Overview

Southwark Carers offer a wide range of free services for the carers registered with them.  Members of Southwark Carers can receive: Advice: Confidential one-to-one advice, by telephone, e-mail or in person. Advocacy: Help with voicing your complaints and issues to various authorities. Information: Provision of an information pack designed and bi-monthly newsletters. Counselling: Free counselling service giving you the chance to talk to someone about your situation in a confidential setting. Carers Groups: Support and social groups operated by Southwark Carers. Health Liason Project: working with GPs’ surgeries and hospitals throughout the borough helping primary care staff identify carers. Grant Schemes: a range of breaks schemes to assist you in the caring role. Other Activities: a number of Activity Groups are run at the Carers Centre, including massage, relaxation and positive thinking, Reiki, book group, arts and crafts, knitting & nattering. They also arrange regular social outings for groups of carers, such as day trips to the seaside.
They provide advice on issues such as benefits and dealing with social services, an advocacy service, a condfidential counselling service and carer’s support groups.  They provide various booklets including “Can Counselling Help”, “Hospital Discharge planning advice” and “Planning for Emergencies”.
Southwark Carers has launched an Emergency Planning Pack so carers can put plans in place in case they become unavailable to care for their loved one.  This includes the “Message in a Bottle” which is kept in the fridge and is known to emergency services.