Our Services

We have a team of Carer Support Workers who work closely with carers to support them across a wide range of issues. This support could range from giving information and advice about health and social care services, to assistance with assessments and care planning as part of Self Directed Support. We also support carers with housing concerns or adaptations, future planning, finding ways to combine caring and employment, and with exploring how they can manage the person they care for’s health problems etc. We also support many carers with the sometimes difficult emotional impact of changing relationships with the person they care for.

We support people who are caring for people with physical health problems, who are elderly and frail or who have learning disabilities. We also have a dedicated carer support worker who supports people who care for someone with chronic mental health problems.

All adults carers in Scotland have the right to an Adult Carer Support Plan under the Carers (Scotland) Act 2016. You can find out more about the rights of carers set out in the Act in the Scottish Government’s Carers’ Charter.

We can work with you to create an Adult Carer Support Plan identifying what is important to you and what support you need to continue your caring role and to lead a life alongside caring. This involves a conversation that is then recorded in a document. The document is submitted to the Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) who will decide if and how they can provide support to meet your needs.

Supporting someone you care about when they’re experiencing thoughts of suicide can be overwhelming. Family and friends often find themselves uncertain of available supports and resources, and feeling as though there’s nowhere to turn.

Our Connections for Life project aims to promote effective communication around the subject of suicide and to increase carers’ confidence in their ability to cope during this difficult time. We run small group training sessions and provide one-to-one support from a dedicated Carer Support Worker.

If you would like to refer yourself or someone else to the Connections for Life project please call us on 0131 665 0135 or complete our online referral form.

You can also download a Connections for Life Flyer to find out more or to share this information with others.

If you have any questions about the Connections for Life project, or are not sure if it is for you, please call us for an informal chat on 0131 665 0135.

We support carers and the people they care for to understand their financial options and to claim the Benefits they are entitled to. We can assist with completing forms, give advice on how to maximise income and explain what your options are if you think you might have to give up work in order to care for a friend or family member. We can support you with applications to trusts and grant-making bodies for essential items. We do not provide debt counselling but we will make sure you get the help you need if there is a problem for you.

Getting a break from caring is very important for many carers. We provide advice and assistance to find a break that will work for both the carer and the person they care for. This could be just getting a bit of time for yourself in the day through to help with booking appropriate respite breaks for a week or two. We can help ensure that the Council provides funding for a break and sometimes also identify other sources of funds to make breaks affordable.  Click here for details of our Breaks from Caring Fund. We also run occasional days out for carers.

Please note our peer support groups are not meeting in person during the coronavirus pandemic. Please contact us on 0131 665 0135 to find out about our online groups on WhatsApp and Zoom instead.

We run a number of monthly support groups across the county. These are a great opportunity to meet other people in the same situation and to share experiences. Groups are informal and welcoming – as one carer told us “the friendship, the atmosphere & the interaction between us all is great. The realisation other people have the same difficulties is important. It helps to share problems.”

Please contact our office for further details of our different groups:

• Dunbar
• North Berwick
• Musselburgh
• East Lothian wide and online (new for 2021)
• Carers of people with chronic mental health issues
• Parent carers

Please note our workshops and events are being delivered online via Zoom (free video calling software) during the coronavirus pandemic. 

We run a number of workshops and training events to help carers feel more confident about aspects of caring and to get the information they need to feel confident in their role. These can range from understanding challenging behaviours in dementia to coping with stress to understanding Power of Attorney or Guardianship. We also run series of workshops for people interested in learning about a range of different issues related to caring. This is particularly helpful for people who think that their caring role may become greater or who are new to the world of benefits and social services and it is a great opportunity to get to know a few other people in similar circumstances.

Counselling is a confidential space to talk with someone who is trained to listen and respond with empathy and understanding. Our counsellor can help you to explore and express the thoughts and feelings that you have around your caring role, with the hope that this will provide some relief and ideas around coping with your situation.

Please contact our office for information about how to be referred to our counsellor.

Our Carer Support Workers can help advocate on your behalf, support you to explore your options and rights in certain circumstances, to attend meetings and to have your thoughts and concerns heard. However, we are not a specialist independent advocacy service. For more information on independent advocacy see http://www.siaa.org.uk/

Power of Attorney or Guardianship are the legal ways that carers can make decisions about the finances or wellbeing of the person they care for. We run regular advice clinics with professional partners on the following topics: Power of Attorney, Adults with Incapacity (including Guardianship), Wills and Advanced Directives. Please contact our office on 0131 665 0135 or email centre@coel.org.uk for more information about our advice clinics or to book an appointment.

http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/scotland/relationships_s/relationships_help_for_adults_in_the_community_s/managing_affairs_for_someone_else-2.htm

We often help people to make complaints or express concerns about other social work, the NHS or other services.

However, there may also be times when we get things wrong or not provide the support you wanted or needed. If you have any concerns or complaints about the services Carers of East Lothian please contact us on 0131 665 0135 or centre@coel.org.uk. Please see our Complaints Information Sheet for further details.