Carers Wellbeing Partnership

Staffordshire County Council (SCC) is undertaking a reprocurement exercise for their Carers Wellbeing Partnership provision. The purpose of this provision is to appoint a suitable provider to assist the Council and the Integrated Care Board in delivering the seven priority areas of the "All Together for Carers" Strategy 2024- 2029 (Our strategy for carers - Staffordshire County Council), and ensuring an effective early intervention, prevention, and wellbeing support offer for adult, and young carers.

Unpaid carers look after or give help and/or support to family members, friends, neighbours or others because they have a long term health condition, ill health, problems relating to age, or a disability. For most Carers the experience of looking after someone is rewarding, however the responsibility for providing care can have a wide-ranging health, wellbeing and educational and economic impact.

During 24/25 the Council supported 572 adult carers and 295 young carers to receive carer assessments. However, it is estimated there are one hundred and forty-eight thousand (148,000) adult carers and one thousand six hundred and ten (1,610) young carers across Staffordshire (Census 2021).

This provision is about developing an excellent knowledge of local communities and working collaboratively through a Carers Wellbeing Partnership to:

• Create and effectively implement a programme of awareness raising and promotional campaigns to reach and engage with unpaid carers. Facilitate and enable carers to have a voice, share feedback, and influence local delivery through co-production projects, co design, engagement and co-ordination or carers Forums, newsletters, social media, and other communication platforms.
• Create and effectively implement a programme of training, awareness raising, and education in local communities by working with primary care, schools and education providers, businesses, and employers in order to create a carer friendly inclusive community across Staffordshire.
• Working collaboratively with partners to develop an efficient, needs led, and innovative programme of preventative support including; training and education, emergency and contingency planning, emotional wellbeing, financial and benefits advice, advocacy, carer breaks, young carer transport, peer support and mentoring, befriending.
• Using an Asset Based Community Development approach to grow assets within the community, incorporating a Grants funding scheme to support the mobilisations of carers, communities, and organisations to develop a strong network of local support.

Through co-production with individuals, communities and partners, the Provider shall ensure:

• Carers are provided with appropriate up-to-date information, advice and guidance.
• Carers are actively identified and supported through awareness raising activities and the education of communities.
• Carers physical and emotional wellbeing is enhanced through the provision of preventive support.
• Carers are enabled to have a life alongside their caring responsibilities.
• Access to timely support which meets individual carers needs.
• Carers are supported to plan for the future.
• Carers feel recognised and valued as experts in care.
• Strengthen and build resilient carer friendly communities which prevent, reduce and delay dependency on health and social care services.
• Children and young people with caring responsibilities have the support they need to learn, develop, thrive and enjoy positive childhoods

The Provider will support all strategies and appropriate initiatives from Staffordshire County Council. In particular the following are specifically highlighted:

• the Council's Digital Strategy
• the Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Sustainable Transformation Partnership (STP) Digital Programme https://www.twbstaffsandstoke.org.uk/about-us/our-work/di... which promotes digital literacy, encouraging and assisting people in their use of digital and assistive technology.
• Safeguarding (Protecting adults from abuse - Staffordshire County Council)
• Data Protection (Contact - Data Protection - Staffordshire County Council)
• Quality Assurance (Quality Assurance Overview - Staffordshire County Council