Caring with Confidence

UK

2009

2011

The initiative aims at developing carers knowledge and skills using different communication channels: ICTs.

The initiative born from the willingness to help informal (and formal) carers to gain what the researchers highlighted as carers need, such as safeguarding their own health and wellbeing and that of the person they care for. In 2007, the Government announced its intention to invest £15 million in an ‘expert carers’ training programme, to be available, free, to unpaid carers. The initiative is part of the Government’s ‘New Deal for Carers’. As part of these measures, in December 2007, the Department of Health awarded the contract to deliver a new expert carers type programme to a consortium of five partner organisations: Carers UK, Crossroads Caring for Carers, Expert Patients Programme Community Interest Company (EPP CIC), Partners in Policymaking and Princess Royal Trust for Carers. EPP CIC was given the role of lead administrative organisation.

The name Caring with Confidence has been developed following research commissioned into carers' views about their situation, the concept of a new carers programme and the types of words that resonate with them.

Jenny Poulter, Caring with Confidence project manager, said: "This is an exciting opportunity to build on the training and support already available to carers. We hope to provide what research has shown carers want to help them safeguard their own health and wellbeing and that of the person they care for”.

 Care Recipients
 Informal carers
 Paid assistants
 Formal carers

Not available

 Independent Living
 Information and learning for carers
 Personal Support and Social Integration for carer
 Care coordination

The service provides training for carers through:

1) free online interactive learning;

2) free self-study workbooks;

3) group sessions.

Covered items are: “Finding your way”, “Caring and coping”, “Caring and me”, “Caring day by day”, “Caring and communicating”, “Caring and resources” and “Caring and life” (http://nhschoices.leopink.com/menu.html).

Carers can decide whether they're happy to work through it on their own, especially if they have difficulty reading, they can work through at their own place and in their own time.

Basic devices are required to be reached by the service, such as personal computer and internet connection.

Public only

Public service funding: Government, Regional, Local Authorities, non-profit public entities

Not available

Other: please specify

Not applicable

Not applicable

Although Caring with Confidence groups sessions and distance learning modules are no longer run, many organisations would like to re-launch the service, providing some or all of the training that was available through Caring with Confidence. The lack of additional funding made the end of the service that is no running at the moment.

€ More than 500,000

£15 million for the set up

 Authorities
 Private Care Sector
 Health and Social Care Systems
 Third Sector
 Private Companies

Not available

The Third Sector has a pivot role in the initiative, as the main provider is the Carers UK Charity

 Informal Carers
 Health Professionals
 Social Care Professionals
 Privately-Hired Care Assistants (inc. Migrant Care Workers)
 Volunteers

Social and health professionals from the NHS are involved as teachers.

Carers UK members are tutors and mentors of carers attending the courses.

10,001 - 50,000

14.000 users.

The initiative was promoted by leaflets and website.

Carers who participated in the Caring with Confidence would be better placed to exercise greater choice and control in important areas of their lives, for instance in relation to health care and social care support. In the longer term, this had the potential to lead to carers’ increased wellbeing, choice and independence, and to benefit those they care for, enabling both carers and those they support to participate in society according to their own wishes.

After attending the courses, carers were more skilled in managing their tasks and reconciling work and life times with costs savings also for enterprises, as the absenteeism of working carers may be reduced (Yeandle et al., 2012).

 

Not available

Not available

Strengths

1. The service gave carers a better understanding of the problems they face and helps them find new ways to tackle them.
2. It was free of charge.
3. Carers could decide when and how attending the courses according with their caring tasks: it was a flexible service.

Weaknesses

1. The main weakness has been the lack of funding for continuing training.
2. The lack of service evaluation in terms of effects on NHS.
3. Around 37.000 carers were expected to reach, but only 14.000 were really involved, decreasing the impact of the study from the statistical point of view.
4. Lower than expected number of carers reached led to a relatively high cost per filled carer place at the beginning.

Opportunities

1. One opportunity of growth for the service could be done by the carers’ interest for the initiative and their attending to the learning groups, as this would demonstrate the service effectiveness and justify additional funds for financing it.
2. The main provider, Carers UK, is a capable charity with skilled professionals who could organise another courses session.

Threats/challenges

1. The initiative was well integrated in the caring network system and it could be useful in preventing carers social isolation and depression. The lack of funding stopped it. A challenge is finding financial resources for re-starting the service.

The service had a national dimension already and the courses were mainstream in all UK. This model could be transferred to other countries easily because it does not require any kind of installation or huge funding, but is based on professionals’ expertise.

Publications:

NHS Choices (2013) Caring with confidence on-line learning, http://www.nhs.uk/CarersDirect/carers-learning-online/Pages/carers-online-learning.aspx. (last access: September 2013)

Yeandle S., Bennett C., Buckner L., Fry G.,. Arksey H, Evaluating the Caring with Confidence Programme, available on http://php.york.ac.uk/inst/spru/research/summs/confidence.php (Last access: September 2013)

References

Yeandle S. , Bennett C., Buckner L., Fry G., Arksey H. (2012) Evaluating the Caring with Confidence Programm, at http://php.york.ac.uk/inst/spru/research/summs/confidence.php

Mrs Katherine Wilson, member of Cares UK updated the case-study in January 2014

 

Carers Northern Ireland
58 Howard Street
Belfast
BT1 6JP
Tel 0044 02890 439 843

Carers Scotland
The Cottage
21 Pearce Street
Glasgow
G51 3UT
Tel 0044 0141 445 3070

Carers Wales
River House
Ynys Bridge Court
Cardiff
CF15 9SS
Tel 0044 02920 811 370