A Regional Partnership team have lead the way for other non-carer specific services by becoming the first in the UK to achieve the Advanced Carer Friendly accreditation.
The Gwent Regional Partnership Team provides support to the five Local Authorities, Health, Third Sector and partners within the Gwent region to take forward their duties and responsibilities under the Social Services and Wellbeing (Wales) Act 2014, which came into force on 6th April 2016.
The Partnership Team are also the first in the Gwent region to achieve the Advanced Carer Friendly accreditation; the highest possible recognition for a service of its kind.
Naheed Ashraf is the Regional Carers Programme Manager of the team. She is confident that her team’s efforts will inspire others services to follow in their footsteps:
“I am so pleased that the Regional Partnership team has been so proactive in becoming Carer Friendly. Becoming the first team in Gwent, and recognised as the first non-carer specific service in the UK, to have achieved this level is a fantastic achievement! All staff embraced the pledge and are committed to improving the lives of carers. Any one of us in our lifetime will know someone whose life has been touched by caring or either has been, is or could become a carer themselves.
It is essential that we all recognise how the services we work in and with can identify carers at the earliest opportunity, signpost them to carers assessments and support services and make sure carers are receiving information that they need at the right time. Our commitment to the Carer Friendly accreditation reinforces this in a practical way and I would strongly encourage any service thinking about the Accreditation to just go for it!”