Be Empowered
On this page
- Lead Organisation
Gloucestershire Carers hub, part of PeoplePlus
- Project contact
Carrie Woods
0300 111 9000
Be Empowered is a series of awareness and information sessions to provide Carers the opportunity to develop their skills and confidence and to recognise their own strengths and abilities.
The sessions are hosted across the county using different platforms to try to reach as many Carers as possible. Be Empowered allows Carers to feel heard and better look after their own wellbeing.
Each topic has been collaboratively developed with Carers and evolves through constant engagement with professionals, Carers, VCS and our own team.
- Project duration
Autumn 2022 – ongoing
- Key beneficiaries
Carers aged 18 years and over, in varied Caring roles.
Be Empowered
Why we started this initiative
Be Empowered was developed based on Carer Survey results both nationally and locally. Through previous projects; an online support programme developed during the pandemic and engagement with carers, we heard what topics needed to be covered in the Be Empowered initiative.
Carers shared experiences and challenges through other peer support and information sessions that allowed us to develop a programme that continuously evolves to meet the needs of Carers.
Our goals
Be Empowered aims to empower Carers to recognise their own strengths and abilities.
The sessions will aim to help Carers prepare for conversations, know where to ask for help and provide Carers with some of the tools to keep them well and supported in their caring role.
How we’re implementing it
We created Be Empowered to be as accessible as possible. For example, we actively try to reach Carers in remote areas by going out to local communities. Be Empowered is available online, hosted at weekends and evenings. The resource is also available via eLearning.
We have worked in partnership with our Black, Asian and ethnic minority community groups to co-design bespoke versions of Be Empowered.
We have recognised not just the physical challenges of accessing in person events, but also acknowledge that people learn in different ways. For example, we’ve made a written toolkit for Carers who prefer to not join live events.
Accessing Carers in remote communities: We overcame this by working with partner community organisations in these areas to provide Be Empowered collaboratively.
We recognised Carers can feel overwhelmed and unsure where to turn to. Working together with existing community groups has allowed Carers to feel assured that there is a consistent partnership between services and that their support wouldn’t end after the Be Empowered sessions had finished in their community.
Be Empowered is ever evolving: the programme is consistently re-developed based on trends and needs, shared via Carer feedback or to reflect Legislation.
We recognised that the high cost of living has had a direct impact on Carers making the decision to attend sessions in person. As a result we focused on finding venues with free parking that could be easily navigated to. We learnt by piloting sessions in venues with lower in-person attendance.
Getting the message out about the sessions had a significant positive impact. By working in partnership with community groups, social and primary care, more Carers were reached. This acted as a stepping stone for Carers to then access further support. In one area of Gloucester, 100% of Carers who attended Be Empowered, went on to engage with Gloucestershire Carers Hub.