Who we are
Carers Central is a free service provided by The Disability Resource Centre.
The service is completely free and dedicated to unpaid carers living or caring for someone in Luton.
The service provides advice and information for carers, derived from the knowledge and experience of working with all the existing local services; Luton GP practices, the Carers Partnership Board in Luton and many operational partners like Mind BLMK, Deafblind UK, LutonSENDIAS, Autism Bedfordshire, Luton All Women’s Centre, Headway Luton and many more. See our partners page for full details.
Thanks to funding by Luton Council the service provides practical support to a great number of carers in Luton.
Caring for carers through the pandemic
How carers have coped in the pandemic – Our survey results
Read the report we produced in April 2022: Caring for Carers through the Pandemic…
The Disability Resource Centre is an independent organisation and a registered charity, that has disabled people and carers at the centre of its decision making.
We are proud to be a Disability Confident Leader
Why we are here
Approximately 9% of the population of Luton have caring responsibilities – that is over 18,000 people of all ages caring for others of all ages.
Luton Council and Luton Clinical Commissioning Group recognised the crucial role that carers play in the lives of those they care for. Luton Council worked with carers, voluntary and statutory sector partners to refresh the strategic plan for carers in the town.
Carers Central is a hub that enables adult carers to have the information, advice and support they need to have a life of their own, alongside their caring roles.
Carers Central is a network of partners and peers led by The Disability Resource Centre whose aim it is to empower carers to:
- care effectively and safely
- look after their own health and well-being
- fulfil their education and employment potential
- have a life of their own alongside caring responsibilities
- achieve the outcomes that matter to them as an individual
Trained advisors are at the end of a phone on 0300 303 0201 and provide carers with accurate, up-to-date information in a range of formats, and can suggest lots of other sources of support.
They help carers to find the help they need, near to them. This can be anything from arranging an assessment with the local authority to respite care or courses for emotional resilience, workshops, or wellbeing groups.
We make a real difference to carers, including those who may be:
• New carers
• Carers in distress
• Carers who cease care responsibility
• Carers with changing circumstances
• Carers who need advocacy
• The families of carers
Carers Central is a service completely dedicated to unpaid carers living or caring for someone in Luton.
We make full use of existing local services to develop an integrated, holistic support system to carers, and will add additional partners to our network including Luton GP practices. We also work in close conjunction with the Carers Partnership Board in Luton.
Please call us on 0300 303 0201.
We are a member of the Luton Carers Network.
Funding by Luton Council enables us to provide information and practical support to a great number of carers in Luton.
Learn all about how The Disability Resource Centre started
Find out how we are helping Cathy and Roy living at home
Hear from Priyal who has been working at The Disability Resource Centre as an apprentice
Zaqia tells us about how she has used a number of services offered by The Disability Resource Centre
Michael talks about his voluntary work at The Disability Resource Centre
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Plan for the unexpected: Your guide to creating a care contingency plan
A contingency plan is just a fancy way of saying “plan for the unexpected”. As a carer, a contingency plan will outline some basic information so that others can step in to help and provide the necessary care should you suddenly be unable to.
32 ways to improve your wellbeing
There are lots of ways to help improve your overall wellbeing as a carer. Here we have compiled some local organisations and support groups that can help with your wellbeing, as well as some nationally available services, phone apps and useful websites.
Carer’s benefits and money
This page provides information about carer’s benefits and money, with plenty of links to useful websites and free help for carers, available both locally and nationwide…