Making your money go further has never been more prevalent, especially for personal assistants and those in the social care sector. This is widely recognised and has led to a number of organisations offering discounts or membership cards to offer rewards and discounts to you.
Contents
- Blue Light Card
- Blue Sky Social Card
- Concerts For Carers
- CEA Card
- Carers Cashback Card
- Days Out With Your Client
- The Care Workers’ Charity
Blue Light Card
Blue Light Card is the biggest discount scheme available to the social care sector, NHS staff, emergency services and armed forces. They offer a range of discounts from major high-street retailers, supermarkets and restaurants. They can be used online and in-store.
It is simple to sign up, you just need to put in some personal details and then prove your occupation by providing a form of ID below that shows your name, employer, and job role. Then you pay a small fee of £4.99 that covers you for a 2 year membership card, delivered to you by post or on a handy app for on-the-go use.
Sign up for yours here.
Blue Sky Social Card
The Blue Sky Social card is designed to provide recognition for personal assistants, in addition to discounts and perks for both paid and unpaid carers as well as volunteers.
COVID-19 revealed gaps in identification systems for social care workers. To address this, the Blue Sky Social Card was created as a certified employee ID for those in the care sector, endorsed by both employers and the Blue Sky organization.
Similar to the blue light card, there is a small fee of £5 per year with the optional extra of a lanyard. However, the card verifies you as a frontline worker and will allow you to redeem discounts in retailers and restaurants offering discounts for carers.
Sign up for yours here.
Concerts For Carers
Concerts for Carers is a FREE initiative set up by a team of former music venue executives as well as O2. The registered charity was established to recognise the vital role that caregivers have in our community, whilst promoting mental health and wellbeing among them.
In order to apply for your free tickets, you have to sign up to their website and verify you are a carer. Once you have completed this step you can browse their website with hundreds of available gigs, comedy shows and events and choose which you would like to attend. You will then be entered into a ballot and can receive up to 2 tickets, allowing you to bring along a companion that doesn’t have to be NHS registered.
Sign up and get entering the ballots here.
CEA Card
This is a nationwide scheme that allows a disabled cinema guest to bring a carer with them complimentary alongside a full price ticket. The card is issued to the disabled guest and they are required to prove their eligibility. Once they have been accepted they will need to pay a £6 yearly fee and decide on a film to watch!
Sign up here.
Carers Cashback Card
Discounts for Carers have an ODE cashback card that enables you to earn cashback when shopping with retailers such as John Lewis, Asda and Boots.
Sign up for yours here.
Days Out With Your Client
Breaking up your client’s routine and taking them out for the day can provide much-needed mental stimulation, social connections and a fun change of scenery. Providing this is realistic for the type of care your client requires, having a day away from routine and in a new environment can be beneficial for you both.
Although at first, it might not seem financially viable, many attractions provide free or reduced-price admission if you are accompanying a client you are caring for. This can enable you to take your client on affordable day trips to explore new surroundings and create memories for both you and your client.
Places that accept free carers tickets include:
- The National Trust
- Chessington
- Chester Zoo
- Disneyland Paris
- Legoland
- RHS Garden Bridgewater
- Woburn Safari Park
The Care Workers’ Charity
The Care Worker’s Charity is a charity set up with the mission to assist the lives of care workers and personal assistants by providing both financial support and well-being support.
They achieve this by offering ‘Crisis Grants’ for those who experience an unforeseen or life-changing circumstance. This can be anything from a broken washing machine, loss of earnings due to illness or funeral costs.
The Care Workers Charity also has launched a Mental Health Support Programme that connects personal assistants with free qualified therapists to support their mental health needs.
They also have a range of resources available to assist carers with managing their money and creating a free will.
To find out more about accessing a grant click here.
To find out how to get involved with fundraising for them click here.