Young and Adult Carers – the backbone of our care system!

Wales has the highest proportion – at 12% – of carers in the UK and every day 6000 people become carers, but who supports the carers? We met recently with Kevin and Eve from Credu who tell us more about the great work they do to support unpaid carers in Powys. 

Who Cares? 

A carer is someone who cares or intends to care for a family member or friend with a life limiting illness, disability, mental health condition or who suffers with substance misuse. An adult carer is a person who is aged 18 years old or over and a young carer is under 18 years old.

1 out of 3 of us will be/have been a Carer in our lifetime.

·        The role can involve a wide variety of support roles offering practical and emotional support.

·        A Carer may provide around-the-clock support or for a few hours a week, in their own home or for someone at the other end of a motorway…

·        The care and support they give is unpaid.

More formally, a Carer is anyone of any age who supports someone with a health condition or disability without being paid. There are over 16,000 unpaid Carers in Powys.

16,000 unpaid carers in Powys

Carers in Wales

Those who look after a family member or loved one with a health condition and/or disability are the backbone of our care system. At least 370,000 carers in Wales (estimated at 683 000 Carers identified during COVID via Carers Wales report).

Unpaid carers save the state the equivalent of £8.1 billion in Wales each year (this figure is also likely to have increased during the pandemic)

Wales has the highest proportion – at 12% – of carers in the UK

Carers across Wales provide 96% of care and as our loved ones are living longer with illness or disability, more and more of us will be looking after them. Unpaid carers save the state the equivalent of £8.1 billion in Wales each year. Wales has the highest proportion – at 12% – of carers in the UK. Unpaid carers in Wales have saved £33 million every day of the pandemic.

Every day 6,000 people become carers. Looking after someone can be challenging for some and for others it can be rewarding.

Young and Adult Carers have an abundance of strengths and often have to juggle life and work alongside their caring role! It is vital that Carers feel acknowledged and supported for the selfless sacrifices they make in supporting the most vulnerable members of our society.

 Carers have rights!

Carers have rights.

In Wales, Young and Adult Carers have rights that are protected in law. The Social Services and Wellbeing Act ensures that Carers be entitled to receive social care support. This includes the right to a Carers Assessment.  In Powys, there is a guide to detail more about advice and support, which may prove useful – visit: www.carers.cymru/post/a-guide-for-unpaid-carers to access this guide. 

Getting Support in Powys

Credu - believing in carers

Credu (which is pronounced ‘cre-dee’) means believe in Welsh. We believe in Young and Adult Carers. We are based in Powys and have been supporting carers since 2003.

·        We believe in people: their skills, abilities and talents, and the resilience they display in everyday life.

·        We believe in the invaluable contributions carers make to their loved ones and their communities.

·        We believe carers of all ages deserve to thrive and be able to get the most out of life.

·        We believe no-one needs to do this on their own.

·        We believe in supporting carers by connecting them with whatever they need to live to their full potential.

Make sure you get support & help

We think carers of all ages are amazing. We love to listen to you and support you with what is important to you in a way that works for you, whether you just need some basic information or if you want to work through some complicated challenges.

Credu’s support depends on what would work for you and how, but can include:

·        Practical support such as services for the person you look after / respite / financial support

·        Emotional support / counselling

·        Listening to enable you to work through challenges and find ways forward that work for you

·        Young and Adult Carers Groups and Events

·        Volunteering and getting involved as a Carers Champion

·        Courses (e.g. first aid / manual handling / stress less / sleep easy)

Credu also works alongside partners and professionals to raise awareness of caring and provide information and advice about identifying and supporting Carers.

Getting in touch

Here to help

Website: www.credu.cymru

Make a referral or self-referral: www.carers.cymru/credureferral

Facebook: Credu Connecting Carers - https://www.facebook.com/creducarers

Twitter: @CreduCarers - https://twitter.com/CreduCarers

Instagram: @creduconnectingcarers_ - https://www.instagram.com/creduconnectingcarers_/

YouTube: On Being A Carer – short clips of Carer’s stories told by Young and Adult Carers:

https://tinyurl.com/ycmhsxqn

Visit www.carers.cymru/creduevents to see and register for our upcoming events in Powys.

If you like to receive news & updates from Credu by email, please feel free to sign up: https://tinyurl.com/yyg3kfsl - we send out a weekly email with events happening for Carers. Please check spam folders when signing up.

If you have any questions or enquiries, please call 01597 823800 / email: carers@credu.cymru

 

Hate Crime Awareness

Hate Crime is an identity based crime. It attacks personal characteristics that are integral to the victim, it can be defined as,

 “Any criminal event or incident which is perceived by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice towards someone based on a personal characteristic,” (Victim Support)

Victim Support.  PAVO signed up as early adopters of the Hate Crime Charter pledging to help raise awareness and support victims.  

