Second Friend for isolated upaid #carers
Victoria Silver
Hi Florian & David,
I've seen you in action at HubLaunchpad and am really interested in your Second Friend model for counselling and support.
We need a similar platform for carers in Harrow who are isolated without access to support and advice in their hugely important caring role.
I've pasted some background facts below and am wondering if we could meet-up to talk? I can't make the Launchpad event on Tuesday because of a work clash but perhaps we could talk soon if you think there's potential to expand or create a similar model around the needs of carers - a group that is growing fast in Harrow because it has one of the largest ageing populations. This is having a big impact on both young and older people caring for loved ones (parents, partners, grandparents).
Hope to hear from you soon.
Kind regards
Victoria
Your circle – Carers
With scores of people taking on a new caring role everyday Harrow’s army of unpaid carers is being pushed to breaking point. Many are isolated, depressed and exhausted but don’t want help from social services because they fear they are burden or that the little they’ve been given will be taken away. Can we build a ‘Carer to Carer’ or ‘Second Friend’ platform to improve connections between carers for support, to protect their wellbeing and make sure carers are not left to struggle alone.
There are 24,620 unpaid home carers in Harrow. That’s 1 in 8. It is estimated that only around 15% of these (around 4,000) are in receipt of any kind of support. This lack of support for carers is a ticking time bomb for our borough given how much the council and NHS relies on this unpaid army of volunteers.
Traditional service-led approaches have meant carers in Harrow have not always received the right help, for the right issues in the right way, and at the right time and it is vital that creative solutions are found because so many are hidden and reluctant to approach social care services for support, and actively avoid engaging with them.
Harrow is also the most religiously diverse local authority in the UK and many carers are from Harrow Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds. These groups often experience greater levels of isolation because they take on multiple caring roles for their sons or daughters, partners as well as parents and grandparents. Many have chronic health conditions but the caring never ends.
As the number of carers in Harrow grows, the challenge is how we support carers so they can use their amazing skills to connect carers to each other for everyday practical support and advice. Some need help with access to financial support or respite breaks and counselling. Others simply need to be put in-touch with other cares to stop isolation and feeling cut-off in their home caring role.
Can we build a safe social network for carers that will give them a voice, but also access to circles of friendship support. A carers circle is a deeply practical way of building social and community capital, becoming a powerful method of delivering support for many more carers.
@VictoriaSilver4 HubLaunchpad Scholar Oct 2013
Florian Rathgeber
On 22/10/13 17:57, Victoria Silver wrote:
> Hi Florian & David,
>
> I've seen you in action at HubLaunchpad and am really interested in your
> Second Friend model for counselling and support.
> We need a similar platform for carers in Harrow who are isolated without
> access to support and advice in their hugely important caring role.
>
> I've pasted some background facts below and am wondering if we could
> meet-up to talk? I can't make the Launchpad event on Tuesday because
> of a work clash but perhaps we could talk soon if you think there's
> potential to expand or create a similar model around the needs of carers
> - a group that is growing fast in Harrow because it has one of the
> largest ageing populations. This is having a big impact on both young
> and older people caring for loved ones (parents, partners, grandparents).
opportunity to meet up if you can also make it.
It would be very helpful to explore how 2ndFriend could be extended
beyond the groups we are initially targeting (young people and
migrants). More comments inline below.
> Hope to hear from you soon.
>
> Kind regards
>
> Victoria
>
>
>
> With scores of people taking on a new caring role everyday Harrow’s army
> of unpaid carers is being pushed to breaking point. Many are isolated,
> depressed and exhausted but don’t want help from social services because
> they fear they are burden or that the little they’ve been given will be
> taken away. Can we build a ‘Carer to Carer’ or ‘Second Friend’
> platform to improve connections between carers for support, to protect
> their wellbeing and make sure carers are not left to struggle alone.
turn to social services for the fear of some form of repercussion?
> There are 24,620 unpaid home carers in Harrow. That’s**1 in 8.* *It
> of any kind of support. This lack of support for carers is a ticking
> time bomb for our borough given how much the council and NHS relies on
> this unpaid army of volunteers.
work officially recognised by the NHS or other authorities?
> Traditional service-led approaches have meant carers in Harrow have not
> always received the right help, for the right issues in the right way,
> and at the right time and it is vital that creative solutions are found
> because so many are hidden and reluctant to approach social care
> services for support, and actively avoid engaging with them.
available to unpaid carers?
> Harrow is also the most religiously diverse local authority in the UK
> and many carers are from Harrow Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME)
> backgrounds. These groups often experience greater levels of
> isolation because they take on multiple caring roles for their sons or
> daughters, partners as well as parents and grandparents. Many have
> chronic health conditions but the caring never ends.
