Council partners with Mobilise to extend support for carers in Shropshire

Shropshire residents who look after a family member, a friend or a neighbour are now able to connect with others and access support online.

Over the last few months, an estimated 34,000 people in Shropshire have taken on additional caring responsibilities. These range from checking in on a neighbour and helping out with shopping, all the way through to providing round-the-clock personal care for a family member or friend.

And while lockdown maybe easing , many of those caring roles and responsibilities could continue, perhaps for some time to come. It is with that in mind that Shropshire Council has announced a new partnership to boost the support available to unpaid carers in the county over the coming months.

Mobilise, the online community created ‘by carers, for carers’, will now offer its range of free online support to Shropshire residents with caring roles. Mobilise support includes regular contact through emails,  ‘virtual cuppas’ and even face-to face coaching sessions, also run virtually.

A carer who is already using the Mobilise service said: “Mobilise has helped so much when I felt extra alone… Seeing others in the carers boat and sharing stories and tips has been a great boost, plus the one to one (coaching session) has given me more of a direct focus.”

Cllr Dean Carroll, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, Public Health and Climate Change said: “The COVID 19 pandemic has been a difficult time for us all, but particularly for family carers who, in many cases, have been providing round the clock support without outside assistance from family or care and support services. We know many carers can feel isolated and want to do all we can to help reduce this. Supporting residents in Shropshire who find themselves in the role of an unpaid carer is very important for the Council. We’re really pleased to be working with Mobilise to increase the amount of support available.”

James Townsend, CEO of Mobilise, said: “There’s never been a more important time for those of us with caring responsibility to come together and support each other. Working closely alongside Shropshire Council and existing carer support services, we will be sharing the wisdom, experience and know-how picked up by carers across the country to make sure nobody is alone.”

The Mobilise service is free to use and can be accessed via:  www.mobiliseonline.co.uk/shropshire. Mobilise are currently extending their service with other local authorities across England.

“Our ambition is to share the collected wisdom and know-how of the estimated 13.5 million people with caring responsibilities in our country” concluded Townsend