Carers learning online

Learning new skills or improving your existing knowledge can make life as a carer much easier.

The Caring with Confidence programme gives carers a better understanding of the problems they face and helps them find new ways to tackle them.

Caring with Confidence is available as a free online interactive learning programme and as a series of courses that you can download and complete in your own time. You can start the free online Caring with Confidence programme immediately or read more about this interactive carers learning programme.

These can help you:

• Understand how the care system works.
• Discover how caring affects your life and balance your commitments better.
• Communicate more effectively with the person you care for as well as health and social care professionals.
• Take control of your time and finances.
• Understand the emotions you may feel when caring and find practical ways to deal with them.

Until September 2010, local group sessions were available through the government-funded Caring with Confidence programme. Many organisations still provide the courses that were available through Caring with Confidence. If you are a carer, you may be able to find a local organisation that runs group sessions.

Carers' support organisations and providers of training

If you work for a carers' support organisation or training provider, visit our section on resources for training providers. You can download all the material you need to run a range of courses for carers, including courses for specific groups of carers, such as people caring for a disabled child.

You can also download self-study workbooks to give to carers who want to study at their own pace or who don't have time to go to group sessions. For more information about taking part in the online programme, see the section on carers' learning programme.