In July 2022, we at Dementia Carers Count were lucky enough to receive a grant from the Dementia Trust (DSDT), towards a project helping former carers return to work.

We all know that many carers have to give up work when they take on the responsibilities of caring for someone. But it’s less well known that when their caring role finishes, it can be hugely challenging to return to the workplace.

To tackle this, we worked with a team of experts to create a set of online sessions for dementia carers, which they could access from home or on the go. The sessions highlighted the transferrable skills and valuable attributes carers developed through caring. They also covered topics like barriers in the workplace and emotional support strategies to overcome them.

Taking the support to the next level

Taking the support to the next level, we then gave carers in-depth, one-to-one coaching, aimed at helping them back into work. Feedback from the online sessions and the coaching was excellent. Carers felt more prepared for meetings with employers, they felt empowered to ask for help and support, and they felt better equipped to manage boundaries in the future.

This feedback also meant in-depth, one-to-one support for dementia carers became a core feature of our new service, the Carers Support Line (CSL).

The CSL now delivers bespoke, confidential advice and guidance on practical, emotional, and financial issues. It also offers in-depth specialist support through advocacy, casework, coaching and counselling. Dementia carers who want to return to work can get personalised advice on benefits.

All support is free and comes from a specialist multi-disciplinary team. The team includes a

• clinical psychologist,

• dementia nurse specialist,

• social worker, and

• benefits advisor.

Carers describe the service as ‘life changing.’

In 2022, when the Dementia Trust first supported us, we were testing various models of support. The Disruption Award helped us develop a service that carers want and need.

We are enormously grateful for that generous support and delighted it has unlocked vital help for thousands more carers.

Steve Dubbins, Director of Services, Dementia Carers Count

Steve’s background is in social policy and anti-poverty work. He has over 20 years’ experience in co-designing, delivering and managing specialist advice and support services across social care, health and the third sector. Steve is also an experienced project and programme manager, and most recently worked at Macmillan Cancer Support, where he was Head of Impact.

Steve has personal experience of caring and is passionate about ensuring carers have their practical, emotional and financial needs met.