Caring Together and Getting it Right for Young Carers Progress

This report summarises the action to support carers and young carers. It also addressess the issues raised by carers and young carers at the first Carers Parliament.


Introduction

This report summarises the action in hand to support carers and young carers. It addresses many of the issues raised by carers and young carers at the first Carers Parliament. It also takes on board some of the concerns raised. Better outcomes are being achieved for some carers and young carers. For others, there is much more to do. Work to support carers and young carers is through implementation of the Carers and Young Carers Strategies and through wider legislative opportunities and policy and practice-based developments.

The Scottish Government has invested, and is investing, over £98 million in supporting carers and young carers between 2008 and 2015. This is supplemented by resources through the dementia and other strategies and through funding to individual condition-specific organisations which support carers. Moreover, over the next 10 years the Life Changes Trust will invest £25 million in supporting people newly diagnosed with dementia (and as the illness progresses) and their carers. The allocation of the £98 million is set out in Table 1.

Local authorities, with Health Boards, the voluntary sector and other partners are responsible for supporting carers and young carers within their areas. This report includes a small selection of local initiatives gathered by the Scottish Government's Carers Branch over the past year.

The first part of the report addresses support to adult carers but since some of the initiatives are relevant to all carers, including young carers, we highlight where they apply to young carers. The second part of the report is relevant to young carers only.

Table 1

Year

Initiative

Description

£,000,000

2008 - 2015

NHS Board Carer Information Strategies (CIS)

Identification of, and a wide range of support to, carers and young carersthroughout Scotland, including in rural areas and also including Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) carers

£28,900,000

2010 - 2015

Voluntary sector Short Breaks Fund run by Shared Care Scotland and the Family Fund

Short breaks for carers and young carers: Creative Breaks, Better Breaks, Take A Break and Time to Live. Better Breaks and Take A Break specifically support disabled children and young people and their parent-carers

£13,000,000

2008 - 2015

Support to young carers

Includes the annual Young Carers Festival and the Eryc and Trayc initiative in primary schools

£3,750,000

From 2011

Short breaks

To help local authorities maintain the extra 10,000 respite weeks

£2,820,000

2011 - 2015

Reshaping Care for Older People Change Fund

At least 20% of the Change Fund is to support carers of older people

£46,000,000

2008 - 2015

Support to the National Carers Organisations

Core and Project funding covering a wide range of initiatives

£3,723,000

Contact

Email: Dawn Sungu

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