Bridgend Carers Centre is an organisation very rooted in the community, providing information, advice and assistance to adult and young carers in Bridgend Borough. The service provides one-to-one support, welfare benefits advice, legal advice, carers counselling, activities, training and opportunities to support people with an unpaid caring role.
Bridgend Carers Centre will develop a new database to enable them to record change and the difference made in people’s lives, measure local impact and evidence the value of the effectiveness of the service.
It will improve the quality of reporting, as well as saving time and resources and enable them to provide better information to funders and stakeholders.
A Business Development Officer will also be employed to embed sustainability throughout the organisation and to develop their internet and social media presence, events and community links by improving the marketing and awareness of the service. This should also increase support from local businesses, corporate sponsorship and volunteering.
Carers Support Merton was founded in 1991 by a group of carers in response to a lack of services for unpaid carers. They support unpaid carers who are caring for a family member by providing information, advice, guidance, advocacy, emotional support and respite activities.
A recent review highlighted the need to diversify income, improve communications and the ability to evidence outcome and two short term roles will be created to achieve this.
Firstly, a Database Manager will be employed to manage the implementation of a new database, which will enable better evidencing of outcomes and communicate the difference they make to their stakeholders and fundraisers. Secondly, a Marketing Manager will assist in developing a robust marketing and communication strategy. This will ensure that communications contribute to the overall objectives, better engage with stakeholders and better demonstrate the success of their work ensuring that people know what they do. Merton Carers believe that a strong marketing strategy will help differentiate them from their competitors.
Harrow Carers aim to improve carers wellbeing and resilience enabling them to continue to care without compromising their health and social inclusion. They offer many services including supporting young carers through educational and social activities, school outreach, accredited counselling, training courses and workshops and supporting carers into employment and respite services.
Their current owned premises are no longer suitable to provide the wide range of services offered, so a consultant will be employed to carry out an options appraisal to determine the best way forward.
Options could include improving the building, or selling/renting it and moving to new more accessible premises.
A Business Development Manager will also be employed to expand their income generation enterprises, including a membership scheme as well as growing their existing Carers Home Care Respite service and Homeshare scheme.
Newcastle Carers, North Tyneside Carers’ Centre and Carers Northumberland
Award Date: October 2019
Amount Awarded: £60,000
Newcastle Carers led a joint grant application with North Tyneside Carers’ Centre and Carers Northumberland to form a Carers Trust North of Tyne partnership. Across the three organisations they provide information and advice, advocacy, emotional support, counselling, peer support groups, family support, training, support into education/training/employment and a range of other activities and events.
The grant will be used to establish the credibility of the partnership with the North of Tyne Combined Authority, and other key stakeholders and potential funders, to secure additional opportunities and new investment for unpaid carers.
Specialist external consultants with expertise in evidencing impact, social return on investment and marketing position will be engaged to identify new opportunities for collaborative approaches to service delivery. The three organisations will then aim to formulate a compelling and proven joint offer that will demonstrate that their ability to deliver consistently high quality, high impact services across the whole of North Tyneside. This will in turn support long term growth and movement towards long term sustainability through joint working, cross fertilization of ideas, knowledge sharing and robust impact evidence.