A NEW service has been launched to support people with learning disabilities and their families alongside at-home care provision.

Caremark, who provide at-home care across Christchurch and the New Forest, have set up the new initiative.

The company is the first care provider in the region to offer a mix of at-home care alongside learning disability (LD) support.

Led by registered manager, Charlie Budden, the new service offers a mixture of care in the home and respite for family members who care for loved ones with learning disabilities.

Ms Budden, who is a mother of one, has been registered manager at Caremark since March 2018.

Having started her career as a carer herself at the age of 18, she has seen first-hand the pressures faced by some families and was instrumental in bringing the scheme to life.

The 29-year-old has worked in care for more than ten years and has specialised in support for adults with learning disabilities since 2011.

“Living at home with someone who has a learning disability is difficult, no two ways about it. Sometimes it’s hard to be mum, dad, sister or son when you’re being a carer too and you can lose part of that important relationship,” Ms Budden said.

“We’re here to help families be families and our aim is to support clients to be more independent as well as offering some much-needed relief for family members too.

"We’ll be working with people both in the home and out in the community – helping them to engage in social activities, supporting them at work and even getting involved with volunteering projects like the one at the Countryside Education Trust in Beaulieu.”

Together with Dinesh Shukla, owner and MD, work has already begun building a team of specialist carers who will support clients with a variety of learning disabilities.

As a qualified trainer and positive behavioural support coach, Ms Budden will be putting new recruits and members of her existing team through a comprehensive training programme at the company’s offices in Lymington.

“For our new Learning Disabilities team, we also cover behaviour skills – how to recognise and manage challenging behaviours, and more in-depth Epilepsy training as it’s a condition that is prevalent in the LD community.”

“When I started in care, I had no experience, I just had a passion for helping others. My first LD support role was a revelation to me, I absolutely loved it, I still do.

"Working with such wonderful people and making a genuine difference to their lives is the most amazing feeling. I can’t ever imagine doing anything else. We want to build a team of dedicated, caring career. We can teach the rest."