Have you spent time as an unpaid carer? If you are over the age of 25 and living in Newham, the Working for Carers scheme can help you take the first steps back to employment.
It may be that you care for a family member full or part time and have been unable to work previously, but are now ready to get back to work. That can seem challenging, but help is available.
Working for Carers supports unpaid carers aged 25 or over to move closer to employment.
Supported by its network of 24 partners across London, Working for Carers is funded by the European Social Fund and the National Lottery, through the Big Lottery Fund.
Redbridge Carers Support Service (RCSS) wants to hear from unpaid carers living in the eight London boroughs it covers, who would like to receive free advice and guidance in their local area on how to take the first steps towards getting back into work.
The eight boroughs covered by RCSS are Barking and Dagenham, Greenwich, Hackney, Havering, Newham, Redbridge, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest.
The support you receive after registration will be tailored to meet your individual needs. RCSS works with you to put together a programme of activities that can range from attending group workshops on confidence building or how to write a CV, through to individual help with job searching and preparing for interview.
Because of its extensive work with family carers across this region, RCSS knows that each carer has different needs, and they make sure that you get the package of help that you need to help you towards the outcome that suits you.
In the first instance that might be getting you onto a training course or introducing you to volunteering within the community – all steps moving you closer to the work environment.
The Working for Carers project has already been running across London for over a year and has been successful both in placing carers in training, volunteering and employment, and in building relationships with employers and other support agencies, some of which supply external assistance with interview preparation and even outfits for interviews.
As the scheme enters its third year they want to build on this success and make the service known to even more carers across the eight boroughs.
So if you are a carer who meets the criteria, find out more by calling 020 8514 6251, emailing Redbridge Carers Support Service, or visiting Redbridge Support Service’s website.
If you are a carer living outside these areas then help and support to get back to work is still available. For more information contact the relevant organisations that cover your area. For north west London contact Harrow Carers on 020 8868 5224; for south east London call Lewisham Carers on 020 8699 8686, and for central and south London call Camden Carers on 020 7428 8950.
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