The Disability Information and Resource Centre

Carers SA Invites Carers & Their families and Carer Groups to:

2011 Carers Day – at the Movies

This event is part of the National Carers Day celebrations being held across Australia to recognize family carers.

Movie: Water for Elephants (Admission is free for carers & their families)

Date: Tuesday, October 18 2011

At: Capri Theatre 141 Goodwood Rd, Goodwood SA

Time: Tea & Coffee from 10.30, Organ at 10:45, Movie 11.00am

Bookings essential. RSVP by Thursday, October 13 Ph: 8291 5600

Carer groups are welcomed but please RSVP ASAP to secure your seats.

Passenger drop off zone at the Capri Theatre front doors for those with limited mobility.

Limited parking for drivers dropping off those with limited mobility at:
Goodwood Community Centre, Rosa St off Goodwood Rd.

Get the full Carers Week Program of events here.

Kelly Vincent MLC Announces Seminar Series

“How you can Help Protect your Sons and Daughters with Disabilities from Sexual Abuse”

Kelly Vincent, Dignity for Disability MLC, in support of Carers Week welcomes parents and guardians of children and adults with disabilities to the first of a series of workshops aimed at giving families the tools to protect their sons and daughters from sexual abuse.

It is estimated that children with a disability are 700% more likely to be a target of abuse. While that is a frightening statistic, parents and carers can arm themselves, and the people they care for, with the tools to understand, recognise and report sexual abuse.

Following on from her introduction of The Disability (Mandatory Reporting) Bill in July 2010, Ms Vincent’s Parliamentary Office has been deluged of reports from workers and families supporting the bill and lamenting the lack of current supports to prevent, report or manage abuses of some of our most vulnerable citizens.

Kelly Vincent, MLC said “I have been informed of several tragedies in the past few weeks, where people with disabilities have suffered horrendous abuse. We are working with Government to prevent abuse at a systemic level, but I believe that every parent and carer needs to educate themselves and their children, in a developmentally appropriate way to stop these nightmares.”

In this first seminar of a series of events, world renowned child abuse expert Dr Freda Briggs will share her knowledge of the problem and offer practical ways to help children, and adults with intellectual disabilities in particular, protect themselves.

Carer Support has generously offered their support of the event, and will be providing on-site childcare with qualified workers for children with and without disabilities to make sure parents have every opportunity to attend.

The incidence of abuse and neglect of people with disabilities, particularly those with intellectual disabilities, (who make up around 1-2% of the Australian population) is one of the great unknowns, and in South Australia, there are no public records of numbers of recorded abuse among this population.

“I ask all parents of children with any disability, parents of adults and with an intellectual and/or communication disability as well as disability support workers to make every effort to attend” said Ms Vincent.

Speaker: Emeritus Professor Freda Briggs AO

Cynthia Poulton Hall, St Peters Cathedral
Cnr King William Road & Pennington Tce, North Adelaide

Monday November 8th 9.30am – 12.30pm

Free childcare provided (bookings are essential)

RSVP via Email (preferred): D4DEvents@parliament.sa.gov.au

or Message Phone: 8237 9528

For further information, please contact:

Sam Paior | Adviser to Kelly Vincent MLC | sam.paior@parliament.sa.gov.au

Celebrating Carers Week 2010

Carers Day Event – at the Movies

Movie: Letters to Juliet (Admission is free for Carers & their families)

Tuesday, October 19, 2010: Capri Theatre 141 Goodwood Rd, Goodwood

Tea & Coffee from 10:15, Organ at 10:45, Movie 11:00

Bookings essential: RSVP by Friday, October 15 on 8291 5600

Park at Holy Cross Catholic Church cnr Clifton St & Goodwood Rd 100m to the South of the Capri

Passenger drop off zone at the Capri front doors for those with limited mobility

Carer Health and Wellbeing Expo

Thursday, October 21 2010: 10.00am – 4.00pm: Rundle Mall, Adelaide

Join Carers SA in the Mall for fun, information, support and a chance to meet the counselling team

For more information on these and other events around the state call Margaret on 8291 5600 for a Calendar of Events or go to www.carers-sa.asn.au.