Hate Crime Awareness Charter

Race

According to Victim Support race related hate crimes are some of the most commonly reported crimes to the police. Hate crime that is racially driven targets someone because of their skin colour, ethnicity, language and culture. There’s been a recent increase in racially motivated Hate Crime in Wales with attacks on refugee camps in Penally in September last year. 

Religion and Faith

Religious Hate Crime is crime that is based on belief, attacking someone for their faith in and worship of a God / Gods or for their lack of belief. Attacks can be on a place, person or group of people, with the attack having an impact on core belief systems. Statistically attacks on people of Muslim and Jewish faiths are most common and incidences reported by the media can influence trends or spikes such as the attacks on a Mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand in 2019. 

Sexual Orientation

Sexually orientated Hate Crime attacks someone for their sexual preferences, it can manifest in the form of heterosexism, biphobia or homophobia depending on whether someone is heterosexual, bisexual, gay or lesbian.

Sexual Orientation Hate Crime

Transgender

Transgender related Hate Crime is connected to the gender that someone identifies with. Gender dysphoria is the term used to describe the sense of unease experienced by an individual where their gender identity at birth differs from the gender that they identify with. In some instances individuals choose to be gender fluid or gender neutral. Some choose to transition from their given gender to their chosen gender this transition can be social, legal or medical. Any attack on someone because of their gender is known as a transphobic attack. According to Victim Support, Transgender Hate Crime is the least common crime reported to the police, yet these crimes are also showing an increase. 

Disability

Hate Crime related to Disability can take many forms, it can attack hidden disabilities such as sensory loss, mental health or learning disabilities, as well as visible disabilities such as physical impairments. It can take the form of bullying but can also be insidious disguised as friendship, known as 'Mate Crime,' or 'Cuckooing,' where the victim is manipulated or coerced and then taken advantage of. According to Victim Support the number of disability related  Hate Crimes continues to rise each year. 

✯In 2019, Ability Today worked with leading disability charity Leonard Cheshire to survey 250 disabled people and discovered that; 

▪ 37% of their respondents had experienced hate crime. 

▪ The majority of hate crime was experienced through social media.

 In a survey commissioned by the charity Changing Faces in January 2020; 

▪ Over a quarter (28%) of people with a visible difference have experienced a Hate Crime 

▪Almost half of those who had experienced negative behaviours said they had lost confidence, over a third say they now feel anxious when they go out.

impact of hate crime

Impact of Hate Crime

Hate Crime is identity based crime, attacking what makes someone an individual. An attack on something that is a feature of core identity can leave someone feeling vulnerable and can take longer to recover from. 

Hate Crime can lead to behavioural changes such as 

• An increase in substance misuse.
• Deterioration in personal relationships.
• A withdrawal from usual activities with tendencies towards detachment, avoidance and isolation.
• A change in usual routines.
• A need or desire to conceal identities.
• Moving home, changing location and removal from the situation.

Sometimes the emotional impact of Hate Crime can  be harder to detect and can manifest as

• Uncontrollable crying that is concealed from others.
• Feelings of shame, fear or guilt, including fear for family and friends.
• Agitation, restlessness with feelings of frustration.
• Nightmares and disrupted sleep.

In some cases Hate Crime can have a financial impact on someone's life for example

• Costs related to repairing or replacing property or removing graffiti.
• Loss of work or earnings.
• Paying for additional security. 

reporting hate crime

Barriers to Reporting Hate Crime 

Lack of Trust in Police and Criminal Justice Agencies- Minority groups may feel a distrust in authorities such as the Police and wider criminal justice agencies. This can cause feelings of frustration and hopelessness when it comes to reporting hate crimes.

Language Barriers- Some victims may not speak English or have English as a second language and may not be aware of the translation service available to them. 

Cultural Barriers- Differences between traditions or different cultural practice can lead to hate crime not being reported. There may also be a fear that reporting an incident may just be being a nuisance. 

Lack of Information - A lack of knowledge or awareness of how to report an incident or lack of awareness of support available. 

Normalising Incidents - Attacks can become accepted, or put up with as part of a way of life and not seen as a crime.  

Fear - where the victim is scared about the repercussions in  reporting a crime or a fear of loss of independence or change in circumstances due to reporting a crime.

How to Report Hate Crime

There are several ways to report a Hate Crime and to access support.

The police are able to support with Hate Crime incidents in an emergency by calling 999 and in a non emergency by calling 101.

Victim Support can provide an advocacy and support service for anyone requiring support with reporting a crime and can contact the police on behalf of the victim. 

Victim Support understand that some people may not wish to involve the police. They offer a support service for victims of Hate Crime and accept self referrals. 

They can be contacted in the following ways

• By calling  0300 30 31 982 
• Visiting  their website at https://www.reporthate.victimsupport.org.uk/ 
• Twitter @VictimSupportHC 
• Facebook: VictimSupportHC 
• Instagram: vswaleshatecrime 
• If you wish to make a self-referral email: hate.crimewales(at)victimsupport.org.uk 

Say no to Hate Crime

🟍Source Victim Support Disability Hate Crime FactSheet.