Annual Review 2015-2016
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Chief Executive’s Foreword
It seems to becoming a repetitive phrase but this year was our busiest year to date. We have increased both the number of carers we are reaching and the scope of our work. There was a total of 647 new carers referred to KCN and a further 600 carers received face-to-face advice and support within Kingston Hospital. This year, our annual income grew to its highest level. To demonstrate how the organisation has developed over the past six years, our income has risen from £131k in 2009/10 to £578 in 2015/16 During the year, Kingston Clinical Commissioning Group and the Royal Borough of Kingston tendered adult carers’ services through their Active and Supportive Communities Programme. Our partnership bid with Alzheimer’s Society was successful and will enable KCN to plan for the long-term, having secured a contract for three to five years. In May 2015 we were also contracted by the Royal Borough of Kingston to provide ’trusted’ carers’ assessments to adult carers, helping the local authority meet their duties within the Care Act. With the lease at the Noble Centre soon coming to an end, we have been looking for new premises and hope to be relocating in the coming few months. We saw a few staff changes last year, saying goodbye to Andora, Emma, Eleanor and Beth. We welcomed Lily and Clare to the adult carers team and more recently, Nicola and Alice to the young carers team. Chris Stables joined the young carers projects on a six month contract, finishing in June 2016. We wish all of our leavers lots of happiness in their future careers. Finally, I would like to thank all of the staff, trustees and volunteers for their dedication and hard work over the last 12 months. There are exciting opportunities ahead and we hope that we will expand our services in the coming year with more funding and more space. Chair’s Comments This is the first time for many years we have published an Annual Review; it is complimentary to The Annual Report and Accounts issued separately. am happy to report that KCN continues to thrive. We are reaching more carers (both young and old) than ever before and have succeeded in obtaining donations and grants which will help us expand even more. The KCN turnover has gone from ca£150k to over £500k; staff numbers have increased by a similar proportion We expect in the coming year to move into new premises situated in Kingston Road tailored to meet our needs with facilities not only for our staff but also for small and larger meetings. We will be renting these premises from the Council in conjunction with Kingston Mencap. KCN staff led by CEO Kate Dudley continue to perform to the highest standards; l know how much their work is appreciated by carers. We also have a large number of volunteers and their work also is a great asset.
4 The Carers Support Service has a wellestablished team. Ruxandra Ratiu provides support sessions in local GP surgeries and, twice weekly, in Kingston Hospital where she works across all elderly patients’ wards and in a ward specialising in patients who have had strokes. The hospital service is being expanded so that there will soon be an evening presence. David Still continues to advise and support adult carers with a wide range of legal problems and Veronica Attah focuses on carers of people with mental health/substance misuse or dependence issues. The team is also working in closer partnership with the Alzheimer’s Society providing more specific support to carers of people with dementia. Lily Bath joined us in May 2015 and Claire Keogh in September 2015, both bringing a wealth of experience, having previously specialised in advice on welfare benefits, education and housing, which are matters that carers often need support with.
Adult Carers Advice and Advocacy
The number of carers helped has continued to rise with referrals from the local council, community groups and the health authority. The service is provided through face to face appointments, email and telephone contact. Home visits are frequently carried out, because carers are often unable to leave the person they care for, and there are evening appointments for working carers. There were 517 new referrals last year and there are presently 2274 adult carers receiving support. We support carers with matters such as obtaining community care services, hospital discharge, Lasting Powers of Attorney and Deputyship, NHS continuing care funding, care homes and financial contributions, employment problems, adaptations and housing. We also carry out benefit checks, complete claim forms and provide advocacy at tribunal appeal hearings. The annual gain for carers from welfare benefits claims and other financial gains was over ÂŁ1.5M. We have also been carrying out carers assessments on behalf of the local authority, identifying needs and commissioning services, and carried out around 200 last year. There have recently been many legal changes affecting carers and those who are cared for, especially with welfare benefits and community care. We ensure that we keep up to date with changes and regularly provide talks to carers on recent and forthcoming changes. We are always looking at new ways of identifying carers and ensuring that our services are responsive and evolve according to carers needs.
