VOCAL Midlothian works with unpaid carers to enable them to support their own needs as well as providing assistance with accessing any additional supports and services they require. VOCAL also aims to provide carers with social, learning and leisure opportunities to support their caring role or their own wellbeing and interests, and access to breaks from caring.
For third sector and health & social care businesses: thanks to recent funding from the Midlothian Health and Social Care Partnership, we’ve been able to expand our free Think Carer training programme for anyone in Midlothian who may come into contact with unpaid carers as part of their role.
For all businesses with a base in Midlothian: We support employers who have a presence in Midlothian to embed carer-friendly practices within their workplace. This includes, access to our employer network, attended by over 60 business across Edinburgh and Midlothian, support to become a Carer Positive accredited employer, support to set up a carer network, or to create or update the organisation’s carer policy, and access to our online working carers peer support group and facebook group.
For businesses with 100+ staff, and a base in Midlothian: We can offer all of the above, plus the option to explore the offer of carer training and drop-in support for working carers delivered online or at their place of employment. We can also offer training for managers to raise awareness of the impacts of caring, legal rights that working carers have, how to appropriately open up conversations with working carers about their caring role and reasonable adjustments that could help, and practical steps to be a carer-inclusive organisation.
