Support and advice

For many people, caring is a rewarding and positive experience, but for others, caring without the right help and support can feel overwhelming. For some people, caring can trigger feelings of loneliness and frustration and many often find their physical and emotional health, work or finances are affected. Carers do not have to wait until they are struggling or there is a crisis before they ask for support.

The Lincolnshire Carers Service is delivered in partnership by Lincolnshire County Council's Customer Service Centre and Carers First.

You can contact the Lincolnshire Carers Service to talk to someone about your caring role and they will listen and provide you with support. The Customer Service Centre is the first point of contact for all general enquiries regarding support for carers. You can contact the Customer Service Centre from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, except on public holidays on 01522 782224 or by emailing CarersService@lincolnshire.gov.uk.

The Lincolnshire Carers Service can help you with:

information, advice, and guidance specific to you as a carer
the opportunity to talk in detail about your caring role (a carer’s assessment)
support your conversations with people and services such as GPs, social care and hospitals
practical training to help you in your caring role
eligibility for benefits and financial support
opportunities to access support groups and activities so you can meet others in a similar situation to yourself
regular contact by telephone, Carers First website, monthly e-bulletins and “What’s On” guides containing details of groups supported by Carers First
Carer’s Emergency Response Plan, which is a plan that you are supported to create and which provides detailed instructions for others to follow in an emergency situation
getting the balance right in your life again
support to access a break or help around the home, depending on eligibility this may be funded through a carer’s personal budget

The Carers Emergency Response Service aims to provide reassurance to carers if an unplanned situation occurs which means you cannot fulfil your caring role.

When signing up to the service you will have an emergency plan prepared. This plan puts in place a contingency that will detail what you and the person you care for want to happen in the event that you are unexpectedly unable to continue in your caring role.

Further information about the Carers Emergency Response Service, including how to set it up, is available on the Lincolnshire County Council Carers website.

The Connect to Support website has dedicated COVID-19 information pages with links to NHS advice, national and local guidance, the Lincolnshire County Council website and the Long COVID Information Hub.

Please visit Coronavirus (COVID-19) | Lincolnshire (connecttosupport.org) for further information and guidance.

Being a carer is often hard work and it is important for you to look after yourself. Keeping well reduces the risk of you being unable to look after someone due to a problem with your own health. Stresses and strains including emotional and physical fatigue can build up over time so looking after yourself is crucial.

It is good to talk about how you are feeling about your caring role. It’s especially important to talk to friends and family if you are:

struggling to manage
feeling isolated
feeling down
in need of a break

Joining a support group can be helpful as you can share experiences with others in similar situations. More information about support groups is available from the Lincolnshire Carers Service.

You should talk to your GP if you notice any changes in yourself, for example if you experience:

a loss of appetite
a lack of sleep
low or down feelings
any other worrying symptoms

You need to stay healthy if you are to continue caring. You should accept offers of help from others without feeling guilty about it. It can be demanding and intensive and you deserve to be looked after too.

Carers UK have a set of useful fact sheets about looking after your health. These include information on:

Your physical health
Getting enough sleep
Coping with stress and depression
Coping with guilt and resentment

Caring for someone can impact on your relationships in both a positive and negative way. You may become closer to the person you are caring for and, at the same time, feel frustrated, resentful, or angry. This may be because the caring role changes your life in ways that are unplanned or unwelcome which can result in tensions within your relationships.

It is important to remember you are not alone in the way you are feeling. To help you cope with the way you feel try talking to family and friends where possible. You may also find it useful to talk to other carers in a similar position by joining a carer’s support group. As well as providing practical and emotional support you can take a break through joining in activities and going on outings. More information about support groups is available from the Lincolnshire Carers Service.

Combining your caring role and employment can be very challenging, but as a carer you have rights which can help you remain in, or get back into, work.

Telling an employer about your caring role is your personal choice. If you choose to be open with your employer, they can put adjustments in place to help you work whilst you are caring.

The law gives everyone statutory rights within work which can help your caring role.

While statutory rights cover everyone, your contractual rights will differ depending on who your employer is. In some cases contractual rights can be more generous than statutory rights. Check your employment contract, staff handbook or employers policies to see if you have any further rights.

