189 lines
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Executable File
189 lines
11 KiB
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Executable File
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<cms:item xmlns:cms="http://www.arsdigita.com/cms/1.0" xmlns="http://www.esd.org.uk/standards/esdbody" oid="[com.arsdigita.cms.contenttypes.ESDService:{id=162}]"><cms:name>advocacy-for-carers-162</cms:name><cms:language>en</cms:language><cms:title>Advocacy for Carers</cms:title><cms:dublinCore oid="[com.arsdigita.london.cms.dublin.DublinCoreItem:{id=162}]"><cms:name>advocacy-for-carers-162-dublin-metadata</cms:name><cms:dcAudience>General Public</cms:dcAudience><cms:dcCoverage>content="99XX" scheme="ONS SNAC"</cms:dcCoverage><cms:dcCoveragePostcode/><cms:dcCoverageSpatialRef/><cms:dcCoverageUnit/><cms:dcDateValid/><cms:dcDisposalReview/><cms:dcLanguage>en</cms:dcLanguage><cms:dcTemporalBegin/><cms:dcTemporalEnd/><cms:dcCreatorOwner>LAWS Project - Starter Kit - http://www.laws-project.org.uk</cms:dcCreatorOwner><cms:dcCreatorContact>LAWS Project - Starter Kit - http://www.laws-project.org.uk</cms:dcCreatorContact><cms:dcPublisher>Tameside MBC - LAWS project - http://laws.tameside.gov.uk</cms:dcPublisher><cms:dcRights/><cms:dcKeywords>advocacy, carers</cms:dcKeywords></cms:dublinCore><cms:textAsset oid="[com.arsdigita.cms.TextAsset:{id=162}]"><cms:content><![CDATA[<h2>Social Services</h2><span class="gen">email address here</span><span class="gen">phone number here</span><span class="gen">sms phone number here</span><span class="gen">fax number here</span><span class="gen">minicom number here</span><p><i>A carer is someone of any age whose life is restricted because they are looking after a friend, relative, partner or person who cannot manage without help, because of illness, age or a disability of any kind.</i></p><hr/><p> Someone who is paid to
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undertake their caring role is therefore not a carer, although some carers may
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be in receipt of Invalid Care Allowance or in full time employment.</p><p>Carers fall broadly into
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3 categories:</p><ul>
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<li title="*">Adult carers -
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an adult caring for another adult such as a spouse, partner, friend or relative.</li>
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<li title="*">Parent carers -
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an adult who cares for an ill or disabled child.</li>
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<li title="*">Young carers -
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a child or young person who is carrying out significant caring tasks and
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assuming a level of responsibility for another person which would usually
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be taken by an adult. This may be a sibling or a parent.</li>
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</ul><p>Carers are a valuable resource
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and their contribution to community care far exceeds the combined efforts of
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statutory and voluntary agencies. The continued health and well being of carers
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is vital to the success of community care.</p><p>The impact of caring responsibilities
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on people's working lives and on their income cannot be ignored. Many
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carers give up work or reduce their hours of work to care. Many carers in paid
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work report an impact of their own physical and emotional health as a result
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of juggling a paid job with caring. Those carers who give up work to care, face
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the prospect of lost earnings, and the subsequent impact on savings and pensions,
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as well as the loss of skills in practice, and the disadvantage they might face
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in trying to return to work when caring ends.</p><p>Carers are also a source
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of important information as they are close to day to day problems and experience
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first hand services provided. They are therefore ideally placed to feedback
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vital information regarding the effectiveness and quality of existing services,
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and suggest ways of improvement.</p><p>Carers can also challenge
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assumptions and raise awareness of issues facing people living and caring at
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home - they are therefore well placed to influence planning and policies.</p><p>Working with and listening
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to carers will therefore enable all agencies to make more effective use of resources.
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If the services required are not provided, there may be short term savings,
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but there will most definitely be additional expenditure in the long term.</p><h2>Legislation</h2><p>The
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Children Act 1989 gives local authorities the duty to safeguard and promote
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the welfare of children and is therefore relevant both to young carers and parent
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carers of children with disabilities and special needs.</p><p>The Carers (Recognition
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and Services) Act 1995 built on previous legislation and gives carers the right
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to ask for their own assessment. Assessment is the key both to individual choice
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and provision of appropriate support and is also integral to the development
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of a systematic collation of carers' needs to support service planning.
