Newry’s Brain Injury Foundation launches new Carers Volunteer programme
Unpaid family carers are the most important and yet undervalued group within the care sector in Northern Ireland saving the economy millions of pounds annually and the need and demand for their services continues to grow.
Sadly, support services for these carers have not kept pace and recent research shows the huge need for more support.
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Locally, The Brain Injury Foundation has been supporting carers since its inception and has learnt that carers really need and appreciate the support from other carers who are experiencing the same challenges as they are on a daily basis.
With financial support from The Health and Social Care Board and the involvement of local support groups Autism Families, Downright Brilliant and the Confederation of Community Groups, BIF is launching a new one-year pilot programme, the Carer’s Volunteer programme, across the Southern Trust which will recruit and train a group of volunteer carers who will act as mentors to other carers.
Frank Dolaghan, Chair of BIF, will be leading the project and said, “We are basing this pilot on a model developed in Australia which includes the provision of a comprehensive and very practical training programme.
“The programme will offer individual support to a number of carers across the Southern Trust whatever the disability of the person they care for.
“We are recruiting 12 volunteer carer mentors who can demonstrate practical experience of caring, who are listeners, who can just be there for someone, who can provide encouragement, support and acceptance and who can acknowledge a carer’s strengths.
“In return, the Carer’s Volunteer programme offers volunteers an opportunity to become more aware of the value of their experience, support other carers, improve their own skills and provide the skills needed to carry out a role supporting other carers, make new friends and contacts,” he added.
Volunteers are paid out of pocket expenses.
Anyone interested in finding out more about the opportunity can drop in at one of two information sessions between 11 am – 2 pm on Wednesday 4 March at Our House, 23 Newry Road, Camlough, Newry or 11 am – 2 pm on Friday 6 March in Dobbin Street Community Centre, Armagh.
Further information is available from Frank Dolaghan or Olive Hawthorne, the programme administrator on 02830839943 or after hours on 07740823713.
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