Support for Carers

A major grant from the Nottinghamshire Freemasons in 2020, enabled us to kickstart a programme of much-needed support to people aged 50 years+ who are carers of adults with learning disabilities. Now I'm supporting carers of all ages to plan for the future, have time for themselves, and meet others facing similar challenges.

Hi, I’m Catherine

My role as Reach's Carers Manager is to support family carers of people with learning disabilities in Nottinghamshire.

My personal experience as a carer to my son and my late brother-in-law helps me to understand the issues faced by carers today. I have well-established relationships with many of our clients and their families from my work as Centre Manager at Reach Newark and Reach Mansfield. I help people to see the ‘wood for the trees’ and to plan ahead with confidence. In keeping with Reach’s person-centred ethos, I tailor my support to individual needs, meeting with carers on a one-to-one basis as well as through group socials.

I regularly support over 120 family carers to build confidence and to meet other carers facing similar challenges. Meeting in groups enables carers to share their experiences and concerns or just to have a laugh together!

For families caring for people with care and support needs, major life changes such as bereavement or illness can quickly lead to crises and emergency solutions. I provide bespoke support to many families, sometimes at crisis point. Looking forward, we want to continue to be there for families, not only during these difficult times, but also to support them to plan better for the future as soon as possible, to avoid risk of poor outcomes for individuals.

If you or anyone you know is caring for somebody with a learning disability, please do reach out to me any time on 07715 648691 or email me at catherine.shatwell@reachuk.org.

Sara, Charlie, Steve and Josie’s Story

Brother and sister Charlie and Sara attend Reach Newark. When their mum sadly passed away in 2022, Charlie was living in the family home with his dad, Steve, and Sara was living with her 74-year-old grandmother, Josie. Steve was finding it difficult to cope and relying on Josie more and more for help. Both Steve and Josie now receive one-to-one support from me. Steve was finding it difficult to keep on top of household admin which led to a withdrawal of benefits – I supported him to get them reinstated and to increase his household income by accessing his full entitlements. I supported Josie to become Charlie’s appointee when Steve didn’t quite feel ready to take on that responsibility. I’m now supporting Steve to find accommodation which better supports his and Charlie’s needs.

"We didn’t really know where to start after Bridget passed away – Catherine knew exactly what to do and how to do it. It’s been a difficult time, but with Catherine’s help, we can finally see the wood for the trees.” – Josie, family carer