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It is therefore vital to ensure that carers' needs are considered and
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recorded as part of any assessment. However, the right to assessment was qualified
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by two main factors:</p><ul>
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<li title="*"> The carer must be providing
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"substantial care on a regular basis".</li>
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<li title="*">
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The person care for must also have an assessment for community care.</li>
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</ul><p>The Carers and Disabled
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Children Act 2000 now gives carers the right to an assessment even when the
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disabled person refuses an assessment. It also gives parents of children with
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disabilities the right to request an assessment and empowers local authorities
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to provide services.</p><p>Having listened to the carers
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view, the Local Authority must take into account the result of the carers assessment
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when deciding what services to provide to the person who is being care for.</p><p>It is clear that many carers
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are still not aware of their right to a separate assessment. However, Department
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of Health guidance clearly states that local authorities should offer carers
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the right to a separate, confidential interview i.e. it is not incumbent on
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the carer to ask.</p><h2>Objectives </h2><p>The objectives of this Council
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are:</p><ul>
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<li title="*">To raise
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awareness of carers issues, and help to keep them on the agenda of all relevant
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agencies.</li>
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<li title="*">To set out key values
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and principles for services to carers in the form of a local Carers Charter.</li>
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<li title="*">To improve the quality
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and increase the availability of information to carers.</li>
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<li title="*">To promote and support
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the appropriate involvement of carers in:<br/>
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- Discussions and
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decisions around the individual care and treatment plans of the people
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they care for. <br/>
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- Monitoring the
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quality and standards of care and treatment. <br/>
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- The development
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of strategies and services.</li>
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<li title="*">To identify and
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promote good practice across all purchasers and providers of:<br/>
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- Community Care
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and Children's Services<br/>
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- Health Services<br/>
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- Housing Services</li>
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</ul><h2>Key Principles</h2><p>
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<strong>Carers should have
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recognition:</strong>
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</p><ul>
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<li title="*">Of the
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value of their contribution to health and social care for people in need.</li>
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<li title="*">Of their differing
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needs as individuals.</li>
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<li title="*">Of their needs for
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a range of practical and emotional support.</li>
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<li title="*">Of their expertise
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and skills.</li>
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<li title="*">Of the need to involve
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carers in monitoring services and the importance of taking into account
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their experiences in the evaluation of services.</li>
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</ul><p>
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<strong>Carers should have
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choice:</strong>
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</p><ul>
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<li title="*">Subject
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to their own cultural beliefs.</li>
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<li title="*">On whether or not to
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take on or continue their caring role.</li>
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<li title="*">On whether or not to
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become involved in the assessment of the person they care for.</li>
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<li title="*">To have an assessment
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of their own needs.</li>
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<li title="*">To be consulted on
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and involved in planning services that they and the person they care for
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receive.</li>
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<li title="*">To use advocacy and
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mediation services.</li>
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</ul><p>
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<strong>Carers should have
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information:</strong>
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</p><ul>
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<li title="*">Which is
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coordinated and easily accessible.</li>
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<li title="*">Which is available
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at all stages, especially before, but also during and after caring.</li>
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<li title="*">Which is available
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in a range of formats and languages.</li>
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<li title="*">About all relevant
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services including housing advice.</li>
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<li title="*">About charges, entitlements
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and welfare benefits.</li>
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</ul><p>
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<strong>Carers should be
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provided with appropriate practical help:</strong>
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</p><ul>
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<li title="*">Which promotes
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their good health.</li>
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<li title="*">Through good assessment
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procedures, tailoring services to individual needs.</li>
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<li title="*">Which includes a range
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of good quality flexible services planned with carers and including practical
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help such as laundry, shopping, housework and sitting services.</li>
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<li title="*">Which includes opportunities
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for short and longer breaks.</li>
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<li title="*">Which includes the
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development of greater range of innovative and flexible respite services.</li>
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<li title="*">Which includes counselling
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and support to deal with all aspects of caring including the end of caring
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responsibilities.</li>
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</ul><p>
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<strong>The financial cost of caring
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should be minimised:</strong>
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</p><ul>
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<li title="*">By ensuring
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information and advice on benefits and entitlements throughout caring is
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available.</li>
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<li title="*">By keeping charges
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to a minimum, but without reducing quality and quantity through carer sensitive
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practices by all employers which allow carers to continue in paid employment.</li>
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<li title="*">By providing advice
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about employment opportunities during and after caring.</li>
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</ul><p>
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<strong>Services and information
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should be co-ordinated within and across agencies in order to best meet the needs
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of carers:</strong>
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</p><ul>
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<li title="*">Carer sensitive
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policy and practice should be encouraged.</li>
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<li title="*">Carer sensitive admission
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and discharge policies should be developed in all hospitals.</li>
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<li title="*">Wherever possible and
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subject to confidentiality and choice, relevant information should be shared
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between agencies.</li>
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</ul><p>
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<strong>Carers should be
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involved in planning and monitoring the services they receive:</strong>
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</p><ul>
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<li title="*">In order
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to properly reflect the differing needs of carers and to take into account
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their culture, race, religion, gender, age, disability or illness.</li>
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<li title="*">Organisations should
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continue to explore creative ways to involve carers in the planning process.</li>
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<li title="*">Carers should be encouraged
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to express their views about services they and person cared for receive.</li>
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<li title="*">Carers views should
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be listened to and recorded.</li>
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<li title="*">Carers should always
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receive feedback on their contribution and what has happened as a result.</li>
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</ul><span class="gen">email address here</span><span class="gen">phone number here</span><span class="gen">sms phone number here</span><span class="gen">fax number here</span><span class="gen">minicom number here</span><span class="gen">postal address here</span><h3>
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<a href="/ccm/services/pid.jsp?pid=162"> Providing Information
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(162)
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</a></h3>]]></cms:content></cms:textAsset></cms:item>
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