Carers’ Information Service

The Carer’s Information Service provides the following areas of support for carers who are looking after a family member, friend or neighbour who needs help due to illness, frailty or disability.

Information and Advice

Carers can contact us by phone, email and in person (by appointment) for one-to-one advice and information about anything affecting you as a result of caring for someone. We do not offer a home visiting service, but are always happy to see people in our central Croydon office. Our Carers Advice Worker, Angela Webb who can be contacted on angelawebb@carersinfo.org.uk can offer an advocacy service for people needing more in-depth support, such as form completion and support at meetings. We can liaise with other professionals on your behalf and signpost you to any organisations that can help with your particular situation. We produce a series of free publications including factsheets on specific topics, a regular newsletter called Carers News, a monthly e-bulletin and a local directory called How To… A Guide for Carers in Croydon which covers a wide range of topics, from how to get help from social services, to arranging days out or dealing with an emergency. All of our publications can be viewed or downloaded from our Publications page, or sent by post on request.

Outreach

We reach out to carers in the community by running outreach sessions at different sites across the borough of Croydon. You can find us in the main reception area of Mayday Hospital on a monthly basis, usually on a Wednesday from 11 am to 2 pm. We also work alongside other organisations to participate in joint community events and exhibitions, and to give presentations about our work to support groups and other services in the borough. Details of forthcoming outreach sessions can be found on the Events page.

Training

We run monthly training sessions for carers on a range of topics as well as regular information sessions for carers support groups and professionals in the borough. More information and details of forthcoming training days can be found on the Training page.

Carers Emergency Card

We offer carers an emergency card, which should be kept in a purse or wallet, to alert others to the fact that they are a carer in the event of them having an accident or falling ill. The Carers' Information Service emergency card is very simple: it states that the bearer is a carer and that someone relies on them for care, on the back of the card are the names and telephone numbers of two people to contact in an emergency. It is vital to check with people before putting their names on a card to ensure they are appropriate contacts. Contact us for your free emergency card.

Events

We work alongside other organisations to run events that celebrate national Carers Week in June and Carers Rights Day in December. These special events aim to raise awareness of the needs of carers and provide carers with the opportunity to meet and take part in activities together. Find out about upcoming events.

Volunteering

The Carers’ Information Service was awarded Investing in Volunteers status in 2007 and we provide a range of opportunities for volunteers to get involved, whether by helping us in the office, delivering publicity and newsletters across the borough, or taking part in some of our events. For more information about any current vacancies, please contact our Volunteer and Training Co-ordinator on 020 8649 6280 or email ruthlaws@carersinfo.org.uk.

Courtyard House

Our office base in Croydon, known as Courtyard House, is also home to several other voluntary organisations and carer support groups:

The Young Carers Support Project, part of Off The Record Croydon offers a wide range of services for young people aged 7-18 who are providing care for a parent or sibling, including information, advice, advocacy, befriending, counselling, life coaching, educational and school support, grants, outings and activities.
Rethink Carers Support Project is part of the national charity Rethink and offers a wide range of services for carers of an adult (aged 18-65) with a severe mental illness including information, advice, advocacy, support groups and training.
Rethink Counselling Service offers up to twelve sessions of free counselling to any adult carer in Croydon (not just mental health carers). Counselling sessions last 50 minutes and take place on Tuesday to Thursday at Courtyard House.
Croydon Drop-In offers a counselling service to young people aged 11-25. The Outreach team is based at Courtyard House.
KIDS Croydon Parent Partnership Service is an independent advisory service for parent/carers and schools. In particular they support parent/carers of children with Special Educational Needs.