West Lothian carers group helps secure more than £1.5m for most vulnerable
Carers of West Lothian (CoWL) helped secure more than £1.5 million for some of the most vulnerable people in the county in the last year.
The boost comes from the work CoWL has put in working with West Lothian Council's council's Advice Shop teams and saw an 87% uplift in incomes for carers and their families.
But while a report delivered to The Social Work and Health PDSP 'showed steady and positive improvement", Ann Pike from CoWL said it also reveals that more needs to be done and ' we need to accelerate our pace and sharpen our focus' to help the growing numbers in need.
A report to the PDSP highlighted the uptick in income and pointed to success in building contacts with young carers adding: 'One of the key developments is the increase in the number of Young Carer Statements completed, largely driven by improved information sharing practices.
'A new referral pathway introduced during this period has increased referrals for Young Carer Statements and the number completed has increased by 77% in this period.'
Mrs Pike pointed out that the percentage represented only 23 young carers and she said that more needed to be done to build contacts with young carers. CoWL supported 176 young carers and 191 attended groups run by CoWL.
In her report to committee Karen Love,Senior Manager, Adult Services outlined priorities for next year including:-
Targeted campaigns to reach and support underrepresented carers.
Increase the number of carers accessing an Adult Carer Support Plan
Improve the collection of data and feedback to evidence the impact the support carers receive has on their health and wellbeing.
Targeted campaigns to build awareness in areas of high deprivation.
Ongoing engagement with primary and secondary schools, to clarify the role of school staff in identifying young carers and completing Young Carer Statements.
Mrs Pike, the Carer Representative on West Lothian's Integration Joint Board, the partnership between the council and local health services said: 'Unpaid carers continue to play an essential role in our communities, often making personal sacrifices to provide care and support to family members and friends.
'This report demonstrates there has been steady and positive activity in delivering against our strategic priorities, however we must also acknowledge that progress has not always matched the urgency of the issues at hand.
'For too many carers, the help and support they need is still too slow in coming. Delays in action and hesitation in tackling pressing concerns have been keenly felt—particularly as the number of people requiring support continues to grow.
'We have the foundations of a strong strategy, and there is evident commitment from many involved as this Annual Report demonstrates. However, moving forward, we must accelerate our pace and sharpen our focus to ensure that carers are not only recognised in sentimental words but are meaningfully supported in practice.'
Councillor Pauline Orr said ' The report is generally very positive indeed. It recognises the collaboration and partnerships such as Carers of West Lothian and the important work that they do in our communities.'
Mrs Pike said: 'I extend my thanks to all those who have contributed to this work so far and in particular the vital role the local carer centre -Carers of West Lothian play as demonstrated in this report.'
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