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Making our carers visible - Monday 9 June

Welcome to Carers Week 2025. This year, we embrace the theme "Caring About Equality", which highlights the inequalities and challenges faced by unpaid working carers—challenges such as poor health, social isolation, and financial hardship.

We value the vital contributions of our unpaid working carers and are committed to supporting them any way we can. Our efforts include promoting their health and wellbeing, offering paid carers leave, and providing flexible working options to help them balance their responsibilities.

What is a working carer? 

Do you help to look after someone who could not manage without your help in their day-to-day life?  A working carer is an employee who provides unpaid care to someone who may be frail, impacted by disability, physical or mental ill health or substance misuse. They are the primary carer and not someone who provides care professionally or through a voluntary organisation. 

Key dates for your diary:

• Tuesday 10 June at 2.00 pm - RenTalks for all. Find out about paid carers leave and local and national support available
• Wednesday 11 June at 3.00 pm - Lunch and Learn with Carers UK for all colleagues. Find out more about the impacts of caring and the supports available
• Thursday 12 June at 2.00 pm - Care for a Cuppa session for working carers. This virtual event allows carers to chat and share their experiences in a safe, confidential setting.

In the meantime, you can access more information and resources on our Council staff with Caring Responsibilities webpage.

If you would like to join our RenTalk, Lunch and Learn session and Carers Connected event,  or have any queries you can contact Fiona in confidence at: Fiona Sinclair: 0141 487 0791 / fiona.sinclair@renfrewshire.gov.uk

Support available at work - Tuesday 10 June

Support for working carers 

We are committed to offering a range of support that is designed to help working carers balance their work and home life. Our modern and flexible workplace practices mean we are recognised by the Scottish Government as an 'Exemplary' Carer Positive employer and our paid carers leave  and carers connected events mean that we can offer even more support to colleagues with caring responsibilities and their line managers. 

Carers Week at Renfrewshire Carers Centre

If you live locally, why not check out the Carers Week events that are taking place at the Renfrewshire Carers Centre.  Provost Lorraine Cameron is kicking things off with today's official launch ahead of a week of activities including financial wellbeing outreach, health and wellbeing events, legal advice, and training.  

If you live elsewhere, you can find out about your nearest carers centre on our website.

Online resources

As a member of Carers UK, all Renfrewshire Council employees can access a range of online learning resources to help you manage your caring responsibilities.

The Employers for Carers Digital platform is an online resource that contains a variety of guides, eLearning modules and case studies for line managers and colleagues with employee wellbeing responsibilities to help them offer the best support.

Remember to join us for our RenTalk, today at 2.00pm where you will find out more information about the support we offer,including paid carers leave and local and national support.  Join us at 2pm by clicking here: Join the meeting now

Local and national resources - Wednesday 11 June

Local and national resources for unpaid working carers

Did you know there is lots of support available for unpaid working carers both at a local and national level?

Want to know more? We've pulled together some of the best resources to help you get started.

If you haven't already, why not check out our Council Staff with Caring Responsibilities webpage in the 'Working at the council' section on our website.

Carers UK digital resources

We've teamed up with Carers UK to offer our working carers free access to a wide range of online resources to help make caring manageable.

Join the Carers UK Digital platform using our access code 'DGTL1889'.

We highly recommend using 'MyBackUp' and 'Upfront' - two great resources to help you stay organised.

Additionally, the Jointly mobile and online care coordination app is designed to make caring for someone a little easier and less stressful by offering a simple, practical way to share information and co-ordinate tasks between those who share caring responsibilities.  

Get in touch with Fiona or Ian on the contact details below for your individual free access code to Jointly.

Community support at your local Carers Centre

Carers Centres across the country are there to offer practical support, advice, information and training for anyone with caring responsibilities.

Find out what's on this week at Renfrewshire Carers Centre who are shining a light on the inequalities which some carers face in everyday life. 

