CARERS OF EAST LOTHIAN 

To pay the salary of a temporary worker who will gather missing contact detail information allowing CoEL to connect more frequently and quickly with their service users. To purchase IT equipment for ....more

To pay the salary of a temporary worker who will gather missing contact detail information allowing CoEL to connect more frequently and quickly with their service users. To purchase IT equipment for trustees who do not have access, allowing them to partic

Detailed description not provided.

We are applying to Strand 2 to support 2 separate (but important) aspects of organisational development. Firstly we want to invest in the skills of our team of CoEL's Carer Support Team by funding ....more

We are applying to Strand 2 to support 2 separate (but important) aspects of organisational development. Firstly we want to invest in the skills of our team of CoEL's Carer Support Team by funding staff to participate in Seasons for Growth adult programme companion training (our 2 staff members who work with parent carers would also participate in the parent programme "add on" training). The Seasons for Growth programme aims to build resilience and bring hope and confidence to adults who have experienced significant change or loss in their lives - as is often the case for unpaid carers while the cope with huge changes in relationships and in their lives, loss of companionship and aspirations for the future, and often ultimately death and bereavement. Secondly, we are applying for training / consultancy to enhance both CoEL's and other Carers Centres use of the Charitylog Client Record Management system. CoEL was the first Carers Centre in Scotland to adopt Charitylog and we have been using it since early 2016. It is well embedded in our day to day operations and we have shared our experiences of using the system with a number of other Centres. However, we are conscious that our usage of the system has remained largely static. We have not been able to take full advantage of system enhancements nor were we aware before preparing for this CATS3 application of the bespoke developments brought in by Dizions (the company who created and maintain Charitylog) to support the Scottish Carers Centres who recently adopted the Charitylog through the first round of CATS funding. We are therefore applying for 2 days training and consultancy from Dizions to work directly with CoEL to support and enhance our usage of the system and take fuller advantage of system enhancements to date. Furthermore, CoEL has lead discussions with the several Carers Centres in Scotland who are now using Charitylog, about the setting up of a Scottish Charitylog user forum where all centres can learn from each others' experiences. Although all centres are at different points in their adoption and familiarity with Charitylog, there is a strong appetite amongst us all to take this forward as we all see this as becoming a self-sustaining and very cost effective way of getting best value from Charitylog and to help ensure that all centres can maintain this over time. This approach is very much supported by Dizions. CoEL is therefore applying on behalf of all the centres who would be involved in the user forum for 2 additional days consultancy and support from Dizions to act as a catalyst for, and to support the setting up of, the user forum.

We are applying to Strand 1 to pilot an innovative project setting up and facilitating carer knowledge exchange forums and connecting them with East Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership's ....more

We are applying to Strand 1 to pilot an innovative project setting up and facilitating carer knowledge exchange forums and connecting them with East Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership's Strategic Change Board Reference Groups to enable much greater partnerships between both groups in the strategic planning and development of services. Central to this project will be promoting and embedding the use of agile, social collaboration technology - in particular Slack (see https://get.slack.help/hc/en-gb/articles/115004071768-What-is-Slack-) as the key tool to enable this. CoEL is a member of these reference groups and, following our participation in SCVO's CATS funded digital accelerator course, we proposed to them the adoption of Slack as a much better tool to promote engagement and collaboration on the policy and planning issues the reference groups are working on. This was positively received but at a time of competing demands no action has followed. At the same time, CoEL is in contact with a number of carers who have expressed a wish to be more involved both policy development and forums where they can share knowledge and experiences with others. However, many carers struggle to find the time to be able to participate in meetings which currently are the only forum on offer to facilitate this kind of knowledge exchange and policy collaboration. We are applying for funding to hire a sessional Carer Support Worker to bring these 2 opportunities together and drive forward a step change in the involvement of carers in the strategic planning and development of services in East Lothian. This worker will support both the adoption of Slack within the statutory and 3rd sectors as a tool to enable greater engagement and will work to identify and support groups of interested carers and engage them with Slack as a key vehicle for participation. The key tasks for this post will be: • Engage with the key officers in ELHSCP to get them to act as champions for the adoption of Slack as better tool for co-working in the Reference Groups • Engage with 3rd sector partners to promote the same • Gaining commitment to using Slack – possibly initially within the one or two reference group communities most open to its use • Supporting adoption by demonstrating the intuitive nature of Slack to members of these reference groups with a view to developing a critical mass of early adopters • Building on and developing CoEL's current network of carers interested in being involved in strategic policy and services development • Supporting carers adoption of Slack through group meetings, 1 to 1 support where needed initially and buddying support • Disseminating the lessons from the adoption of Slack across all reference groups and wider into other areas.

The project will offer 3 courses of 5 sessions each tailored for carers who lack basic digital skills. These will be spread across the county but with a focus towards the ex-coalfield communities in ....more

The project will offer 3 courses of 5 sessions each tailored for carers who lack basic digital skills. These will be spread across the county but with a focus towards the ex-coalfield communities in the west. The initial focus of the sessions will be on getting carers confident to be online via tablets and using simple search and communication tools such as e-mail and face to face apps to enable them, and the people they care for, to retain contact with distant friends and family. The final sessions will demonstrate online shopping and specific online tools and apps developed for carers such as Jointly (developed by Carers UK). This range of topics will specifically address the key concerns of carers and should leave them with both the motivation and confidence to continue using tablets and the web. A range of tablets will be available to encourage participants to explore what will work best for them. The sessions will be relaxed yet structured in such a way as to encourage mutual and peer support. Further "reunion" sessions are planned to further encourage on-going peer support. As well as increasing confidence in using digital skills, this has the additional benefit of helping reduce isolation amongst carers.

towards the Children Inc project, to support children with disabilities to access activities

The Rural Carers Project