We Care You Care (WCYC)
How it can help
Every day 6,000 people become carers and often do not have the opportunity to plan and prepare for this.
We know that many of you do not identify with the term 'carer', you are a son, mother, father, sister, grandparent looking after a loved one which is something you 'just' do. There may have never been a pivotal moment where you made a conscious decision to become a carer. It is more likely to be something that has happened over time (due to the age of a loved one or mental health deterioration) or suddenly (due to illness) and we are often left with little or no time to plan and prepare for our new or increased caring responsibilities. As a result of this many carers don’t know how or where to get help and do not start to look for external support until they are at a crisis point. It can be a frightening and very lonely experience.
Carers are holding families together, enabling loved ones to get the most out of life, making an enormous contribution to society and saving the economy billions of pounds.
Being a carer can, of course, be hugely rewarding but it isn't always easy. Looking after loved ones can impact on your own wellbeing. You may notice you have less time to do the things you enjoy and maintain friendships or you may notice you are starting to struggle at work or school with the extra home life pressure.
There is a fantastic range of organisations delivering services specifically for unpaid carers across the South Tees. They genuinely understand and want to help you whether it be with emotional or practical support. All member organisations in the South Tees Carers Forum work to make life better for local carers.
This website has been developed to ensure you are able to access useful information and advice, find local organisations and groups to engage with, share experiences to support other carers and keep up to date with local and national news relevant to you when you need it.
WCYC has been created in response to some local carers’ experiences of finding themselves in a caring role and not knowing where to start. We hope you find the information provided helps you to understand the support available to you and how to access it.