Renfrewshire Carers Centre run a Benefits Surgery in partnership with the Citizen's Advice Bureau every Thursday from 9.00 am - 4.00 pm. They can help you maximise your income and check your benefits which can make a real difference if you discover something you didn't know you were entitled to. You can make an appointment by calling 0141 887 3643 or emailing: enquiries@renfrewshirecarers.org.uk

As a Renfrewshire Council employee you can contact RCAB or get in touch with our Advice Works service for help and assistance with things like budgeting and benefits.

There's lots of different ways you can access support from your local carers centre. Your GP, district nurse or social worker can put you in touch with them, or you can self-refer, whatever works for you!

To find your local carers centre visit the Carers Centres in Scotland website.

Lunch and Learn

If you would like to find out more about the impact of caring and the support available, join our Lunch and Learn with Carers UK at 3pm this afternoon, Wednesday 11 June. For joining instructions, email Fiona Sinclair using the contact details below.

Our Carers Connected Forum

Our Carers Connected forum for colleagues is a supportive peer network where colleagues with caring responsibilities can connect and share their stories and advice.

If you would like to find out more, you can join us at tomorrow's 'Care for a Cuppa?' online session from 2.00 pm - 3.00 pm.  Just email Fiona on the contact details below for the access link.

We hope to see all our existing members and some new faces logging on to say hello.

Contact us for more information

We are always happy to help. If you have any questions about being an unpaid working carer you can contact Fiona in confidence at:

Fiona Sinclair: 0141 487 7091 / fiona.sinclair@renfrewshire.gov.uk

Taking care of your own wellbeing as an unpaid working carer - Thursday 12 June 

Today's Carers Week message is all about you and finding ways to take care of your own health and wellbeing. We know this is one of the biggest challenges unpaid working carers face, and it's common to put your own needs last. But taking good care of yourself is critical so you can keep supporting those you care for.

Health and Wellbeing with Carers UK

Carers UK have lots of resources to help support your physical and mental health. Login to the digital platform using our access code 'DGTL1889' and check out the 'Health and Wellbeing' section.

You can also visit the Taking care of our employees' wellbeing hub for lots of useful information and resources including how to access our employee counselling service Time for Talking and our directory of mental health first aiders.

If you are a carer supporting someone who lives in the Renfrewshire area, you can link in and get support from the Renfrewshire Carers Centre.   Renfrewshire Carers Centre offers a wide range of health and wellbeing initiatives, such as holistic therapies and short break services including home-based respite and carefree breaks where carers can enjoy a break away for one or two nights across the UK.  Contact Renfrewshire Carers Centre on 0141 887 3643 or email enquiries@renfrewshirecarers.org.uk for further information. 

Carers Connected - Care for a Cuppa

It's not too late to sign up for today's event at 2pm. Come along to our friendly catch-up with other unpaid working carers in the council to share your experiences and get advice from others in similar situations.

To sign up, contact Fiona on: Fiona Sinclair: 0141 487 7091 / fiona.sinclair@renfrewshire.gov.uk

Carers Week 2025 - how can we help? - Friday 13 June

We hope you have found the week's content useful, and that it has helped you to understand more about caring and the range of support available for unpaid working carers.

Working Carers Survey

We are always looking to learn and improve what we do, and we believe that hearing from our colleagues is the best way to achieve this.

If you have caring responsibilities, are a manager, or you think you might be an unpaid working carer, but you aren't sure, it's your feedback that will help us most.

Please take 5 minutes to complete our short survey. The closing date is Friday 4 July 2025

Get in touch

Fiona Sinclair and Ian Whyte from our OD team are always on hand to help you and answer any of your unpaid working carer-related questions.

You can contact us at: Fiona Sinclair: 0141 487 0791/fiona.sinclair@renfrewshire.gov.uk or Ian Whyte: 0141 487 4505/ ian.whyte@renfrewshire.gov.uk

More information

As Carers Week 2025 draws to a close, we want to remind you that our support for unpaid working carers is available all year round. You can learn more about that any time by visiting our Council staff with caring responsibilities webpage.

Published—Monday 9 June 2025