Charity (no. 313069)

Hft - Family Carer Support Service

"We support family carers of adults with learning disabilities, autism or both"

Who We Help, Why We Help & the Difference It Makes

The Family Carer Support Service is part of Hft, a national charity supporting adults with learning disabilities, autism or both.

A family carer is someone who has a lifelong relationship with a person who has a learning disability – usually a family member or close friend. They have an active interest in the wellbeing of that individual, wherever they live.

At FCSS, we support family carers to understand and exercise their rights, and to navigate statutory services including social care, health and welfare. We offer information and support on a wide range of topics, including but not limited to; how to get a break from caring, how to plan for the future and how to prepare for an upcoming assessment or review with your local authority. If we aren’t the right charity to support you, we will signpost you to other useful organisations.


Our Services Are

Free

Connect with Hft - Family Carer Support Service today to find out more

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What We Do

If you have a relative or friend with a learning disability and would like support and information, Hft’s free national Family Carer Support Service can help.

  • One-to-one support is available by phone, email and letter
  • We organise regular workshops, enabling you to find out about the things that matter to you as a carer
  • A range of family carer focused resources about relevant issues and legislation are developed in partnership with other organisations and government bodies throughout the year. These help us to ensure a voice for family carers in policy development.

You can contact us on 0808 801 0448. Our Freephone number is answered Monday to Thursday from 9am to 4pm. If you want to call outside of those hours, or if we’re busy with someone else when you call, please do leave us a voicemail – we’ll call you back within seven working days. You can also email us on  [email protected] if that is easier for you.

Connect with Hft - Family Carer Support Service today to find out more

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Volunteer

Volunteering 


Help us give adults with learning disabilities the chance to live with more independence and choice by doing something amazing – volunteer at Hft.

Why volunteer with Hft?

By volunteering with Hft, you’ll be doing something special:  helping people with learning disabilities to take control of their lives and live the best life possible.

Our volunteers tell us they’ve gained confidence, skills, and new friendships through their experience and made a real difference to lives of those we support.

There are lots of reasons to volunteer and we will support you with your own goals whether they are:

  • to gain employment
  • to work towards professional qualifications
  • to build your CV
  • Thinking about changing your career
  • building your confidence
  • improving your wellbeing
  • meeting like-minded people and improving your social networks, or
  • your life has been touched by learning disabilities and you wish to help others.

What we can offer

  • A rewarding volunteering experience, managed by a dedicated team who will continually support your progress and goals
  • Being part of a team of dedicated and caring people
  • We provide a simple recruitment procedure, an initial induction into your role, shadowing others, training, ongoing support and help achieving your goals
  • You may also have the opportunity to get a volunteering accreditation with schemes such as the Duke of Edinburgh awards scheme
  • A range of rewarding roles to suit any age, ability, background, education and experience
  • A free DBS check and any travel and out of pocket expenses.

What we need

  • People who are passionate and committed to helping others once or twice a week for a few hours over a period of 3-6 months minimum
  • People who are caring, compassionate, reliable and driven to help others
  • People who can be patient, understanding, non-judgmental, listen and communicate well, and who want to work alongside people who may display challenging behaviours
  • People interested in learning more about supporting people with learning disabilities.

Challenges

People with learning disabilities can sometimes display unpredictable behaviour, or behaviour that can be challenging to support.  Often this is down to a communication breakdown, whereby the person displaying challenging behaviour wants or feels they need something, but this is not being recognised by those around them. Sometimes it’s a way of expressing control.  Either way, you will need to work to understand the underlying causes of the behaviour, so you can better support the person you are mentoring.

Connect with Hft - Family Carer Support Service today to find out more

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Community Trail

Connect with Hft - Family Carer Support Service today to find out more

Get in touch

Connect with Hft - Family Carer Support Service today to find out more

Get in touch

Additional Info

Newsletter

Sign up to receive newsletter updates about news and legislation affecting family carers, as well as the work of the FCSS team. Simply complete the registration form and either email or post a signed copy back to us. Alternatively, you can email us with your name and contact details, letting us know you would like to be added to our mailing list.

Resources & Guidance

Explore our resources and guidance to find answers to common questions that people ask about learning disabilities, social care support, and legislation.

Connect with Hft - Family Carer Support Service today to find out more

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