Working together to shape adult social care in West Sussex

Do you have social care support from West Sussex County Council? Are you a family and friend carer of someone who needs social care support? Do you pay for your own care and support? We all know that people from our diverse communities who use care and support services, and family and friend carers have valuable first-hand experience – they are ‘experts by experience’.

West Sussex County Council (WSCC) have several interesting opportunities for experts by experience to share their expertise and work with them to support the continual professional development of their staff, to help ensure a quality social care service.

There are opportunities to work with:

• newly qualified social workers
• social work apprentices
• experienced social workers for their professional development.

You can take part in:

• panels moderating social workers portfolios of work
• staff inductions
• staff training courses
• designing and developing learning materials
• creating videos.

This is also a valuable opportunity to work with other experts by experience and their staff. Payment at the national living wage will be offered for participation and any out-of-pocket expenses will be paid.

If you would be interested in participating and would like more information about these opportunities, please contact Julia Cassidy on 033022 27935 or email at julia.cassidy@westsussex.gov.uk.

Adults’ Services Customer and Carer Group

You can also join their friendly Customer and Carer Group to share your experiences of social care and strengthen the voice of people who use services. It has been meeting for over ten years and always welcomes new members. The group acts as a ‘critical friend’ to help them continue to improve their services. It meets every two months and gets involved in a variety of interesting topics with lively discussions!

They will pay out of pocket expenses for anyone who comes to the group. You can choose to attend the meeting or join online if you prefer. Please contact Fung-Yee Hite on 033022 28954 or email at workingtogetheras@westsussex.gov.uk if you would like to join the group.