A carer is anyone who cares, unpaid, for a friend or family member who due to illness, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction cannot cope without their support.
On this page, you can find a range of staff resources in relation to carers. Click here if you are a carer in Tower Hamlets and what to find out more about the service and support that are available to you.
How to support carers in Tower Hamlets
Supporting adult carers
This document provides a step-by-step guide for staff on how to identify, listen to and support adult carers who are caring for another adult.
Supporting young carers
This document provides a step-by-step guide for staff on how to identify, listen to and support young carers.
Services and resources for carers
This document lists the main services and support available to carers in the borough, as well useful websites and national resources for carers.
Taking action in a crisis
This document lists the main phone numbers to call for carers in crisis.
Policy and strategy
Commitment to Carers Plan 2019-20
Our commitment to carers details what we will be doing until June 2020 and is closely linked to the Carers Dignity Charter and the National Carers Action Plan 2018-20.
East London NHS Foundation Trust Carer Strategy 2017-19
This Strategy analyses support for carers in each borough ELFT operates in, and sets out five aims that staff across the Trust will work towards.
Barts Health NHS Trust Carers Policy 2015
This policy sets out the action staff in Barts should take to identify and support carers.
Tower Hamlets Carers Dignity Charter 2017
This Charter is made up of a series of statements that set out how services should interact and support carers. The Charter is shaped around the priorities of the Tower Hamlets Carer Strategy.
2014 Care Act and Carers
This short briefing provides an overview of the local authorities’ legal responsibilities arising from the Care Act.
2014 Children and Families Act and Carers
This short briefing provides an overview of the local authorities’ legal responsibilities arising from the Children and Families Act
Research
Carers in Tower Hamlets: Facts and Figures 2018
This report provides a short summary of key facts and figures relating to carers in Tower Hamlets.
Carers Health Joint Strategic Needs Assessment 2016
This Factsheet assesses the health-related needs of carers in Tower Hamlets, what is being done to meet these needs currently and what else needs to be done.
Carers Survey Results 2017
This report sets out what adult carers in Tower Hamlets have said about their quality of life, their caring role and their satisfaction with health and social care services.
Hidden Asian Carers 2015
This report looks at the experience of hidden Asian carers in Tower Hamlets and how they feel about their caring role.
Somali Carers and Local Services 2015
This report looks at how Somali carers in Tower Hamlets find out about local health and social care services.
For more information or national research on carers, visit www.carersuk.org. Recent national research on parent carers of disabled children is also available from Contact.
Good practice
Data protection, confidentiality and carers (London Borough of Tower Hamlets, 2018)
This briefing sets out how health and social care staff can work effectively with carers and the people they care for in terms of data protection and confidentiality.
Triangle of care for mental health (Carers Trust, 2016)
This guide and self-assessment sets out how staff in all mental health services can work well with carers.
Best practice between GPs and carer organisations (Carers Trust, 2011)
This resource provides a set of best practice examples from across the UK, focusing on how GP Practice staff can best identify carers and refer them to support services.
Best practice with young carers (Carers UK)
This suite of good practice guides sets out how to best support young carers in relation to education, activities and breaks, communication and policy.
Whole family pathway for young carers (The Children’s Society, 2017)
This guide sets out what staff should consider when working with young carers.
Other useful websites