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This newsletter contains the latest news and messages from Coventry City Council and information about local community groups and partners who are offering local support.
In this issue:
Welcome to April's edition. We start with congratulating all our Young Carers in the city who do amazing work supporting their loved ones. Young Carers Action Day on 13 March saw people making pledges about how to make "fairer futures" for young carers as well as young carers taking part in numerous activities. Please see below.
You will notice we have included important information about the arrangements for Adult Social Care over the Easter break as will as details about the local election and how you can register to vote.
11 April is World Parkinson's Day and we have included information about how you can get support from Parkinson's UK.
You will find the usual information about up and coming activities, but please note there is no yoga being offered by Carers Trust, this coming month.
We would like to wish you a happy Eid al – Fitr and hope you have a wonderful time celebrating with you family and friends this coming month after many of you will have been observing Ramadan.
Happy Easter! We hope you have a lovely day, eating chocolate and being with loved ones. But don’t forget that the clocks go forward on Sunday 31 March so one hour less to sleep, but longer and hopefully sunny days ahead!
Take care and thank you for reading.
Please see key contact information and numbers over the Easter bank holiday period for Coventry Adult Social Care:
- It will be business as usual until 5pm Thursday 28 March 2024
- From 5pm on Thursday 28 March 2024 until 8.30am on Tuesday 2 April 2024 support will be provided by the Council's Emergency Duty Team (EDT)
- The Mental Health Crisis Team will be open throughout
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Service
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Contact number
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Community Social Work
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(024) 7683 3003
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Hospital Social Work
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(024) 7696 5600
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EDT
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(024) 7683 2222
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Mental Health: IPU
Mental Health Wellbeing Team
Mental Health Recovery Team
Dementia Team
Crisis Team
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(024) 76 472662
(024) 76 961242
(024) 76 707968
Public line: 0300 200 0011
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Local and regional elections will be taking place on Thursday 2 May. These elections represent your chance to have your say on the future of Coventry and the West Midlands. So, you’ll need to make sure you’re registered to vote by the 16 April!
Registering is really easy and only takes five minutes. Visit the Government’s website to register now.
You can also apply for a postal vote or a proxy vote if you’d prefer. This year voters need to prove their identity when applying to vote by post and by proxy. Visit our website for more information.
Need help with anything? Contact our Elections Team and they’ll be happy to help.
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As of 6 April 2024, informal carers and those with a caring responsibility now have a statutory right to 5 days of unpaid leave as a result of a new law that was passed in Parliament in May 2023.
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The leave will be able to be taken in half or full days, up to and including taking a block of a whole week of leave at once and will be regardless of how long they have worked with their employer.
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Importantly, employees taking Carer’s Leave will have the same employment protections as associated with other forms of family related leave. This includes protection from dismissal or detriment as a result of having taken the leave.
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Carers leave will support carers' health and wellbeing.
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All employers should be supporting working carers to balance work and caring. For more information on this new law visit the Parliament website.
Young Carers Action Day
March was an incredibly important month for our young carers as they enjoyed a variety of activities to mark Young Carers Action Day.
This year’s theme was fairer futures for young carers and with that in mind our young carers took some time out to consider their hopes and aspirations for the future. On the back of these conversations our young carers began writing down their goals and aspirations for the future, which they have shared with us to keep a hold of before revisiting in 5 years’ time. We are all incredibly excited to be a part of this time capsule activity and can't wait to read through capsules in the future!
We also teamed up with Coventry University as a part of our Young Carers Action Day activities and worked with them to provide our young carers with a series of exciting and informative masterclasses. These sessions helped familiarise young carers with further education and opened their eyes to just some of the many opportunities open to them.
A word from our CEO on Young Carers Action Day
“Young Carers Action Day is a hugely significant day for us as we amplify the voices of young people who are helping care for loved ones in addition to everything else that comes with being a young person in terms of schoolwork, revising for exams etc. This year’s theme is fairer futures for young carers which will see us focus on why caring should not be a barrier to learning, earning or being able to get on in life", said Carers Trust Heart of England CEO, Claire Dale.
“In consultation with Carers Trust nationally young carers have said that access to improved support in schools, access to breaks from their caring role, easy access to counselling and financial support would help to make them feel less overwhelmed, healthier, happier and ultimately contribute towards a fairer future. Whilst we aim to support young carers with these issues every day, on Young Carers Action Day, we will be shouting that little bit louder on behalf of young people with care responsibilities."
Coventry Riders Easter Fun Day
March has further significance as we will be celebrating Easter Sunday later this week. As a part of our Easter celebrations we join Coventry Riders Action Group at their Easter Fun Day, where they were kind enough to fundraise for our young carers! Many of our team and young carers went along to cheer them on and the young carers had a great time, only made better by the donation of several delicious Easter eggs!
