Provision of an unpaid Carers and Young Carers Support Service

Description

Providing support to carers is a legislative requirement for the Council from the Carers (Scotland) Act 2016. The act requires that local authorities take a number of steps to support carers and make caring more sustainable for those who have to do so. The scope of information and advice provided is at the discretion of the local authority but must cover the following as a minimum: -carers’ rights, including those set out in the carers’ charter; -income maximisation for carers; -education and training for carers; -advocacy for carers; -health and wellbeing (including counselling) for carers; -bereavement support services for carers following the death of a cared-for person -emergency care planning and future care planning for carers. The Council currently have a contract for this service that is due to end on 29/6/2020. The resultant contract will be for a period of 3 years with up to 24 months extension dependant on satisfactory performance and budget availability. The Carers (Scotland) Act 2016 (‘the Act’) and its provisions came into effect on April 1st, 2018. It is the intention of the Act that all carers are better supported on a more consistent basis so that they can continue to care, if they so wish, in good health and wellbeing, allowing them to have a life alongside caring. The overriding intention for young carers is that they should have a childhood similar to their non-carer peers and are enabled to be children and young people first and foremost, and relieved of any inappropriate caring roles to allow them to have a quality of life. Section 34 of the Act requires each local authority to establish and maintain an information and advice service, covering a range of mandatory areas for carers either resident in that local authority area or caring for someone in that local authority area. The scope of information and advice provided is at the discretion of the local authority but must cover the following as a minimum: -carers’ rights, including those set out in the carers’ charter; -income maximisation for carers; -education and training for carers; -advocacy for carers; -health and wellbeing (including counselling) for carers; -bereavement support services for carers following the death of a cared-for person -emergency care planning and future care planning for carers.