A few words from the CEO…

Back in March this year I don’t think many of us would have predicted the far reaching and long lasting impact of the coronavirus pandemic. It has had an impact on every family, every individual and every organisation.

At Action for Family Carers we have been very mindful of the fact that we had to suspend face-to-face activities – such as Day Care for older people and Young Carer club nights – at a time when we knew those services and breaks for Carers would be needed more than ever.

We have followed government guidance throughout and I am pleased to say that we are now planning and preparing to reopen face-to-face activities where it is safe and practicable to do so. We welcome your views and suggestions on this as it is important that we manage our support for people safely as well as in the ways they need.

One positive outcome of the lockdown has been that we have explored and begun to successfully use different ways of reaching out to and helping Carers and Young Carers and their families. That includes providing counselling over Zoom and providing access to live and filmed sessions via our website. Emergency grants we have been able to provide for some Young Carers have enabled them to engage in activities like this when they would otherwise have been excluded.

This year marks the 30^th anniversary for our charity and sadly, like many others, we have far less funding than we had prior to the pandemic. Any and all support that you are able to give makes a big difference to Carers and Young Carers in Essex and that can be anything from a £5 donation to the offer of your time as a volunteer.

Looking to the future, I hope that the easing of restrictions will continue and that we can continue making a positive difference in whatever way we can. As always, we are here for you and will do all we can to help; please call 0300 770 80 90 or email care@affc.org.uk.

James Clarke
Chief Executive Officer

Support Available During Covid-19

We have been gathering information about information, tools and resources that may be helpful for Carers and families at the moment. We will be adding to these so do keep checking to see what else has been included.​​

Find out more

Essex Befriends

Our Essex Befriends service is continuing to support Carers, older people and people with mental health issues and learning disabilities. We are also working with the Essex Welfare Service, particularly supporting people with mental health issues, who are often suffering increased anxiety due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Our Essex Befriends volunteers work extremely hard to keep in touch with all our clients across Essex. All our volunteers receive training before they start befriending and are well supported by staff if any difficulties arise with clients.

If you would like to volunteer for our Essex Befriends service, please visit our website www.essexbefriends.org.uk