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Wellbeing Service This year, 81 new carers accessed one or more of our Wellbeing activities. In total of 41 social activities organised for our carers, of which there were 350 attendees. The activities organised are a diverse mixture to attract the differing interests of our carers: Our monthly outings, which attract larger numbers, visiting places like the Rural Life Centre, a Glass Blowing Studio, the Royal Albert Hall, Pamper evenings and Denbies Wine Estate. Our monthly Craft Clubs in partnership with Yarn & Thistle, a creative space for carers to meet, chat and learn a new craft skill Our Walk & Talks, smaller groups to give our carers a chance to not only get some fresh air and physical activity but to meet and talk to other carers Taster sessions, in partnership with Kingston Adult Education, providing our carers the opportunity to try something new like a Tai Chi, Pilates or an art-based class. Alongside the social activities this year we launched our first ever series of regular Wellbeing Workshops, funded by the Big Lottery. We held 19 Wellbeing workshops including an 8 week Mindfulness Course in partnership with ICope. These workshops are designed to equip our carers with the skills to not only look after themselves but to help them to feel more confident in their caring role. The workshops have been a mixture of awareness raising and promoting positive emotional wellbeing and physical health, such as; Everyday First Aid from Carers, Introduction to Stress Management, Lifting and Handling and a Healthy Living. We had 104 attendances to our Wellbeing Workshops and of the carers that attended these sessions: 93% found them very useful/useful 77% felt they had increased their knowledge 66% reported an increase in their confidence We have a team of therapists and a hairdresser offering our carers a variety of treatments such as haircuts, massages and reflexology. there were 614 appointments to meet with one of the therapists or hairdresser. We work closely with Kingston Adult Education to provide the following weekly exercises classes: Zumba Gold, Stretch and Strengthen and Meditation for our carers during term times. From April 2015 to March 2016, there were 105 classes with a total of 809 attendees to these classes. In partnership with Don’t Tone Alone, we offered 35 carers, 6 personal training sessions with a Personal trainer. This project was highly successful and almost 35 carers had signed up within 2 months of its promotion. This signalled to us how much the carers we work with are interested in their physical health and how important it is in their caring role. Out of the 35 carers that signed up for the project, 199 personal training sessions were delivered. Feedback from those that participated has been hugely positive and many reported benefits to their mental/emotional wellbeing too.
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Walk
Young Carers Project
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This has been a very busy and exciting year for us at the Young Carers’ Project. We welcomed another 130 new children and young people into our Project and were supporting 460 young carers in total at the end of March 2016. This year we have delivered 173 different events and activities, providing 1,671 breaks to young carers. Our support includes advice and information, regular youth groups, drop ins, whole family activities, 1 to 1s, mentoring, targeted small groups, a group for those supporting parental mental ill health, links with schools and awareness raising. Our young carers have been at the centre of developing and leading the Project as we support them to increase their emotional resilience, raise aspiration and to understand and acknowledge their caring roles. Diane, Liz, Kat and Chrissy were very sad to say goodbye to Andora in August as she left to travel the world and look forward to hearing her adventures when she returns. We were also sorry that the funding for our Young Adult Carers’ Project ended in March, 2016. Emma Bell had delivered very valuable and worthwhile support to 88 young people, aged between 16 and 25, and will be missed. Carol has continued her bespoke family support work, where she takes a holistic approach to supporting the young carer, taking the needs of the whole family into account. Our team is completed by our incredible army of volunteers, who gave 616 hours of their time and energy this year. Thank you all very much. We look forward to the new year with anticipation, as we continue to work alongside our very special young carers, offering support to allow them to thrive and improve their life outcomes. Case Study One young carer and his family were referred to Carol, KCN’s family support coordinator for holistic support to address a range of issues. The young carer was providing help with physical caring and other household tasks. He was also ensuring that mum who has depression, was kept safe. He reported feeling lonely and sad. He received one-to-one support from KCN to help him deal with emotional issues and he attended many of the young activities, reducing his isolation. Interventions also included pairs work with another young carer in a similar situation and has attended workshops on the Five Ways to Wellbeing. Carol also provided advocacy at professional meetings., ensuring that his views and wishes are heard. Carol has managed to reduce the family’s financial hardship by supporting mum to claim disability benefit. Mum was also referred to another organisation for her own support. Feedback from the early help team stated “both mum and school report a huge improvement to his emotional wellbeing, he is more relaxed, seems to have an understanding of his mother’s mental health and is engaging with his peer group more. He seems generally happier within himself.”
