Local Help My Way

15/10/2026

🌟 **What makes your business stand out?**

Next week we have **two Micro Essentials sessions**, starting with our marketing workshop with me on **Monday, 6–7pm**—an early evening slot to help those working during the day join us.

This **free, short, sharp session to focus the mind** is about defining and using your **Unique Selling Proposition—or USP**: what makes your business special and why someone should choose you.

Before you design a flyer or write a social media post, it helps to be clear about:

✨ What makes your skills, experience and approach different
✨ Who you want to reach and what matters to them
✨ How your words and visuals can communicate what you offer

**It’s free for all our current micro providers and anyone considering becoming one.** Whether you’re already working for yourself or just exploring the idea, get in touch or book a place and come along!

🔎 **Could you be the special person someone is waiting for?**

We’re looking for self-employed **care and support workers, cleaners, hoarding specialists, therapists, handypersons, gardeners, dog sitters and dog walkers** across **all eight Staffordshire districts**.

We have clients waiting for the right person to help them stay at home for longer and enjoy the best quality of life they can. Your skills could make a real difference. 💙

👉 [Book your free place through the Support Staffordshire website](https://supportstaffordshire.org.uk/calendar/person-centred-care-vs-patient-centred-care-544-594/)

I’ll send the joining link on Monday. Hope to see you there!

For more info on Micro Providing in Staffordshire visit www.localhelpmyway.org.uk

14/10/2026

All set up at The Aquarius for a network of the social work sector today! Talking to community nurses, other organisations, local council, social workers, etc.

08/10/2026

Our Micro essentials session next week is about Policies within the care sector and having your own set of guidelines which is written down and available to clients. We will be talking about why its so important to have a basic set of policies, which ones, we as a scheme expect micro providers to have in place, and which other ones to think about or depending on the nature of your service. Lots of hints and tips and a chance to ask questions. It will be on Teams and we will share the link in advance. Please use the QR to book and let me know if you want to come but are struggling to get through to the bookings page.

08/10/2026

**Could your care skills make a positive difference to someone’s life?**

Local Help My Way is a Support Staffordshire project, funded by Staffordshire County Council, connecting older and disabled adults with local, self-employed carers and support workers.

We’re looking for compassionate, reliable people to join our network—especially in **East Staffordshire, Cannock, the Stafford area, South Staffordshire and Tamworth**.

Whether you offer everyday care and companionship or bring specialist experience in dementia, learning disabilities, autism, brain injury or other complex needs, we’d love to hear from you. We need local people who can respond when support is needed, helping people stay independent and giving family carers a break.

Joining involves checking your insurance and tax reference, completing safeguarding training, having the appropriate DBS check and signing up to our Quality Standard.

**It sounds a lot, but we’ll help you through it!** We offer training and business support to help you start or develop your own small care business, working directly with clients and building consistent, trusting relationships.

Interested in using your skills in your local community? Message us or visit **www.localhelpmyway.org.uk**

08/10/2026

**Could your practical skills make someone else’s life a little lighter?**

Local Help My Way is a Support Staffordshire project, funded by Staffordshire County Council, connecting older and disabled adults with local, self-employed people who can help them at home.

We’re looking for reliable, community-minded handypersons to join our network—especially in **East, Central, South and South East Staffordshire**. From small repairs to garden clearance and maintenance, we need people willing to respond when someone in their local community needs a helping hand.

Joining involves a straightforward verification process: checking your insurance and tax reference, completing safeguarding training, having the appropriate DBS check and signing up to our Quality Standard.

**It sounds a lot, but we’ll help you through it!** We also offer business support to show how community jobs can fit alongside your existing commercial work. You can earn a living while putting your skills—and corporate social responsibility—into practice.

Interested? Message us or visit **www.localhelpmyway.org.uk**

08/10/2026

02/10/2026

Its not to late to book for next weeks Micro Essentials - Professional boundaries. led by our own training team at Support Staffordshire, this is an area where carers and support workers can fall down on, by stepping over the line. So where is the line and how do you protect yourself and your clients by staying professional whilst still delivering the care, in care?!
Join us for an hours worth of knowledge, hints and tips and conversation.

02/10/2026

Who supports the person doing the caring?

**Clear communication can make such a difference to families looking for care and support.**

This week I attended the Staffordshire Carers Forum’s Learning Disability & Autism Adult group meeting, alongside parents of adults with varying and complex care needs, representatives from the council’s Adult Social Care team, and Natalie from Carers Together.

