According to Municipal Social Welfare Centre data (welfare resources assessment report for 2019), in Łódź in 2019, 25 274 people who did not take up employment or who stopped working to care for a person close to them, needing daily assistance to function, received welfare. The currently available forms of support are highly limited, for example over a period of two years 135 people were able to obtain psychological counselling, and 280 people to use services of an assistant to a person with disabilities.

The problem we intend to address is the low level of access to free respite care for carers of people in need of help to function daily.

We will provide respite care for carers (at the place of residence or activities matching interests at the foundation), and psychological and legal assistance. We will provide training for interested persons on self-advocacy measures (psychology workshops on self-advocacy, personal presentation, public appearances (including in front of a camera), working with journalists, and social media activities). We will issue a self-advocacy e-handbook. We will create a carer cooperative (relaxation meetings, workshops on forming a support group). We will provide support for self-advocates in measures to provide better access to respite services and change the system for providing them (participating in consultations). We will help to produce texts and conduct interviews, and publish them.

Twenty people caring for persons who require assistance to function daily in Łodź and those in their care will participate.

The measures will provide time to rest and regenerate for twenty carers of persons who require assistance to function daily and improve their psychological condition. Seven people will be trained and commence self-advocacy activities.