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Welcome to the website for carers in West Sussex > National News and Noticeboard

National News and Noticeboard

News Archive

This page contains links to news articles from the press which may be of interest to carers and also local news and developments related to carers. Use the links above to access archived news stories. West Sussex Carers Online does not necessarily endorse the views expressed in these links.

How to manage your debts
Debt management companies have been in the news recently after the BBC discovered that some unscrupulous debt management companies are holding on to clients' cash rather than paying it to creditors. Families in debt need to know who they should go to for advice, if a debt management plan can help and whether there is a way out of a desperate financial situation. Read more

Ordinary Life Project
This is a positive, creative and supportive project using a holistic approach and practical person-centred planning to enable children/young people who have a complex health need or dependence on complex equipment to live an ordinary life. The West Sussex Parent Carer Forum is facilitating this project and seeking new families to participate and benefit from their involvement. If you would like more information, contact WSPCF on 01903 726188 or email [email protected]

Free Transition Workshop for parent carers from September
Contact a Family are offering free informative sessions for parent carers of children with disabilities or additional needs and professionals who support them. The Transition Workshop training will cover: Understanding challenging behaviour and the impact on family life; Disability Living Allowance/Personal Independence Payments; Sleep issues; Coping and support; and Transition. If you would like a Parent Adviser to come and deliver a workshop to parent carers in your area, contact: Tel: 020 7608 8716 Email: london&[email protected]

Challenging behaviour: a guide for family carers on getting the right support for teenagers (25/7)
Booklet for family carers supporting a teenager or young adult with severe learning disabilities and behaviour described as challenging, who is approaching transition to adult services. It will help you understand what you should expect from local services. www.scie.org.uk

Rethink Mental Illness launches a free advice pack on how changes to the benefits system will affect people with mental illness (15/7)
The guide offers advice on how changes to housing benefit, council tax benefit and the social fund could impact on people with mental health problems, as well as information on the new personal independence payment which is replacing disability living allowance. Read more

Local Assistance Network (LAN) (15/7)
From April 2013 the Government changed the way it helps people in crisis situations. if you need advice on Selling your house quickly due to changes in circumstances then contact us now. Crisis Loans and Community Care Grants are no longer be available from Job Centre Plus. West Sussex County Council have introduced a new scheme to support people in West Sussex called the Local Assistance Network (LAN). It will provide immediate short-term aid to help protect a person’s welfare by preventing a crisis. www.westsussex.gov.uk

How to Stop Scams (1/7)
Scams are schemes to cheat people out of their money. There are hundreds of scams: fake lotteries and prize draws, bogus health cures, dodgy investment schemes, pyramid selling, phishing - to name just a few. The Citizens Advice Bureau has produced information for consumers on how to protect yourself from being caught out. Read more

Free fire safety checks (27/6)
Two thirds of the people dying in house fires in West Sussex are over 65. Help change this! If you care for or support an older person who may be vulnerable why not consider making a Home Fire Safety Check referral. For more information phone free on 0800 328 6487 or visit www.westsussex.gov.uk

Information for disabled people going into hospital (3/6)
If you are disabled and you need hospital treatment, it is important that you inform the hospital about the nature of your disability and the extra support you need. Read more

Join the ‘Bedroom Tax’ campaign (23/5)
From April 2013, changes to Housing Benefit for social housing mean that people who are considered to have 'spare' rooms are having Housing Benefit reduced. Carers UK is fighting for carers to be protected from this change. The Prime Minister said he would look at individual cases of hardship. Carers UK is gathering letters to send to him. Read more

Emergency SMS for hearing or speech-impaired people (5/11)
The EmergencySMS service lets deaf, hard of hearing and speech-impaired people in the UK send an SMS text message to the UK 999 service where it will be passed to the police, ambulance, fire rescue, or coastguard. By sending an SMS message to 999 you can call for help and the emergency services will be able to reply to you. You will need to register your mobile phone before using the emergencySMS service. Read more at www.emergencysms.org.uk

Short Breaks directory for disabled children (19/7)
A directory has been issued by West Sussex County Council listing short breaks available for disabled children across the county. Short breaks provide fun, leisure and social activities for disabled children and young people. To find out more contact 01243 642854 or visit www.westsussex.gov.uk

Families needed for research into individual budgets. Can you help? (11/7)
Ambitious about Autism is researching families' views on individual budgets. Parents or carers of children and young people between the ages of four and 16 who have been diagnosed with autism and have a) received an individual budget, b) been offered but refused an individual budget or c) are simply aware of the individual budget scheme, are wanted to help with the research. Read more

AskDes - buy and sell secondhand disability equipment
AskDes secondhand disability equipment logo People in West Sussex will be able to continue buying and selling second hand disability equipment thanks to ICIS. The service, called AskDes, was previously run by the charity Voice for Disability which has sadly had to close. AskDes enables people to sell or give away disability equipment that is no longer needed and to buy second hand equipment such as a walker, mobility scooter and many aids for daily living. The cost of advertising equipment is free for anything under £100 and only £10 for items that cost more. The advertisements are published on the AskDes website for one year. To advertise your item go to www.icis-info4life.org.uk and click on the AskDES button. For help with buying or selling and for more information phone ICIS on 01903 859929.

In Case of Emergency contacts
We all carry our mobile phones with names & numbers stored in its memory, but if we were to be involved in an accident or were taken ill, the emergency services attending us would have our mobile phone but wouldn't know who to call. Hence the 'ICE' (In Case of Emergency) campaign from South East Coast Ambulance Service. ICE is a method of contact during emergency situations. All you need to do is store the number of a contact person/s who should be contacted during emergency under the name ICE. In an emergency situation, Emergency Service personnel and hospital staff would be able to quickly contact the right person by simply dialling the number stored as ICE. For more than one contact name simply enter ICE1, ICE2, ICE3 etc.


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