>
> As the number of carers in Harrow grows, the challenge is how we support
> carers so they can use their amazing skills to connect carers to each
> other for everyday practical support and advice. Some need help with
> access to financial support or respite breaks and counselling. Others
> simply need to be put in-touch with other cares to stop isolation and
> feeling cut-off in their home caring role.
>
> Can we build a safe social network for carers that will give them a
> voice, but also access to circles of friendship support. A carers
> circle is a deeply practical way of building social and community
> capital, becoming a powerful method of delivering support for many more
> carers.
counselling aspect. To understand how, we would need to figure out what
the existing support networks for carers are and how we could get them
on board. 2ndFriend could then be a technology enabler for this existing
network of counsellors and provide a common platform. This network could
come from within the carer community, however there is the issue of
regulation and verification who is a legitimate counsellor.
2ndFriend is not (at least as we see it at the moment) designed to be a
social network. I think for peer support among carers a platform like
FutureGov's Patchwork (http://patchworkhq.com/) might be a better fit.
There is quite a bit of overlap between Patchwork and 2ndFriend and I
would quite like to learn more about it myself.
Hope I could clarify a little and we should definitely talk about this
in depth!
Best wishes,
Florian
> @VictoriaSilver4 HubLaunchpad Scholar Oct 2013
>
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Florian Rathgeber
I wonder if you have seen my reply below. Please also note the inline
responses to some of your points.
I'll be at the PS Launchpad event tonight and hope we can meet there and
have a chance to talk more about collaboration opportunities.
Best regards,
Florian
Victori...@harrow.gov.uk
There is legislation to recognise the role of 'carer' but each council has a different eligibility criteria for support. Some make it a bigger priority than others. I'm currently helping lead a 'story telling' research project about carers experiences which will be presented to decision makers at Harrow Council (Health & Wellbeing Board). One of the recommendations includes 'better use of technology innovation to help create connections between carers for support' - both young and older carers.
Looking forward to seeing you later today.
Victoria
Hi Victoria,
Best regards,
Florian
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Florian Rathgeber
> Hi Victoria,
>
> It was a pleasure to meet you in person last night and thank you for
> your interest in Second Friend.
> I am emailing to see if we can arrange a time to meet up either next
> week or the week after. I am available to meet on Friday of next week or
> Monday, Tuesday of the following week.
>
> Please let me know your availability to meet on one or more of those
> days and a time that would suit you best. We are very interested to
> learn more about your research.
>
> Florian can you please let us know your availability.
5.15-6.30pm. We could meet at the Hub.
> The purpose of the meeting will be for Florian to showcase Second Friend
> in a bit more detail and for us to get a better understanding of how you
> envisage Second Friend working to support this community. It would also
> be good to discuss whether or not we might be able to source sufficient
> funding to support the setting up and running a pilot project.
>
> The following is a link to the set of good practice guidelines we
> discussed briefly last night http://www.scribd.com/doc/73581033/RAMP-GUIDE
look over this slide deck with some basics & motivations for 2ndFriend:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/17NeMjLkiZhEIan9F84d8ZMidO8-y3xIbJE7tVHZj7w8/edit
This will hopefully give you a better idea how 2ndFriend came about,
what the basic concepts are and how we might apply it to carers.
Best wishes,
Florian
Victori...@harrow.gov.uk
I can do 6pm on Friday 15th.
I was late getting a photo to hublaunchpad so don't have a pass yet. Is there a process for booking Hub time?
In the meantime, thanks for the links which I'll read-through over the next day or two.
Kind regards
Victoria
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/17NeMjLkiZhEIan9F84d8ZMidO8-y3xIbJE7tVHZj7w8/edit
Best wishes,
Florian
Victori...@harrow.gov.uk
Just checking we are meeting tomorrow at the Hub for a conversation about Second Friend and social care?
Kind regards
Victoria Silver @VictoriaSilver4
Florian Rathgeber
I could do tonight if that's the preferred option for everyone.
Florian
Florian Rathgeber
event "Supporting young people from cradle to career and what that means
for data". Victoria and I are already signed up and Rachel is going to
attend too. How does that sound?
Best,
Florian
Victori...@harrow.gov.uk
Kind regards
Victoria
Best,
Florian
Florian Rathgeber
> Hi there, Am speaking with @tasha_a7 tomorrow but she can't meet until early Dec. I'll be at 'cradle to grave' and look forward to catching-up then!
Tasha, would be great to see you tonight, just sign up for a
Collaborator ticket for
http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/supporting-young-people-from-cradle-to-career-and-what-that-means-for-data-tickets-8856627411
Best,
Florian
natasha adley
Florian, happy to Skype at a convenient time. I'm around Fri after work?
Sent from my iPhone