"HELPING THE COMMUNITY TO CARE" PROGRAMME (Hansard, 27 January 1986)

§ Baroness Trumpington

The Helping the Community to Care programme consists of 12 distinct elements each at a different stage of development and managed by a variety of organisations. Final figures for expenditure in 1985/86 are not yet available but we estimate that the total sum will be £1,364,000.

The information that follows gives a brief description of each element, indicates which organisations are involved in its management and shows how much was spent in 1984/85.

1. HOME FROM HOSPITAL SCHEMES FOR ELDERLY PATIENTS (£13,500)

A three-year project to set up demonstration projects to ensure basic care so that elderly patients discharged from hospital can settle in again at home. Age Concern, the British Red Cross Society and the Continuing Care Project will manage the schemes.

2. INFORMATION AND TRAINING FOR CARERS OF ELDERLY PEOPLE SUFFERING FROM INCONTINENCE (£8,500)

A two-year project to produce guidelines and materials for training programmes about the problems and management of incontinence in elderly people, both for professional staff, especially GPs, nurses (and social services staff) and also for informal carers and volunteers. The work is being managed by the King's Fund and Age Concern.

3. SUPPORT FOR ELDERLY MEMBERS OF ETHNIC MINORITIES (—)

A three-year project to produce and run a training programme for volunteers working with ethnic minority elderly people and to set up demonstration projects to develop services for them. Age Concern and the Standing Conference of Ethnic Miniority Senior Citizens will manage some of the activities: other applications are being considered.

4. DEVELOPMENT OFFICERS FOR SELF HELP/MUTUAL AID GROUPS (£14,000)

To provide an opportunity to develop and gain experience from the support of informal self help/mutual aid groups. This will be achieved by providing funding for 18 well designed and managed projects. Careful monitoring will enable experience to be used constructively and fed into future developments on a wider basis. The scheme is being managed by a group of national voluntary organisations who are termed the Self Help Alliance.

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5. AFTER-CARE FOR PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC SCHIZOPHRENIA (£23,000)

Three projects in Southampton, Salford and Hackney for the development of systems designed to improve the follow-up and co-ordination arrangements for chronic schizophrenic patients and information packages for sufferers and their families. The health authorities in these districts are managing the schemes.

6. INDUSTRIAL THERAPY ADVICE UNIT (£12,000)

To help the British Institute of Industrial Thereapy to fund a small advice unit and associated services which will encourage and support the development of viable and potentially self-financing community industrial therapy units. The units will aim to provide long-term employment and training opportunities for mentally disordered people living in the community.

7. OPEN UNIVERSITY COURSE ON COMMUNITY CARE FOR MENTALLY HANDICAPPED PEOPLE (£50,000)

To assist MENCAP and the Open University to develop the first phase of a course on mental handicap for care staff and the families of mentally handicapped people.

8. COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTRE FOR MENTALLY HANDICAPPED PEOPLE (—)

To fund Dr Barnardo's for the conversion of a large residential unit in Woodford Bridge, London, into a general community centre for mentally handicapped people and their families and for the initial running costs of the centre. The centre will support the recruitment and training of carers, as well as providing a centre for information and self-help activities.

9. INFORMATION AND TRAINING FOR INFORMAL CARERS (£12,000)

To increase understanding of the needs of informal carers and to identify the various means of support; to identify and develop educational resources which can contribute to meeting these needs; to identify how these resources might reach carers and to explore ways in which front-line professionals might increase their support for informal carers. The King's Fund is managing this scheme.

10. DEMONSTRATION DISTRICT'S FOR INFORMAL CARERS (—)

Three demonstration districts are being established (in East Sussex, Stockport, and Sandwell) to explore and expand the range of services provided by the voluntary sector to assist informal carers. Voluntary sector consortia in each area will manage the schemes and work in partnership with statutory services.

11. FAMILY SELF HELP CENTRES (£ 10,000)

Family centres which provide social recreational services for the community can also help to give support to families at risk or already under stress. This may reduce delinquency or diminish the need to take children into care. The department is therefore encouraging the setting up and development of self help family centres as a preventive social services measure. The department also wishes to sponsor demonstration projects for community services providing information and help for families seeking day-care for pre-school children.

The department has sponsored the National Children's Bureau to carry out a preliminary study to collect information about the various models of family centres and current practice in the field and a further short-term study by NCB is under way. Other work is being considered.

12. ASIAN MOTHER AND BABY CAMPAIGN (£123,000)

This is a partnership between DHSS, Save the Children Fund and health authorities. The aim is to improve the accessibility, acceptability and uptake of antenatal care for Asian mothers. The means are a health education campaign and the employment of "link-workers", women with a good knowledge of English and at least one Asian language whose role is to impove communication and mutual understanding between Asian mothers and health professionals.