Feeling Safe & Secure

This service is available to Carers who care for someone aged four* and above you will need to be a Carer registered with Birmingham Carers Hub. At the point of registration with the CERS team, they will book an appointment for a comprehensive assessment of the care and support needs of the person you care for, including any medication or aids used and accessibility of the home etc. This detailed understanding of what care needs to be provided and where key items are stored within the home is intended to give you the peace of mind you need to attend any planned medication appointments with your GP, dentist, hospital etc.

*CERS is only available to the cared for and not to supervise other siblings.

You will receive a yellow business-sized card with a dedicated emergency contact number for times of crisis for you to carry with you everywhere you go. If anything should happen to you in a crisis, the emergency services will contact CERS so they can spring into action when you need them most. Back-up care is provided ‘at home’ for up to two days, allowing alternative arrangements to be made with family, friends or social services.

CERS is operated by Midland Mencap and is regulated by the Care Quality Commission. All care and support staff are qualified and experienced in caring roles. Register today with CERS by calling 0121 442 2960.

We recommend that you register with CERS but if you prefer not to make sure you have a contingency plan in place so that someone else can step into your shoes and take on your caring role. Pull together important contact names and numbers plus all the relevant information about the person you provide care for so that support can be given in your absence. Keep this emergency plan in a prominent place and tell a family member or friend about it.

If you, or anyone you know, has any concerns about their physical or emotional safety or wellbeing, either when caring or receiving care, please speak to someone.

If you have concerns about a child
If anyone is in immediate danger, phone 999.
If you have any concerns about the safety and/or welfare of a child or young person, telephone the Children’s Advice & Support Service (CASS) on 0121 303 1888 or the Emergency Duty Team outside of office hours on 0121 675 4806.

If you have concerns about an adult
If anyone is in immediate danger, phone 999.
If you think there has been a crime contact the West Midlands Police straight away on 0345 113 5000 or 101.
If it is not an emergency and you want to report adult abuse of someone with care and support needs, you can do this via Birmingham City Council or call Adult Social Care on 0121 303 1234.

Birmingham Carers Hub is signed up to the principles of Making Safeguarding Personal. We believe all adults have the right to live their lives free from abuse or neglect.

Anyone can cause harm to a person who is unable to protect themselves. It is more likely that the harm will be caused by someone they know and trust, for example a main Carer, family member, friend, paid Carer or health worker.

Harm can be unintentional or deliberate. By harm we mean regular or consistent harm, not a single accidental incident. Harm can take many shapes, including physical, emotional, psychological or sexual harm, financial harm or theft, domestic violence, self-neglect, slavery or forced servitude.

Sometimes it is difficult to acknowledge that you don’t feel safe, especially if this is due to the words or actions of the person you care for. You may:

• have gotten used to it;
• think they do not mean it, or they don’t know what they’re doing; or
• worry that you may be separated from the person you care for.

If you feel unsafe, please contact Birmingham Carers Hub on 0333 006 9711.

Some common signs of harm are unexplained or multiple bruising or finger marks, worsening health or weight loss, not having contact with friends, family or professionals, shortage of money for no apparent reason.

It is possible that the person you are worried about may have a variety of these signs due to their condition. However, if they appear worse than normal, or they are acting differently this could prompt your concerns. If someone confides in you that they are being harmed or even harming someone, take whatever they tell you seriously and listen carefully. Do not promise to keep it a secret. Take action and contact Birmingham City Council to raise a safeguarding concern. You can also contact Birmingham Carers Hub for additional support on how to keep yourself safe as a Carer. You may be saving someone from harm or preventing them from causing harm. Try to repeat the words used by the person who told you when telling others.

If you are feeling overwhelmed and are worried that you might cause harm to the person you care for, or suspect someone you know is being, or could be, harmed, report this to Birmingham City Council in one of the following ways:

0121 303 1234

ACAP@birmingham.gov.uk

Text Relay: dial 18001 followed by the full phone number

In an emergency, or if someone is in immediate danger, call 999. Otherwise, report crimes to West Midlands Police by calling 101.

Safe and Well visits involve much more than just fitting smoke detectors, just take a look at this flyer.

Any firefighting crew attending a person’s home for a Safe and Well visit will always carry their identity cards, and you should ask to see this before allowing them entry to your home.

To book a safe and well visit for yourself or the person that you care for please click here.

Further information can be found in the Safe and Well Book 2023 here.