It was an enlightening discussion, particularly around care reviews. What stood out was how important clear communication is in helping families understand what is happening, why, and what it means for them.

It was also lovely to hear about the support available through Carers Together. However, that offer does not include providing replacement care for the adult with care needs so their family carer can take a break. This is one area where a micro provider may be able to help.

Through Local Help My Way, we have experienced learning disability nurses who may be able to offer short-term support or longer-term arrangements, depending on individual needs and availability, helping families build in some much-needed respite.

Healthwatch England’s June article highlighted similar challenges around finding support and navigating social care. With a national care service also being discussed in the news, listening to people’s everyday experiences feels especially relevant.

**Our own Healthwatch Staffordshire is asking for your views on social care.** Whether you receive support, have tried to access it, or are a family member or carer, please take the time to share what has worked well and what could improve.

Complete the survey here:
https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/otk1pm

Read Healthwatch England’s article:
https://www.healthwatch.co.uk/blog/2026-06-25/what-four-things-are-carers-telling-us-about-health-and-social-care

02/10/2026

A cracking example of the difference our Micro Providers are making. Just look at those smiles!

💭 HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO MISS OUT?
Most of us can decide to go out for a meal, meet friends, have a drink, have some fun or simply get out and enjoy ourselves whenever we want.
But as we get older, things can change.

Maybe friends can no longer get out. Maybe family are busy with their own lives. Perhaps driving is no longer an option, or getting out and about has become more difficult.

And suddenly, the things we once enjoyed doing can become things we have to miss out on — not because we don't want to go, but because we have nobody to go with or no easy way of getting there. 💔

Getting older shouldn't mean giving up on having fun, making friends and enjoying life. ❤️

🌟 GIVE YOUR LOVED ONE SOMETHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO EACH WEEK 💛

Do you have an elderly parent, grandparent, relative or friend who would enjoy getting out for the afternoon, having some fun and making some new friends?

🌷 ALL WAYS ASSIST 🌷
offers friendly companionship outings around:

📍 Clayton
📍 Seabridge
📍 Westlands
📍 The Highland
📍 Pool Dam
📍 Silverdale
📍 Knutton
📍 and surrounding areas

🚗 I’ll pick them up from home and bring them out for the afternoon for some fun, friendship and good company.

❤️ WHAT MIGHT WE GET UP TO?
🚗 Pick-up from their home
🎱 Have a game of pool
🃏 Play cards
🎲 Play dominoes
🧠 Do a fun group quiz
🍲 pub meal
☕ Tea & Coffee, soft drinks
👫 Meet some of my other lovely clients
❤️ Make new friends
😊 Have some fun!
🏡 See them safely back into their home afterwards
💛 EVERYTHING ABOVE IS INCLUDED IN THE PRICE 💛

🌷 SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE
Activities can be tailored to suit all abilities and interests, so everyone can enjoy themselves at their own pace.
💜 Dementia-friendly companionship
💜 Patient, friendly and relaxed outings
💜 Activities adapted to the individual
💜 A chance to socialise, make new friends and have some fun

It's not simply about taking someone out for an afternoon.

It's about companionship, conversation, friendship and giving your loved one something to look forward to❤️

📩 Message All Ways Assist for more information.

💛 Good company • New friendships • Lovely afternoons • Having some fun • Something to look forward to 💛

28/09/2026

Does your care business support you as well as your clients?
This is a last chance to book callout!

That’s the question at the heart of our free Money Matters for Micro Providers session this Wednesday.

We’ll look beyond the hourly rate at the value of your time, the costs you need to cover and what you should set aside for tax. We’ll talk about why clear contracts help protect your income, what you need to do and when, and how a simple cash flow forecast can help you plan ahead.

Jenny Bracelin will be helping me deliver the session. I’ve worked with Jenny many times: she’s down to earth, calls a spade a spade, and makes business finance feel far less scary. She runs her own business advising people just like you—and normally charges for her expertise. You get to learn from her for free.

You don’t need to be writing a business plan to benefit. This is about feeling confident and in control, whether that means saying no to work that doesn’t pay its way or finding your own “apple pie” business model. 🥧

📅 Wednesday 30 September, 6–7pm
💻 Online via Microsoft Teams
🎟️ Free for aspiring and established micro providers who live or work in the Staffordshire local authority area

Book your place via the QR