Manchester Asian Parent Carers

Background History

Our group / project started in 1997 with funding from the National Lottery and operated for five years with full-time professional staff. It addressed the lack of services for the Asian disabled child and emotional and practical difficulties for their parents, particularly mothers, who had to bear most of the responsibility. It provided a home-based information and advice service to parents and organised regular self-help group meetings both in Longsight and Cheetham Hill.

In 2002, after this funding expired, there was a period when we provided telephone support to on a totally voluntary basis run by parent carers, proving both the need for the services and the commitment of parent carer volunteers.

Since 2003, we have received core funding from Manchester Adult Social Care to provide carer breaks, to enjoy quiet and qualitive time away from their children and interact with others in a similar position. These are usually visits to public gardens in summer and indoor social or recreational activities in the winter. We arrange childcare and transport for these breaks, if required.

We offer welfare benefits information and advice services to help parent carers obtain their entitlements and understand and access support services. Parents can request a home visit from our Advisors and we liaise with mainstream financial support and service providers.

We have regular Asian Parent Carer support group meetings, with speakers on a wide range of issues from Disability Rights to dealing with Teenager issues. We provide a drop-in information and advice clinic during meetings, so that parents can easily access our Advisors.

We have a Volunteers’ training programme to support volunteers who want to help the project. They are trained and empowered to take on either administration work or help organise trips and meetings, working side by side with our paid staff.