Coleg Ceredigion have been recognised for their commitment to and support for carers and their families.
The Aberystwyth and Cardigan Campuses have jointly achieved the Investors in Carers Bronze Level award; a regional partnership quality standards scheme, which is delivered through Hywel Dda University Health Board, with Ceredigion County Council and third sector partners in Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire.
The Investors in Carers initiative was originally designed to help health facilities such as pharmacies, GP practices and hospitals focus on and improve their carer awareness and enhance the help and support they give carers. The scheme has now been developed for education settings with secondary schools and colleges. Coleg Ceredigion is the first College in the West Wales region to have achieved this level.
Meinir Lewis and Ffion Evans, Coleg Ceredigion Student Welfare officers and the Carer Leads said in a joint speech, “Coleg Ceredigion are thrilled to achieve the Investors in Carers Bronze Award. As an educational establishment we recognise that carers and young carers face issues such as poverty, isolation and a decline in their mental health – issues which could make them feel that they have no option but to give up on their education. Through the good practice that surrounds the Investors in Carers framework, we will further develop carer awareness at Coleg Ceredigion and strengthen the ways that we can support our students who are carers.”
Investors in Carers was developed in Ceredigion in 2006 and since 2013 it has been an integral part of the overall West Wales Strategy for Carers. It also helps meet the needs of the Social Services and Wellbeing Act and the new Welsh Government national priorities for adult and young Carers.
Councillor John Adams-Lewis in presenting the award on behalf of Ceredigion County Council said, “It is particularly pleasing to see Coleg Ceredigion become the first college to receive the Award and is a great accolade. What you have achieved in your commitment to the Investors in Carers programme, and in achieving the Bronze Level Award is to publically make the statement to the Young Adult Carers now and in the future, that here in Coleg Ceredigion, they are and will be encouraged to come forward, and in doing so they can and should expect an understanding of what it requires to maintain their college life and receive the support they need to reach their potential, whilst still maintaining the care and support to the person for whom they care.”
For more information about the Investors in Carers scheme visit: www.hywelddahb.wales.nhs.uk/carers or for useful advice for carers, please visit www.ceredigion.gov.uk/carers.
29/01/2018