'Carers' Voice' Involvement Workshops - We want your views

If you regularly help or care for a friend or family member, you may be an unpaid carer – join one of our collaborative workshops to share your views and help us to design the service to support unpaid carers in Kent.

Have you ever looked after an adult family member or friend to ensure they can live a good life? Are you interested in helping to shape local care and support for carers in Kent now and in the future? If so, we want to hear from you!

Why are we holding these workshops?

There are many different types of carer, from all walks of life, ages, ethnicities and backgrounds – anyone can find themselves in a caring role at some point in their lives.

Listening to people who have experience of being an unpaid carer in Kent is essential to understanding the quality of what we do and how we work with people across our county. We want to learn from good practice and areas where we can improve, focusing on what matter most to the people we support and carers.

We will be developing the service to provide support to unpaid carers, and we would like your help to design this.

How this links to the Kent Adult Carers’ Strategy 2022-2027

We want to build on what people have already told us was important when we developed the ‘Kent Adult Carers’ Strategy 2022 to 2027’.

The strategy was developed in partnership with carers, people that draw on support, carer organisations, staff, and county councillors. Carers highlighted what is important to them through three core principles: Supporting you to be you, Providing the best support possible and Positive outcomes. Carers also summarised the seven key moments when they are likely to need extra support.

Who is this for?

These workshops are for you if you regularly help or care for a friend or family member, so have experience of being an unpaid carer. You also need to live or be based in Kent. We want to hear about your experience and views so that we can shape the service for all carers across Kent.

How will my views be taken forward?

These are co-production workshops, and your views and ideas will contribute to the development of the service to provide support to unpaid carers across Kent.

Sign up now to join one of our workshops*

*Please note that dates may be subject to change, depending on demand.

How to book your place?

Contact: makingadifference@kent.gov.uk by Wednesday 6 November 2024 to book your space.

Please do let us know if you have any requirements that we need to be aware of to enable you to take part in the workshop, or if you have any questions.

We are able to reimburse reasonable travel costs for the in-person workshop at Maidstone.

Continuing the conversation

We know that not everyone will be able to join us at one of the workshops. If you a member of a carers support group, or you run a local voluntary group or charity, please do let us know if you would like us to attend one of your own virtual or face-to-face meetings.

Is this a public consultation?

No, not yet. We want to get people involved as early as possible. This work is at its development stage, so that unpaid carers have the opportunity to test and shape our thinking.