Community Assistance Service

About the Community Assistance Service

The pressures of caring may result in difficulties completing every day tasks that other people take for granted and sometimes may lead to a deterioration in the carer’s health due to tiredness and exhaustion.

The Community Assistance Service has been created to provide free practical assistance with essential tasks that carers are unable to achieve, or struggling to achieve, as a direct result of their caring responsibilities. This could be through lack of time or may be as a result of illness, exhaustion or financial hardship.

How is assistance provided?

Assistance may be provided as a one-off request or on an ongoing basis and can be short, medium or long term. The services available are tailored to suit the carer’s individual needs and may include one or more of the following tasks:

laundry and ironing
general housework
shopping, collecting benefits etc.
transport
dog walking
support with paperwork, phone calls
light gardening.

Other tasks may be considered if required by carers.

Who provides the service?

The project employs two Community Assistance Workers who are available to visit carers throughout the Borough of Gateshead to provide support in these key areas. Assistance hours / times are negotiable and are dependent on carers’ individual circumstances.

How to access the service

You can make a referral yourself by contacting us. We also receive referrals from statutory and voluntary agencies on your behalf.