Every caring situation is unique. The support you need today may be different from the support you need in the future, which is why the Carers Offer in Devon provides a range of information, advice, practical support and opportunities to connect with others who understand the realities of caring.
Our aim is simple: to help carers feel informed, connected, valued and supported.
Support Available to Carers in Devon
Information, Advice and Guidance
Caring can often feel overwhelming, particularly when navigating health, social care and community services. We can help you access reliable information and advice on topics including:
- Caring responsibilities and carer rights
- Benefits and financial support
- Health and wellbeing
- Employment and caring
- Planning for the future
- Local services and support organisations
Carer Registration and Passport
When you register as a carer with Caring in Devon, you will receive a Carer Passport that identifies you as an unpaid carer.
Your passport can help you:
- Demonstrate your caring role
- Access carer-friendly services and benefits
- Be recognised by health and care professionals
- Access support available through the Caring in Devon programme
Emergency Planning and Alert Card
Unexpected situations can happen to anyone. Creating a Carer’s Emergency Plan helps ensure the person you care for will continue to receive support if you are suddenly unable to provide care.
Once your plan is completed, you will receive a Carer Alert Card. If you are unable to communicate in an emergency, the card alerts a 24-hour response service, helping ensure appropriate contacts can be informed and support arrangements put in place.
Peer Support and Support Groups
Many carers tell us that one of the most valuable forms of support is meeting people who truly understand their situation.
Peer support opportunities and local support groups provide:
- Emotional support and encouragement
- Shared experience and understanding
- Opportunities to reduce loneliness and isolation
- Information and tips from other carers
- Social connection and friendship
Wellbeing and Preventative Support
Looking after your own wellbeing is just as important as looking after the person you care for.
Support may include:
- Wellbeing activities
- Emotional support
- Community-based services
- Opportunities to take part in local activities
- Access to digital resources and self-help tools
One-to-One Support
Some carers may benefit from additional personalised support.
Where needed, carers can access individual support to help:
- Navigate complex systems and services
- Manage significant changes in their caring role
- Plan for emergencies or future needs
- Resolve challenges affecting their wellbeing
Support During Difficult Times
When caring circumstances become particularly challenging, additional support may be available to help carers navigate periods of crisis, significant change or increased pressure. The aim is to help carers regain stability, strengthen resilience and access the right support at the right time.
Carer’s Assessments and Personal Support
A Carer’s Assessment provides an opportunity to talk about your caring role, your wellbeing and any support that may help you continue caring while maintaining your own quality of life.
Where eligible needs are identified, carers may be able to access additional personalised support, which could include:
- A personalised support plan
- Access to a Carer’s Personal Budget
- Support to achieve personal wellbeing outcomes
- Access to replacement care and short breaks
Any support will be tailored to your individual circumstances, strengths and goals.
Digital Resources
Carers in Devon can access a range of digital tools and online support designed to help manage caring responsibilities, improve wellbeing and access information whenever it is needed.
Through Bridgit Care, carers can access personalised information, guidance and local support based on their individual circumstances. Carers can also benefit from digital coaching, helping them build confidence in using online tools and services, as well as access to 24-hour online coaching and wellbeing support that is available whenever they need it.
Digital resources can help carers:
- Access information and advice at a time that suits them
- Discover local services, activities and support groups
- Improve wellbeing and resilience
- Set personal goals and access coaching support
- Build confidence using digital technology
- Connect with support from wherever they are in Devon
Our aim is to make support accessible, flexible and available when carers need it, recognising that caring does not always fit within traditional office hours.
A Service Shaped by Carers
The Carers Offer in Devon continues to evolve through evidence, learning and, most importantly, the experiences of carers themselves.
We know that carers are experts in their own lives. Their experience of balancing caring responsibilities alongside work, family life and personal wellbeing provides invaluable insight into what good support looks like. That is why we are committed to working alongside carers in the design, development and improvement of services across Devon.
Through our Carer Ambassador programme, carers work alongside commissioners, providers and professionals to influence decisions about care and support. Their voices carry equal weight in conversations about how services are designed, delivered and improved, helping us ensure that support reflects the realities of caring today.
Our service continues to evolve, including recent changes to how some support is delivered. However, some of the most important decisions about the future of support for carers in Devon are still ahead of us. As health, care and community services continue to develop, we are committed to ensuring that carers have a meaningful role in shaping what comes next. Through our Carer Ambassador programme and wider engagement, carers will continue to share their lived experience, insight and expertise to help shape services that deliver the best possible outcomes for carers and the people they support.
We believe the best services are created when carers are involved from the beginning. By listening to carers, learning from their experiences and working together as partners, we can build support that is relevant, responsive and focused on what matters most to people caring across Devon.
Nothing about carers without carers. Their knowledge, insight and experience will continue to help shape the future of carer support in Devon.