A huge thank you to Coventry University and Coventry Riders Action Group for their unbelievable support this month!
Carers Social Group meets the last Thursday of each month from 12:30pm - 2pm
Do you look after someone who couldn't manage without your help?
Want to have fun and chat to likeminded people?
Take some time out of your busy day and join us in the Carers Social Group.
The next group will be meeting at 12:30pm – 2pm on Thursday 4 April in the Herbert Museum café. (please note this group was moved due to Easter).
The following group will take place on Thursday 25 April. Further details to follow, but please take a note of the date.
They look forward to seeing you.
For more information please email or call 024 7663 2972, option 1.
Carers Trust Heart of England are inviting you to attend their walking group being held on Wednesday 17 April from 11am - 12noon meeting at Coombe Abbey Country Park, Brinklow Road, Coventry CV3 2AB
Meeting point: front of the visitor Centre
Stay active, enjoy a gentle stroll and meet new friends at our friendly walking group!
For more information please email or call 024 7663 2972, option 1.
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Meeting
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Date
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Time
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Mental Health Care and Share
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Tuesday 2 April
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10:30am – 12:30pm
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Carers Tea @ 3
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Wednesday 3 April
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3pm – 4pm
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Social Group
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Thursday 4 April
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12:30pm – 2pm
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Working Carers Group
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Thursday 4 April
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5:30pm – 6:30pm
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Carers Tea @ 3
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Wednesday 10 April
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3pm – 4pm
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Carers Tea @ 3
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Wednesday 17 April
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3pm – 4pm
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Walking Group
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Wednesday 17 April
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11am – 12noon
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Bereavement Support Group
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Thursday 18 April
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11am – 12noon
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Carers Tea @ 3
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Wednesday 24 April
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3pm – 4pm
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Social Group
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Thursday 25 April
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12:30pm – 2pm
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Milan Group
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Friday 26 April
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11am – 12:45pm
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For more information please email the team or call on 024 7663 2972 option 1
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Where
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Date
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Time
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Canley Social Supermarket
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Canley Community Centre CV4 8FT
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Friday 5 April
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11:30am – 1pm
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Henley Green Grub Hub
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Henley Green Community Centre CV2 1HQ
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Wednesday 10 April
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10am – 12 noon
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Willenhall Primary Care Centre 1
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Remembrance Road CV3 3DG
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Friday 12 April
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11am – 12noon
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Broad Street Hall
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Broad Street Meeting Hall, 126 Broad Street CV6 5BG
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Monday 22 April
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9:30am – 1pm
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Henley Green Grub Hub
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Henley Green Community Centre CV2 1HQ
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Wednesday 24 April
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10am – 12 noon
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Memory Lane Café
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Lawrence Saunders Church CV6 1HH
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Friday 26 April
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11am – 12noon
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For more information please email the team or call on 024 7663 2972 option 1
 Parkinson’s Local Advisers can support anyone affected by the condition with tailored information on all aspects of living with Parkinson's such as local services and support, guidance on the benefits system and other financial help, and details on your rights and entitlements.
Within the Adviser Service, Local Advisers continue to offer assistance to clients in an integrated way to meet clients’ needs, no matter where they are located.
Our helpline advisers are able to respond quickly to those who need information and support. Should the person require more local or in-depth support, they will be referred to the Midlands Adviser team. This will then be picked up by the adviser within the team within 5 working days.
If you feel you would benefit from our support you can access this by self referral to the Information and Support Service via the following methods:
A.S.S.I.S.T memory support
Come and chat to our advisers.
- To help build confidence by providing information on support available to you now.
- To encourage ways to talk to your family and friends about your feelings and your wishes.
- Looking after your wellbeing.
- The group offers a reassuring, confidential and safe place to talk to others about how memory issues affect your life.
The group offers a reassuring, confidential and safe place to talk to others about how memory issues affect your life and how we can support you whilst waiting for an assessment or having memory concerns.
Please contact your local office for more information and to book a place by calling 024 7665 2602 or sending the team an email.
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The Recovery and Wellbeing Academy are partnering with Amba Care Solutions to bring you a new course: Let’s Talk About Dementia, starting on Tuesday 2 April. It is a 4-week course delivered online with each weekly session lasting 2 hours. It’s suitable for people living with dementia, their informal carers and professionals working with people living with dementia.
- Week 1 – ‘The 5 most important things you need to know about dementia’.
- Week 2 – Caring for someone living with dementia and carer wellbeing.
