated workers
In areas, which appear to lead the way in terms of services for older family carers, the role of a dedicated worker had proved critical. Where the worker sits organisationally is less important than the fact that the role exists. In the UK dedicated workers for older family carers can be found employed in Local Authority - Social Services departments, a rural council, and voluntary organisations. They often advocate for individual families as well as raise the profile locally of this group and offer staff training and input into planning processes. They also help ensure that this group of carers is included in mainstream carers initiatives and provision.

What have you got to offer?
May older family carers have had bad experiences of services in the past and this has affected their relationships in the present. If you manage to make contact - what have you got to offer that can overcome their scepticism and reassure them that future relationships will and can be different?
Will services be delivered by staffs that are empathetic and understanding? Who are able to work in non-judgemental ways and really collaborate in partnership with older family carers? Staff training & Development
Will staff be skilled to work with them and have the knowledge to assess needs and offer support?
Will older family carers be bale to access information about what services have on offer both now and in the future? How service processes work and important points of contact! Information

Will older family carers be able to access training that might support them in their caring role if they should wish to?

 Access training
In what practical ways will older family carers be able to participate in person centred planning for their son or daughter? Involvement in person centred plans
Will there be dedicated carers support staff and specialist support groups appointed locally? Specialist staff
Will families be offered practical and emotional support? Supportive services
Will systems be in place which ensure older family carers have an ongoing contact with services at a tempo and pace that suits them?
Will local learning disability and elderly services develop joint protocols to ensure a seamless service to families growing older together? Joint working
Will people have a real choice of flexible short-term breaks or will their needs for respite be slotted into pre-existing provision? Short term breaks
Will anyone with learning disabilities living with older family carers have an emergency or crisis plan that is easily accessible and regularly reviewed and updated? Planning for the future
Will older family carers have access to Carers assessment and will having an assessment equate with getting the right sort of support? Mainstream carers initiatives need to be inclusive
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Developing Services Open learning Caring for Carers Good Practice Site Map