Latest on Camden Carers Voice
Camden Carers Voice actively campaigns and lobbies for carers’ rights. It is open to all current or former carers living in the borough of Camden, or caring for someone who does.
CCV meets quarterly. In February the group looked at Effective Campaigning and in May representatives of Better Care Choices – Camden’s version of Personalisation – came to talk to the meeting.
The next meeting will be held on Tuesday 14th September, 10 am - 1 pm, at Kingsgate Resource Centre, Palmerston Road, NW6. The theme will be work, training and finances. Representatives of Job Centre Plus have been invited to speak to the meeting and a light brunch will be served. Click here for a booking form or please ring Camden Carers Centre on 020 7428 8950 for more information.
Carers want action!
As carers need to see action some of us chose to get involved in meetings outside of the four big 'specific issue' meetings. At the moment we are campaigning for dementia carers to have specialised support from Admiral Nurses. We have had one meeting with Robert Holman, Camden’s Commissioner for Mental Heath Services for Older People, to start looking at this. All information about any of these meetings then gets fed back to the large group as part of a regular update.
Please ring Camden Carers Centre if you want to attend or get involved and help shape the way CCV will work.
Background to Camden Carers Voice
The name Camden Carers Voice was decided by a vote at the launch party in December 2009. An initiative of Camden’s Joint Commissioner for Carers and Camden Carers Centre, CCV grew out of a series of planning meetings beginning in June 2009. At these meetings carers decided the key ingredients which would be essential to establish a successful and influential forum.
What we are about
Our meetings will be:
- Practical
- Effective
- Targeted
- Enjoyable
- Sociable
- Inclusive
— and open to all carers/former carers
in the borough.
CCV is carer-led, drawing on everyone’s skills, talents and abilities. Ongoing support is provided by Camden Carers Centre with Jill Pay, Carers Training Co-ordinator, having a lead role, along with Barbara Wilson, who is an Independent Facilitator. You can contact Jill on 020 7428 8954 or email. We want to hear what issues are important for you.
Our aim is to
- obtain the necessary and best care for those we love;
- have recognition for a carer's needs to be able to continue to care;
- have understanding of our legal position to choose and be willing to care;
- ensure everyone knows that carers are entitled to a life of their own;
- meet with, and join, other carers to campaign for these rights.
In the words of one Camden carer, who has been involved at all stages, ".... CCV is for - and open to - every unpaid carer in Camden. We are all different but we share in common our vital role of being carers. We can all get involved and advise on what is going on, because we are what is going on. Together we aim to develop an official group with a powerful voice, one which is influential as well as advisory."
A Day in my Life
Sarah-Lou kick-started us with her Day in my Life article which appeared in CCC's Spring Newsletter, followed by Kate's in the Summer issue and Josie's in the Autumn one. * We want to build up a collection of these (approx 250-300 words) so please do send them in, plus any accompanying photographs. We now have six, and have made them into storyboards — their public debut was in the gallery of Swiss Cottage library during Carers Week, 14th to 21st June.
* You can read the first two both by going to the Newsletter page on this website and clicking on the issues.