Caring for Carers Have Your Say forums

22 September: Kangaroo Island

3 November : Port Augusta

11 November: Adelaide Hills

7 December: Southern Adelaide (Marion/Glenelg)

call Phil 8291 5600, phil@carers-sa.asn.au

Carers Australia welcomes renewed focus on National Carer Strategy

Carers Australia welcomes the appointment of Senator the Hon Jan McLucas as Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Carers, and congratulates the Hon Jenny Macklin MP for acknowledging the importance of the strategy.

Carers Australia now looks forward to renewed effort to progress the National Carer Strategy and National Carer Recognition Legislation.

“This important work for carers across the country was unfortunately disrupted by the election,” said Carers Australia President, Tim Moore.

“We have had months of waiting and now family carers across the country can look forward to progress on this issue and the swift passage of the legislation through parliament.”

“Carers Australia believes that there must be greater acknowledgement of all family carers at a national level, and the specific inclusion of carers under Senator McLucas’ responsibilities is a positive change,“ said Mr Moore. Carers Australia believes there should now be few barriers to the introduction of National Carer Recognition Legislation. “The legislation has had support across all parties prior to the election. We would like to see this continue, as it will provide a platform for better outcomes for family carers.” said Mr Moore.

“More broadly, we look forward to a National Carer Strategy that will result in improved support and services for Australia’s family carers.”

caa@carersaustralia.com.au www.carersaustralia.com.au

NMHCCF launches mental health consumer and carer workforce paper

A position statement on supporting and improving the mental health consumer and carer workforce in Australia will be released tomorrow by the National Mental Health Consumer & Carer Forum (NMHCCF).

Consumers and carers are increasingly being employed – particularly in mental health services – as peer support workers, advocates, consultants, research officers, experts and advisors, however they are not being properly supported.

“The future of the mental health consumer and carer identified workforce is at a critical point in Australia,” said Isabell Collins, Co-Chair of the NMHCCF.

“In many places there is a lot to be done to bring the human resource management support of these workers up to a basic standard. This is obstructing the ability of these workers to operate effectively.

“Unless managers and staff are knowledgeable about recovery approaches and working with consumer and carers, these workers are increasingly overworked, underpaid – or not paid at all!”

The NMHCCF has found that no one actually know how many consumer and carer identified worker roles exist in Australia. As a result opportunities for using their expertise are not being effectively monitored or exploited in mental health services.

“Imagine the quality of the services that we could have if these positions were being used effectively, not only in mental health services, but in the wider community, in agencies like Centrelink, in housing, as court support officers and more broadly in the criminal justice system,” Ms Collins said.

The NMHCCF statement makes five major recommendations, including a comprehensive national audit of current consumer and carer identified workers and the development of a National Mental Health Consumer and Carer Identified Workforce Strategy.

Given the key role that the mental health consumer and carer identified workforce already plays in the sector, the NMHCCF urges all governments and employers to consider the challenges facing the workforce and commit appropriate resources to its support and development.

The NMHCCF urges governments to consider the recommendations of the NMHCCF Position Statement and act.

www.nmhccf.org.au/workforce

Some suggestions from Carers Australia on ways carers may like to celebrate or ways that others might like to acknowledge them.

Visit. Share. Celebrate.

The Carers Week website, www.carersweek.com.au is a great place to start think about what you’re doing for Carers Week, 18 – 24 October. So, take a little time to come and VISIT us online. Read about carers, who they are, what they do. There’s more of us than you realised!

While all visitors are welcome, carers themselves are especially welcome. That includes those visitors who, by stopping by and reading, understand more about carers. Tell us your stories. SHARE a slice of your life as a carer. You can do that anonymously if you wish. Please mention your state and region.

Take time to CELEBRATE. If you’re a carer, this week is for YOU! You work hard and care heaps and you deserve some care, attention and TLC. So take time to allow yourself to be taken to lunch, or for a cuppa, to celebrate the caring you do.

Find out what is happening for Carers Week nationally and locally through the state and territory events listings at www.carersweek.com.au/09/events.html. If you’re organising an event — even if it’s taking your carer neighbour out for coffee — please let us know by emailing carersweek@carersaustralia.com.au.

Visit the forums and share your stories and experiences  There are special sections to discuss caring and living in the Bush; a space for the community to send a message to carers in Community Participation; discussing financial impacts of caring; Health and Wellbeing; juggling work and care; and a special section for those under 25yrs (young carers). But it’s also time to tell others. So they hear where we’re at, good and bad, city and country, regional and pastoral.

Carers Week is a “multi-function” event!