Have you ever felt uncomfortable trying to seek support as a carer? Perhaps overwhelmed by the thought of professional support? We know that this is the case for many carers in Essex, which is why our Carers Voices team have introduced ‘Susan’s Law’.
As a team, we know that it can be very daunting trying to seek support or share experiences with professionals. It can feel like there are the overwhelming expectations in this sort of environment, which is why we have made crucial changes to make you feel confident to speak freely with us.
‘Susan’s Law’ is about creating a more comfortable and safe space for carers to talk about their experiences.
Background of ‘Susan’s Law’:
During a Healthwatch Essex focus group for unpaid carers, one carer (having found the free time and strength to have a break and seek support), verbalised that she felt out of place. Most other people attending were wearing lanyards or name badges as ‘professionals’. She also felt that the experiences of other carers were far more overwhelming and important than her own caring responsibilities.
This was a defining moment for our Carers Voice Team. From that day we vowed to create an environment of trust and level out the environment, so that carers felt the confidence to speak freely about their experiences without judgement.
Since this experience:
We still want to maintain professional standards and be welcoming, but through introducing ‘Susan’s Law’ we have made these changes which we believe will help ensure all carers feel welcome.
- Offering alternatives from lanyards or official badges – we can provide sticky labels or cards for everyone to display their names, so that nobody feels insignificant in mixed groups of carers and professionals.
- Working on making Susan’s Law an official document – so that we can share this learning with others.
- Guiding the conversation and reading the room – ensuring that we hear experiences from all in the room and making sure that everyone knows their stories have equal value.
Celebrating Susan:
Without Susan’s bravery in speaking up about how she felt, we would not have known to make these changes. This is why we are celebrating Susan for her contribution and bravery to speak out about this experience, improving the support available for herself and for others. Thank you Susan!
Sharing Your Experiences
There are a number of ways you can share your own experiences with our Carers Voices team, through focus groups, surveys or one to one conversations. Find out more here – https://healthwatchessex.org.uk/carers-voices/