UNIVERSAL CARERS SUPPORT AND GUIDANCE

Provision of support with infrastructure, training and development, and fundraising to build capacity within a strong thriving voluntary sector, providing free &/or affordable services. The selected provider will also deliver trustee recruitment, brokerage development to VCFS organisations in the Borough, as required.

Funding is given to support an efficient brokerage service throughout the Borough to identify, develop and fill volunteer opportunities including employer-supported group volunteering, individual volunteering and matching volunteers to appropriate opportunities.

Provision of support on the offer of equitable and accessible free information, advice and support to residents of Wokingham Borough, including welfare benefits, money and debt, employment, housing, family or personal, legal, general tax, disability/health, consumer advice and others.

The overall aim of the Community Navigator service is to ensure delivery of a signposting service to promote and improve access to local voluntary and community resources by providing targeted, up-to-date information to professionals, service users and their families, and to support local people with using self-care to maximise their wellbeing.

The funding is given to support improved outcomes for BAME residents who are vulnerable and have low to moderate level care and support needs, prior to reaching the threshold for formal care and support. Funding is specifically aimed at BAME-led community organisations within Wokingham Borough. Partnership bidding is encouraged.

This funding agreement is to support resident’s wellbeing/mental health and provide mitigation to the root causal factors, enhancing both individual and community resilience and underpinning the delivery of key health and social care objectives.

This funding is not a replacement in any way for any medical or psychological services that currently exist, but rather should complement these services, working collaboratively with them, to jointly support residents in addressing some of the wider effects and determinants of mental health pathology.

The vision for the Service is that it will be the independent champion for health and social care to enable people of all ages and from all backgrounds to enjoy high quality health and care and to understand their health and care choices.

Provision of support to carers living in Wokingham Borough, enabling them to balance their caring role with their other activities. The service will provide advice, information and outreach support for all adult carers. The service will proactively identify gaps in the provision of carers services and will work with relevant agencies on development of services for carers.

The funding is given in support of provision for young carers in Wokingham Borough A ‘young carer’ is defined as ‘a person under 18 who provides or intends to provide care for another person’ who needs support due to illness, age, disability, substance misuse or mental health problems. The funding will support the priorities for young carers as determined in the Carers Strategy 2020-2025 and the associated outcomes as detailed in the Carers Strategy Implementation Plan.

The funding is for carers’ support to be delivered to carers, specifically two types of short break:

1. Emergency care if the carer is unexpectedly unable to care, for example if they have a fall themselves and are taken to hospital, and
2. Short term cover to enable carers to attend medical appointments to address their own health needs.

In total it is anticipated that no less than 1700 hours of care is delivered across both services.

The Handyperson service will carry out preventative works to reduce the need for minor or major adaptations. The works are those which would usually be carried out by most adults around the home, but which can easily become too difficult for someone less mobile, or someone who lacks the basic skills and confidence to carry out repair work alone. The service will maintain homes to ensure they are warm, weather tight, safe and secure.

The provider will offer a gardening service to older and disabled residents of Wokingham Borough who cannot maintain their own properties, do not have local family support or lack the financial resources to employ commercial companies.

The purpose of this funding is to help people with MS live life to the fullest, offering respite to carers where applicable, through regular access to support groups.

The funding is given in support of the Home from Hospital service which facilitates smooth and timely hospital discharges by providing social and practical support to vulnerable people who have been assessed as medically fit to return to their own home. The service is particularly aimed at those who may have limited support in their local community.

The funding is given in support of a home visiting service to provide visually impaired people of all ages with information and support that will enable them to continue living independently.

The funding will increase independence and the ability for the person to live in their home safely through provision of a resource centre that offers assistive equipment that can be used in the visually impaired person’s home.

The service will also minimise the effects of isolation, including the provision of a meeting place to hold regular social gatherings and events.

The funding is given in support of helping people say what they want, secure their rights and obtain the services they need, including via access to an Information Officer. The funding is expected to be used to provide an innovative, flexible and customer led approach to achieving the desired outcomes.

The purpose of the funding is to support people with ASD, their families and carers by:

• Raising awareness of ASD
• Helping adults with an ASD who live in the family home to maximise their life opportunities including further education, employment, social life, and independent living
• Providing support to their families and carers
• Helping young people (aged 14- 18 years) with an ASD through transition
• Signposting to both statutory and voluntary, local and national support groups
• Providing advice as appropriate

The purpose of the funding is to provide People with a Learning Disability residing within Wokingham Borough with a Self-Advocacy service. The service will help people say what they want, secure their rights, represent their interests and obtain services they need thus able to prevent their circumstances worsening.

The funding is also given in support of the facilitation of the Learning Disability Partnership Board which is a network of organisations working towards to ensure people with learning disabilities are part of their local community, raise awareness of issues, and lead on relevant initiatives.

The purpose of the funding is to provide support to adults with learning disabilities in the Wokingham Borough who do not have an eligible need under the Care Act in relation to the support to be provided. The support is expected to include information, advice, activities and workshops that enable customers to lead independent and fulfilling lives as possible, and to support them in making independent choices.

The purpose of this funding is to provide information and advice for carers of people with a learning disability and/or autism spectrum condition and their families. This is to increase the independence of carers as well as empowering carers to do things for themselves. The funding will also prevent, delay or reduce the need for statutory services through promoting and supporting the wellbeing of carers, developing people’s social networks, and allowing them to learn new skills that they may not have had the opportunity to learn otherwise.

The funding is given in support of a befriending service for older people in Wokingham Borough who experience social isolation and loneliness. The service will offer opportunities for social interaction, friendship and a sense of being part of a community.

This lot includes, but is not limited to:

• Education/training courses for individuals who have just received a diagnosis and their carers, ways to cope, how to keep well, nutritional support, etc
• Education for carers to understand dementia and how to support the person with dementia
• Education/training for community members who may come into contact with people living with dementia (part of creating Dementia-friendly Wokingham).

The provider will deliver programmes that focus on keeping minds active, thus supporting people with dementia to maintain their wellbeing. This could include, but is not limited to

• Wellbeing coaching, in a group or one to one basis
• Cognitive mental stimulation therapy
• Reminiscence groups, dementia cafes etc.

The provider will consider the needs of individual people with dementia and their carers and provider appropriate support. This could include, but is not limited to:

• Individual support around health and wellbeing
• Support with coming to terms with the diagnosis for the person with dementia and their carers
• Support with accessing services in the Borough and finding peer support and other groups
• Support with continuing with own meaningful occupations