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Young Adult Carers Over the past year, Emma Bell provided a range of services to carers aged 16 to 25 to ensure that these young adult carers could reach their potential. This support included emotional and crisis support, advice and information and help to achieve vocational and educational goals through one-to-one mentoring. As well as one-to-one support, social activities and a regular book group helped young adult carers to widen their support network. The project was also supported by Kingston Adult Education who ran stress and relaxation workshops. Other partnerships included Outdoors in the City who provided a programme of activities to develop problem solving skills and to overcome personal challenges. The Sound Lounge delivered a drumming workshop to encourage creativity and teamwork. Drama therapy has also helped the carers to explore their self-identity beyond their caring role. Exercise and healthy workshops were provided by Don’t Tone Alone which encouraged carers to focus on their own physical health and the importance of keeping fit. Sadly, funding for the project ended at the end of the year but we are grateful to Emma for her hard work over the two years and for raising awareness of the needs of young adult carers across the borough. Thanks also to the Cooperative and Carers Trust for supporting this project. Comments from young adult carers: “… thank you for all you have done to help me and my sister this year. I honestly do not know where I would be now if not for you and all your help and for listening to me…” “ Extremely helpful and beneficial” “It is a great project and I love all the events that we do and Emma is lovely”
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Highlights of the year
KCN Support Groups
This year, we secured £1,534,343 worth of new financial gains for carers and their families. Over the past three years, we have secured a total of £3.5m new financial gains.
Volunteers contributed a total of 2,514 hours of their time. The total value of the time given is £23,631.
This year, we have attracted a total of £287,261 of funding into the borough—that’s almost 50% of our total funding. For each £1 of Public funding we secured 99p matched funding
We provided a whopping 1,671 respite breaks to our young carers by running 173 different social activities!
53% of carers responding to our Annual Survey say they are less isolated since using KCN services
The Young Carers’ Mentoring Project entered its second year in 2015. Over that year, our team of 20 mentors provided 320 hours of one-toone support to young carers.
We were successful in our bid for Kingston’s Outcomes 4 of their Active and Supportive Communities contract—People caring for others are recognised and valued. Carers have the support they need, tailored to their specific circumstances, to enable them to maintain a balance between their caring responsibilities and a life outside of caring.
Our volunteer counsellors donated 500 hours to provide carers with much needed emotional support. This represents a saving of ÂŁ25,000 for carers.
647 carers were referred to KCN for support, including 130 young carers aged 5 to 18.
Our Adult Carers team provided 3,156 faceto-face advice sessions and 8,908 email advice contacts and 11,970 telephone contacts.
83% of carers who access our advice service report feeling more confident about the future
10 Case Studies
Suzanne cares for her two children and her elderly mother. She has been a carer for many years but sometimes feels that things can be quite difficult. Suzanne came to us to arrange Lasting Powers of Attorney for her Mum so that this could give them both peace of mind that financial and health matters would be taken care of, should her mother’s health deteriorate. We then also completed a benefits check for Suzanne as her Child Tax Credits were set to reduce as her son got older. We made a claim for Employment and Support Allowance for her son and met with his college to help review his Education Health and Care Plan so that he has the best chance of accessing work in the future. Suzanne’s mum then received a letter asking her to repay her Pension Credit, as an error had been made in processing her claim. We challenged the Pension Service on this and eventually had the entire debt written off. We then made a claim for Attendance Allowance for her mum to maximise her income too, resulting in an award for the higher rate. Suzanne regularly attends our wellbeing events and meets with other carers who can also offer support.
