Unpaid carers - right to breaks and timescales for support plans: consultation - easy read

Why Introduce the Right to Breaks?

There are around 800 thousand adult and 27 thousand young carers in Scotland.

Carers have the right to get support from their local council or Health and Social Care Partnership in Scotland. This is a law.

Health and Social Care Partnership means health and social care working together to provide joined up care.

A new law made in 2025 will mean that carers will be given a right to get short break support if they cannot get enough breaks from caring.

The new law also says:

• Local councils and Health and Social Care Partnerships should be told how long they can take to prepare support plans for carers.

• Local councils should give more information on short break support available in their area.

We want to ask you for your views before the new rules are introduced. This is called a consultation.

We will ask you questions and use the answers we get to help us write the new law. This consultation will be open for 12 weeks.