Stop Press: Our latest newsletter, 2011 Issue 4 is available to download

Help at Home: Our Help at Home Service is now available countywide.

Parking information for voluntary drivers who use Peterborough City Hospital can now be found on the Community Car Scheme Pages

Good news about motor insurance for voluntary drivers
If your insurance company is unwilling to confirm that your existing policy covers you for voluntary driving, or if you are looking to change your insurer, then you may find this link to the Community Transport Association website useful.  It includes a list of insurance companies that do not charge extra for voluntary driving published by The Association of British Insurers.  Many of these no longer require you to notify them that you intend to driver for volunteering purposes.

Community Car Scheme Fact-Pack: Sheet 7 has been updated.

Care Network’s mission is to help older, isolated and vulnerable people living in Cambridgeshire to stay independent and maintain social contact with friends and the community. 

We work mainly with volunteers, helping people to set up local ‘good neighbour schemes’, and also running some cross-county good neighbor schemes ourselves.

• Over 150 people are volunteer visitors with Care Network, taking practical help, support and companionship directly to people’s homes 
• We network with over 80 local good neighbour schemes that both reduce isolation and improve independence and quality of life 
• We train and advise volunteers and schemes to help them carry out their ‘good neighbour’ volunteering
• We participate in partnership bodies, and respond to consultations from statutory agencies, where these are relevant to the needs and aspirations of older and isolated residents.

Our vision is a Cambridgeshire where all older and vulnerable people at risk of isolation, loneliness or depression feel supported in their local community.  We also want to enable people to support others, for their mutual benefit and to achieve greater independence for a healthier, happier life.

So what is a good neighbour scheme?

Any community group that offers good neighbourly help to other local residents – whether by getting together socially or helping with some practical tasks.  Common examples include community car schemes, lunch clubs, social groups and mobile warden schemes. Read more about local community schemes on the ‘good neighbour schemes’ page.

And what  schemes does Care Network run directly?

Our Help at Home service offers

• Welcome Hopme from Hospital offering companionship and help in the first two to three weeks that a patient returns home after medical treatment
• Independance at Home service offers isolated, older and vulnerable adults help with small, usually one-off chores.  Currently available in parts of the county only, and being extended right now.
• Admission Avoidance supports someone to remain at home when they could be at risk of hospital admission.

To find out more about our volunteer visiting schemes, click on our Help at Home page.

We estimate that, taking into account our volunteers, our direct clients and those indirect beneficiaries who attended or received services from the Good Neighbour Schemes that we supported, our work in 2008 improved quality of life for roughly 5,400 Cambridgeshire residents—that’s 6% of the 65+ population.