HFT: Closure of Family Carer Support Service

News
1

We have received the following email from the team at the HFT Family Carer Support Service:

FCSS CLOSING

2 FEBRUARY 2024

Dear family carers and friends,

Re: Closure of Family Carer Support Service

I hope this letter finds you well. It is with a heavy heart that we share some difficult news regarding our Hft Family Carer Support Service.

Like many other adult social care providers, Hft has been facing challenges including the chronic underfunding of the social care sector, the long-lasting impact of the pandemic and the more recent cost-of-living crisis. To weather this perfect storm of funding pressures, we must reduce our costs to ensure our long-term financial sustainability and focus our energy and resources on what matters most to the people we support.

Learning disabled adults have painted a picture of what their best life possible looks like in our new 10-year strategy, ‘Hft 2033: Your life. Your way. We are dedicated to bringing their vision to life and have a responsibility to ensure our finances are healthy so we can deliver against our commitments to the people we support and their families.

So, after careful consideration and extensive review, we regret to inform you that the Family Carer Support Service will be closing on 2 February 2024.

Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we have not been able to secure the financial support needed to continue running the much-loved Family Carer Support Service. Over the years, changes to the social care system and funding, have meant that families and carers are facing increasingly complex and long-term support needs which we now believe other organisations are better placed, with the relevant expertise, to provide. The decision to close the service has not been taken lightly, and comes after careful consideration of all available options.

We understand the impact this closure may have on you and your families, and we want to
express our sincerest gratitude for the trust and support you have shown us over the
years.

Please find included a useful list with suggestions of other organisations and charitable services which may be able to help, should you require support in the future. This includes links to electronic copies of our very own resources, written by the team over the years. These guides have proven to be invaluable for countless family carers and organisations and we hope they will continue to guide you on your journey.

We are proud of the help and support our Family Carer Support Service has been able to provide over the years. We deeply appreciate the opportunity to have supported you, and we extend our best wishes to you and the people you support for the future.

Yours sincerely

Andrew Horner

Head of Service Development

A brief note from the team:

“It has been both an honour and a privilege to have worked so closely with so many incredible families. Thank you for teaching us about the depths of love and resilience in the face of injustice. Keep fighting the fight, you are all so much stronger and braver than you could possibly imagine.”

Emma, Holly, Belinda, Rhiannon and Jo

Email: familycarersupport@hft.org.uk

Useful organisations

Social care issues and social care assessments:

Benefits

https://contact.org.uk/help-for-families/information-advice-services/cost-of-living-advice/

Education

Appointeeship & Deputyship

Disability Related Expenditure

Court of Protection

Continued Health Care Funding

Wills & Trusts

Behaviours that challenge & Positive Behaviour Support

Find a solicitor

Further advice and guidance