Accessibility & Languages
A carer may be a family member, partner or friend who supports or cares for a person. Carers may or may not live with the person they support, and they may or may not carry out physical tasks.
Individual advocacy
We provide individual advocacy services for carers of:
- People aged 16+ in mental health settings in Lothian who are in a period of transition. For example, people they support may be moving from hospital rehabilitation wards to community living, from children’s (CAMHS) to adult mental health services, returning to Lothian from ‘out of area’ placements or for those moving from Lothian to ‘out of area’ placements.
- Children and young people aged 14-25 with a learning disability and complex needs who are in a period of transition.
You may need:
- Help with finding ongoing support for yourself as a carer
- Assistance and support at meetings, mental health tribunals or reviews with medical staff and social care staff
- Help with letters and forms or with raising your issues
- Information about your rights
- Advocacy support in your role as named person, appointee, power of attorney or welfare guardian
- Support to focus on your own health and wellbeing
Collective advocacy
We provide opportunities for unpaid carers of individuals with mental illness, learning disabilities, autism, dementia, or acquired brain injury to be involved in collective advocacy. Carers can work together to bring about change and raise awareness of issues which affect them. They can share their experiences, exchange information, and take action as a group.
Carers Forum
Our Carers Forum is a welcoming space where carers can meet, discuss, and collectively address a wide range of issues affecting their caring role. The forum regularly features guest speakers and provides opportunities to take part in consultations, helping carers stay informed and have their voices heard.
ACCESS Edinburgh
ACCESS Edinburgh is our newest collective advocacy group for carers who use, or are trying to access, social care services in Edinburgh. The group provides a supportive space to share experiences, discuss challenges within social care, and work together to influence improvements that better meet the needs of carers and the people they support.
For more information, please email edinburghcarers@pia.scot
Peer Advocacy and Support
As a carer, you may be interested in meeting someone who has been through a similar caring experience – a peer.
Peer support can help you to talk about your experiences, work through feelings, learn coping strategies, and learn about what other services are available to support you. Carers can engage in peer support through one-to-one or group meetings.
Peer support volunteering
We offer peer volunteering opportunities for unpaid carers, or former carers who are interested in utilising their experiences to help others in a similar situation. Carer peer support volunteers are trained, disclosure-checked and receive support and supervision. Volunteers can work one-to-one with carers or help to facilitate groups.
We are always looking for carers, or recent carers, to volunteer so please get in touch if you are interested.
Carers Peer Support Groups
We run two monthly peer groups for family and friends supporting someone with mental illness, dementia, learning disabilities, autism and acquired brain injury. Groups typically run on the second Tuesday of the month in Leith, and on the last Friday of the month at Redhall Walled Garden.
For more information on our carers peer support groups or to find out when the next meetings will be, please email edinburghcarers@pia.scot
To understand how advocacy or peer group support can help, please listen some unpaid carers who have used our services talking about their experiences on our podcast
https://player.captivate.fm/episode/c1a064fd-8c88-43d8-9671-957812e00480/
