Counsel and Care Charity Partner of Carer's Award
1 August 2010
The Great British Care Awards are delighted to announce that Counsel and Care are to be the charity partner for the Carer’s Award category for the 2010 regional awards.
Counsel and Care is the national charity working with older people, their families and carers to get the best care and support. We provide personalised, in-depth advice and information, which informs our research and campaigning work.
The Carer’s Award is a new category for the Great British Care Awards, and will be given to an unpaid carer who in the opinion of the judges can demonstrate commitment and perseverance in the care they give. This award seeks to acknowledge and celebrate the dedication that carers give to those they care for and the incredible contribution they make.
The award was created by the Great British Care Awards to recognise those unsung heroes who are providing a vital social care service to support people who would otherwise have little of no independence or quality of life. This support can be given to an individual or a number of people.
The award is open to all without any upper or lower age limit. The carer must have been providing a service for not less than 2 years from January 1 2008, be unpaid and receive no financial reward. The individual should be able to demonstrate that they have had a significant positive impact on the life of the person being cared for and that they have gone the extra mile and have compassion, having a truly caring nature and humility.
In 2009 the category was piloted at the Yorkshire & Humber awards and was extremely well received. BBC Look North have expressed interest in covering this specific award in York and it is hoped to roll out the concept to the other BBC regions.
Stephen Burke, Chief Executive of Counsel and Care, said:
"Counsel and Care is delighted to be sponsoring the Great British Care Awards Carer's Award. There are six million unpaid carers in this country, tirelessly providing care to friends and relatives. These carers risk their health and wellbeing, often sacrificing their livelihoods to devote themselves to this crucial role.
"All these carers deserve an award, but by recognising just one of the six million, we hope to encourage more 'hidden carers' to seek support from the people around them, and to encourage support services and employers to help the carers to care."
The award is also sponsored by Enara Community Care, a private company which has been providing high quality domiciliary care since 1996.
Mike Padgham, Director of the Great British Care Awards said,
“We are delighted that Counsel and Care are supporting the Carer’s Award. The endorsement of such a well regarded national charity together with the support of Enara will ensure that this award category gains the high profile it so highly deserves. Without the millions of unpaid carer’s many of the elderly and vulnerable members of our communities would not be able to remain independent in their own homes. We look forward to receiving the nominations which will doubtless prove to be of an extremely high calibre.”
Sponsored by HET Software, the Great British Care Awards are now in their second year. The Great British Care Awards are a series of regional events throughout England and are a celebration of excellence across the care sector. The purpose of the awards are to pay tribute to those individuals who have demonstrated outstanding excellence within their field of work. This year there are 9 regional awards leading to 2 national finals for both the home care and care home sectors, to be held at a prestigious central London venue in London in 2011.
Nominations are still been invited for the regional 2010 Great British Care Awards details of which can be found at www.care-awards.co.uk or by clicking on the relevant links in this email.
For information on how to nominate, how to book a table or sponsorship opportunities call
0115 959 6133 or email info@care-awards.co.uk
So don’t delay and join us in celebrating social care and help it get the recognition it deserves.