Audrey is 87 years old. She cares for her husband who is elderly and frail with poor health. Audrey is a very independent and sociable lady but due to her caring responsibilities and her poor mobility she isn’t able to get out and about like she used to. She also finds it very difficult to manage daily household chores and preparing meals. We visited Audrey in her home and carried out a Carers Assessment. This involved talking to her in depth about her role as a Carer and discussing ways that she could be helped to make life easier for her. Following the carers Assessment we identified that Audrey could claim Attendance Allowance. We assisted her with completing the form. Her claim was successful and she was awarded the high rate. She now has extra weekly income which she can use to help her with domestic duties. We also encouraged her to access local activities and support services. She now attends an independent day centre on a weekly basis which she enjoys very much. She has more income and feels a lot less isolated. She is very grateful for the help and support we have given her.
I’ve been coming along to the Wellbeing Activities for almost a year now and I can really feel the benefits to my health and wellbeing. Attending these activities gets me out of the house and stops me from worrying endlessly. I am around people who share the same experiences of caring as me and I have made some new friends. The activities help me to try new things I might not have done before. I have always been creative but I was encouraged by another carer to try the fitness classes KCN run. The first class was an eye opener – I have not been to the gym in years and I had let my fitness go. I was so surprised by how much I enjoyed the session; I have always been more of a creative person. I feel so much more energized after the session and when you see another carer, you really support and encourage each other to do these activities.
A letter from a carer (names have been changed) I would like to express my appreciation of the help and care that I have received from Ruxandra and her colleagues at KCN. In March, my sister was taken ill suddenly and immediately admitted to Kingston Hospital, where she stayed for 3 weeks. Ruxandra sought me out and came to see me in the ward and made me aware of what I could receive from KCN. I am in receipt of 36 hours of relief care and this has been wonderful as it has enabled me to have time for myself. I was able to use the facilities at KCN. This not only gives me an occasional break but also allows me to enjoy the fantastic therapies like reflexology. ...Ruxandra made sure I was fully informed of the care I could receive at home after she was discharged from hospital. Ruxandra assessed my needs and arranged for homecare to be provided by alerting the council that I was in need of help. I am so grateful for all the assistance that she has given and the time and trouble she has gone to by following up visits to make sure everything was working for us. Once again, many thanks for the excellent service given by Ruxandra and KCN.
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Volunteers Over the last 12 months our volunteer team has almost doubled. From 2015-2016, 72 volunteers gave a combined total of 2,514 hours towards the work of KCN. This is equivalent to 359 working days. The contribution made by volunteers adds value to our core work and supports KCN in achieving our aims and objectives. As well as benefitting the organisation as a whole, the Volunteering Project has enabled carers to access services that would otherwise have been unavailable. If our volunteers were paid the London Living Wage (£9.40ph) their hours alone would equate to £23,631.60. The Counselling Service Our volunteer counsellors have provided 500 hours of face-to-face counselling to carers. With private counselling typically costing ~£50ph, this represents a saving of £25,000 for carers. The Young Carers’ Mentoring Project The Young Carers’ Mentoring Project entered its second year in 2015. From 20152016, 20 mentors gave 320 hours of one-to-one support to young carers. We asked our young carers what they learned from their mentor: “To believe in myself and try different things” “How to treat myself sometimes” To believe in myself”
“To be more confident”
“It’s good to talk about your problems” “ Befriending Service 2016 saw the launch of our new Befriending Service for adult carers. We hope that this Big Lottery-funded project will improve the lives of carers who are feeling isolated.
