case study:
INSIGHT for carers – A carers cafe in Dudley

telling you about a micro enterprise support agency

The INSIGHT for Carers project operates a carers café in the heart of the Brierley Hill community in Dudley. Marc Carter, the Director (and parent of two autistic children) is passionate about empowering carers and people who need care and support, and feels that bureaucracy can stand in the way of people who want to air their views, issues and concerns. Marc had a vision of creating a hub for carers and a place for people to take a break.

The café is run by volunteers most of whom have a learning difficulty, are long-term unemployed or are older people. They run an array of activities at the café including carers surgeries and coffee mornings, councillors surgeries and drop-in sessions. The venue is used to its full potential with rooms hired out to other community groups and an IT information hub on site.

Lorna Reid, Micro Services Coordinator for Dudley states “The potential outcomes for this are great; many carers are also users of services themselves. The café offers an informal social network which empowers them to become advocates for themselves and other carers, as well as enabling volunteers with disabilities to become less socially isolated and gain work experience at the same time. This is a great example of co-production in action and promoting the ethos of the big society not to mention the increase in social capital for many members of the community”

Find out more by visiting insightforcarers.org or follow on Twitter @i4cs @carerscafe

For more information contact us on 01423 790126.