You can find up to date COVID-19 advice for unpaid carers during the pandemic on the Scottish Government website, covering topics including staying safe, accessing PPE and testing and short breaks. Everyone should follow NHS Inform’s public health advice on how to protect yourselves and others during the pandemic.

The Carers (Scotland) Act

The Carers Act gives all adult and young carers in Scotland rights. The act is designed to listen to carers, make support in different areas more consistent and prevent problems – helping sustain caring relationships and protect carers’ health and wellbeing.

Under the act, every carer has a right to a personalised plan to identify what is important to them. For adult carers this is called an ‘adult carer support plan’ and for young carers (under the age of 18 or 18 and still at school), this is a ‘young carer statement’.

Carers also have the right to support to meet their eligible needs. Local authorities must consider whether that support should include a break from caring.

If you’d like to find out how to get your own plan, you can contact your local council’s social care department or your local carer centre.

See the links below for further information:

• the Carers’ charter details carers’ rights under the Carers Act
• information on what to expect from key rights under the Carers Act
• a jargon buster for young carers (PDF, 3.6 MB) to help them understand some of the tricky words and phrases in the act

Other support available

You may wish to access:

• your local council's social care department to request an assessment of care needs for the person you look after
• carer centres which offer a range of practical support, advice and information
• information and support at your place of work or education – you can find flexible ways to work or study to fit around caring for someone
• carer or disability benefits
• information and extra support from Young Scot if you are a young carer

Local organisations are the main source of information and advice. For example, if you care for someone with sight loss and live in Western Scotland, you can get support from RNIB's Need to Talk service.

There are several national organisations that represent carers and provide information, such as:

• Carers Trust Scotland
• Shared Care Scotland for information on short breaks from caring
• Age Scotland
• Carers Scotland – watch their video below

VOCAL's video below describes the difference support can make.

Contact us for information on support groups in your area.