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“Our amazing team of volunteers gave 2,514 hours of their time to support carers in 2015 - 2016. Thank you all for your time and dedication. Aisha Antwi Anne Stegmann Barbara Loftin Chloe Williams Claire Higgins Davinia Stonehouse Ellen Baldwin Ewelina Rychlinska Gina Selby-Stocker Heidi White Jason Tam Johanna Bennett Kerry Fowler Laurence Suckling Louisa Allanson Maeve O’Sullivan Mark O’Doherty Naomi Beastall Nita Patel Rebecca Cusens Sacha Johnston Siobhan Kim Sudha Batagurki Teresa Ashman
Alan Aram Anne-Lise Johnsen Carine Duneau Christopher Stables Daniel Gillespie Dina Belemlih Ellen Maguire Garry Ko Grace Buchanan Jak Swain Jessica Browne Julia Fernando Khaleel Jarrett Linda Jackson Lucie Foulds Mandy Ellis Meera Sivapiran Nicola Thomson Pat Stanley Roisin Miller Sarah de Valmency Sophie Phillips Sue Bradford Teresa Slade
Alison McCann Aryan Dariush Carlos Silvestre Claire Gunner Danielle Godfrey Elle Grassi Eve Wallman Gemma Webb Harry Bridge Jane Sharpe Joe Packwood Katie Gadd Larissa Kerel Lorna Hayes Maeve Boden Maria Brouwer Nadia Nejand Nigel Hickey Phil Puttock Rosie Grimwood Sheila Leatherdale Sua Kyei Susan Hostler Tina Atwal
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Looking Ahead ... We are now in a strong position to plan for the long-term and despite the challenging economic climate, we are optimistic for the future. As an organisation, we regularly review our strategic plan and agree our priorities. We have listened to carers, funders and other stakeholders and aim to prioritise the following objectives in the year ahead: Relocation to suitable and affordable premises that will provide the opportunity to develop our service to meet the needs of a growing carer population. This includes raising additional income to meet this cost. Secure additional funding for our young carers project to provide more support to young carers, their families and key partners. Raise more money to meet the demand to support carers of people with dementia—including expanding our partnership work and hospital outreach service. Increase capacity to have a greater presence at Kingston hospital to identify and support more carers at this critical stage of their caring role. Develop our wellbeing programme because we know that helping carers to stay fit and healthy can reap huge benefits to carers, the people they care for and our society! Give carers a stronger voice through advocacy and more opportunities to engage with decision makers and carers’ services.
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Finance
We are extremely grateful to all of our funders and donors and everyone who has helped with fundraising efforts. Thanks to Kingston Clinical Commissioning Group, the Royal Borough of Kingston, the Big Lottery, Achieving for Children, Comic Relief, Children in Need, the Cooperative, Carers Trust, British Airways, Awards for All, Kingston Public Health, Malden Golf Club, Barclays, Rotary, Surbiton Farmers Market, New Malden Methodist Church, FJ Wallis Charitable Trust, League of Helping Hands, Welfare Trust, Inner Wheel, Leatherhead Golf Club, Hedley Foundation, Surbiton Hill Methodist Church, Tolworth Junior School, Kingston Riverside Rotary, Russell Investments, The Challenge Network, New Malden Rotary, SHP Recycling, St John the Baptist Church, Rotary of Kingston, Rotree, Kingston Boys Club, Kingston Nursing Association, PCC of St Peters Petersham, Kingston Academy, Neighbourly Red Cup Cheer, Jack Petchey Fund. A big thanks to many others for their personal donations. Over half of our income is from non-statutory funding and supports projects for carers of all ages. Each year, we look to develop new projects through charitable trusts and public funding as the need to support more carers grows. 2016
2015
Unrestricted Funds
61, 657
61,809
Restricted Funds
516,902
452,583
Total Incoming Resources
578,560
514,392
Charitable Activities
550,951
480,234
Governance Costs
1,232
1,639
Total Resources Expended
552,183
481,872
Incoming Resources
Resources Expended
Source of income 2015-16
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