Young Carers Educational support

Combining your caring role with being in school, college, higher education, or further education can sometimes be challenging. As a carer there are things you can do to help you remain in, or get back into, education. Young carers are entitled to support to ensure they do not miss out on opportunities to learn.

Talking to someone at your place of study about your caring responsibilities is your personal choice. It can be helpful to let staff know about your caring situation so they can put adjustments in place to help you continue learning whilst you are caring.

If you are a young carer, it's important to talk to someone you trust if you are worried things such as:

being late for school or not being able to attend at all
finding it difficult to concentrate because you are worried about someone at home
getting stressed or anxious about school work
going to college or university

Lincolnshire Young Carers Service can also help if you are finding it difficult to talk to someone in school or college.

Further and higher education

Support available to carers in education can vary across colleges and universities. All educational establishments have student support services which cover all aspects of student life.

Some further and higher education establishments can offer different types of learning which may suit your situation:

Part time study
Evening classes
Distance or E-learning (e.g. Open University)

Student support services and university student’s unions are a good place to find out what support is available to you about your caring role, and also generally as a student. It may also be helpful to speak to your personal tutor and/or lecturers about your caring role too.

Some educational establishments offer funding or bursaries that are available to carers. Student support services for educational settings will be able to offer advice on bursaries and grants.

Lincolnshire Young Carers is a service designed to help and support children and young people up to the age of 19 years who are helping to care for someone at home. That person may be a parent, brother or sister, grandparent or any other relative.

Young Carers exist because someone needs their help and support. Caring can be positive, strengthening family relationships and building life skills but it may also feel lonely and overwhelming and it may affect a young person’s social, physical and mental wellbeing and their attendance and attainment at school.

Anyone can identify a young carer to our service : families can self refer or a professional such as a teacher, doctor, or social worker can talk to you about this.

There may also be the opportunity for attending a group or an activity, and the chance to meet up with other young carers.

We offer a comprehensive service which will give young carers someone who will assess their needs, provide information, and make sure the right support is provided.

Contact youngcarers@lincolnshire.gov.uk or call 01522 553275

More information about young carers is available on the Lincolnshire Young Carers webpage

A young adult carer is anyone aged between 18 and 25 years old, who cares for a family member or friend with an illness, disability, mental health condition, or an addiction, and is not paid to do so.

A young adult carer regularly undertakes tasks such as:

cooking, housework, and shopping
physical care, such as helping someone in and out of bed
personal care, such as assistance with dressing, toileting, changing surgical dressings, and administering drugs
managing the family budget
collecting prescriptions, arranging and accompanying someone to the GP or hospital appointments
helping with communication
looking after brothers or sisters
emotional support

Emotional support, particularly where the person in need of care has a mental health condition or who misuses substances, can be very challenging. It often means increased and unplanned peaks of caring responsibilities, which can be very difficult to balance with everyday commitments.

Young adult carers are supported by the Lincolnshire Carers Service, which offer information, advice, an assessment of support you may need and a support plan.

The Lincolnshire Recovery College offers free educational courses on mental health and wellbeing, to anyone aged 16+. All courses are online via Microsoft Teams, however from September 2022, they will be gradually reintroducing face to face sessions at locations across the county. Application forms are now open for the new academic term, all students (whether new or returning) will need to submit a new registration form to book onto courses from 6th September onwards.

For more information, how to register and for contact details, see the Lincolnshire Recovery College website or view the new timetable.

The Living with Dementia Toolkit is for people with dementia and their carers. This set of resources is based on research, and the expert experiences of people with dementia and their carers.

The resources are there to:

give you hope for the future
inspire you through examples of real-life experiences
offer ideas to help you live your life as you choose

Visit the Dementia Toolkit website for more information.

Dementia Wristband

People living with dementia in Lincolnshire are now entitled to a free NFC Dementia Safeguarding Band.

If you are a carer or relative of someone who is living with dementia who is mobile within the community and you think a wristband would be of benefit then please email dementiasafeguarding@lincs.police.uk with the name of the person, you are requesting for. Include their date of birth and home address along with the requested name address and contact number and a member of the team will be in touch.

Support and advice

Dementia Wristband

Further Information