- Week 3 – Understanding behaviours that challenge.
- Week 4 – Practical advise and support, including planning for the future.
Learning outcomes:
- Understand that dementia is not an inevitable part of getting older.
- Understand what the different types of dementia are.
- Understand the risk factors related to dementia.
- Understand the importance of taking care of everyone involved in the diagnosis including the person living with dementia and their family and friends.
- Know how to care for someone with dementia, maintain their physical and cognitive health and help them with everyday tasks and issues.
- Understand the underlying causes of behaviours that challenge.
- Learn how adopting a person-centred, empathetic approach can help with managing behaviours that challenge to enhance the quality of care for someone living with dementia.
- Be aware of the practical steps that need to be taken to ensure that people living with dementia are aware of the support and benefits they are entitled to.
The course is aimed anyone who wants to learn a little more about dementia and how it can impact on everyday life.
To book visit Enrolment - Recovery and Wellbeing
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The Recovery and Wellbeing Academy offer over 80 free courses to the adult residence of Coventry and Warwickshire. Here are some specific courses that could be of benefit to you in a caring role. To browse all of the courses coming up and book on visit Enrolment - Recovery and Wellbeing.
- Let's talk about Dementia - 2 April
- Understanding Dementia - 8 April
- Stress awareness - 9 May
- Self-compassion - 29 May
- Burnout and fatigue - 13 May
- Bereavement - 6 June
- Coping with Caring - 27 June
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 This is a ‘face to face’ session for Parents/Carers of Children or Young People with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities (SEND).
Get in touch with us if you wold like to join our next SENDIASS Coffee Morning.
Meet other parents/carers who may be in a similar situation. Share with others in a friendly, non-judgemental environment, together with a member of staff from SENDIASS.
- Make friends
- A listening ear
- Learn from each other
- Laugh together
Free tea and coffee will be provided
When: Tuesday 16 April 2024, 9:30am – 11.30am
Venue: The Wave, Coffee Tots Community Room, New Union Street, Coventry, CV1 2PS
Please see the leaflet below (and attached) for more information. If you would like to join us, please let us know so we have an idea of numbers. Contact us via email or phone 024 7669 4307.
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Easter holiday 2024 library opening times:
Good Friday 29 March - libraries closed
Saturday 30 March - libraries open
Easter Sunday 31 March - libraries closed
Easter Monday 1 April - libraries closed
Tuesday 2 April - libraries open
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Bring along your smartphone or device and photo ID to one of the free sessions happening in Libraries throughout April and learn how to download and do more with the NHS App! Order repeat prescriptions, book appointments, view your records and more. Please bring your passport or driving licence if possible.
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Date
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Location
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Time
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Friday 5 April
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Central Library
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11am – 1pm
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Monday 8 April
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Bell Green Library
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11am – 1pm
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Friday 12 April
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Foleshill Library
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11am – 1pm
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Monday 15 April
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Central Library
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11am – 1pm
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Friday 19 April
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Cheylesmore Library
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10am – 12noon
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Monday 22 April
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Stoke Library
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11am – 1pm
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Friday 26 April
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Aldermoor Library
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11am – 1pm
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Monday 29 April
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Central Library
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11am – 1pm
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Flexible volunteering opportunity
Healthwatch Coventry has a flexible volunteering opportunity that can work around you and any caring responsibilities you may have. You can volunteer in your own home, in your own time and no experience is necessary. Find out about becoming one of our Clear Information Volunteers. These volunteers look at public or patient information such as websites, videos, leaflets, or letters produced by local health and social care services to see how easy they are to understand and then share your views with Healthwatch Coventry.
Find out more about the role and how to apply.
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Healthwatch Coventry wins National Impact Award
Healthwatch Coventry has won the annual Healthwatch Impact Award in a tight competition showcasing the outstanding work done by local Healthwatch.
Their project on maternity care for asylum seeker and refugee women was undertaken with local voluntary group Carriers of Hope. It uncovered poor experiences of maternity care and barriers to using services.
The national Healthwatch Impact Award showcases outstanding examples of where feedback from local people has been used to make positive changes health and care support.
The work led to improvements in care and access to services and continues to bring changes.
Find out more and watch a video about the work.
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Would you like to know more about adult carers and young carers?
If so we have two courses that are available to help increase your knowledge. Both courses are free and you can access them in your own time. Please take a look and we hope you find them helpful:
It’s simple! Just add your email address in the top right hand corner and click GO!
You can also sign up or view previous bulletins from our Carers' website.
If you have any comments or wish to contribute something to the next bulletin, please let us know by contacting us at carers@coventry.gov.uk.
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