parents and carers: Journey Enterprises - A North East Charity supporting people with learning disability.

We hope you find the information on the website helpful.

You are experts by experience. Working with you, with professionals involved in caring for your family members and talking with your family member about their aspirations, helps us offer the right service.

Becoming part of the Journey family opens up a new and supportive network of families who share much in common. Each Hub has events during the year to which parents/carers are invited. Many parents find friendship through Journey.

We are in touch with parents/Carers regularly to find out your views.

We also welcome parents/Carers as volunteers and Trustees.

More Information

As a regional charity, we work in close partnership with our colleagues in the voluntary sector including all of our local carers’ centres. Most of these are network partners within the carers' trust.

Find your local network partner

We encourage all parents/carers to register with their local carers’ centres and to have a carer’s assessment from their local authority. The assessment is simply a support plan which identifies services to support your own needs. the assessment is a great opportunity to talk about how caring affects you, whether you are working or not working, and to say what would help you.

https://www.carersuk.org/help-and-advice/practical-support/carers-assessment/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uZfwOeuUvw

We also recommend carers inform their surgery if they are supporting someone as an unpaid carer. Your surgery should have a carers’ register. This links to a unique code on your health record on the NHS systems. This means that you should be offered prevention services such as health checks and flu jabs. You may also be offered support services such as mental health services. It is very important that health & emergency services know that you have additional responsibilities should you become unwell or be involved in an accident.

Carers UK Help & Advice

A wide range of benevolent funds and charities offer grants for unpaid carers. Carers spend these on something they enjoy, giving them time off caring, studying/learning or essential items. You may like to apply, once registered, to your local carers’ centre which may administer respite grant schemes both on behalf of the local authority and from the carers' trust nationally. Grants typically range from £100 – £300. For more information go to these links: