Carers

Clackmannanshire and Stirling Health and Social Care Partnership aims to support unpaid carers in partnership with local Carer Support Organisations, carer representatives and wider third sector partners working to support carers.

The focus is on having good conversations and asking you, as a carer what you need to improve your life as well as what support you require to continue in your caring role.

• Who is a Carer?
• How to Register as a Carer
• Carers Support Pack / Short Breaks Bureau
• Carers Strategy
• Get Involved
• Carers Week 5 – 11th June 2023
• Additional Resources

Who is a Carer?

If you help to look after a partner, child, relative or friend who needs your help due to disability, illness, frailty or substance use.

Unpaid carers are those that provide care out with a work contract or as voluntary work regardless of whether they are in receipt of welfare benefits, pensions or income from other types of employment.

How to Register as a Carer

It is important to access a variety of support options that can help support/continue to support you in your caring role.

By registering you will be able to access supports such as:

• Carers support groups, peer support and making connections
• Short breaks and respite
• Income maximisation and benefits support
• Hospital based carer support
• Training and employment support
• Access to the Forth Valley Carers Card

Contact your local Carers Centre to register.

Carer Support Framework (Carers Eligibility Criteria)

Following the consultation, the Carers Support Framework has been improved to include information for you as a carer. Within this is the framework which determines carers eligibility for support which is used by carer support organisations as well as adult and children services.

You can access the Carer Support Framework here to see the support you are eligible for.

Carers Support Pack / Short Breaks Bureau

A Carers Support Pack is now available, which includes suggestions of useful contact numbers of services that provide support to carers across Clackmannanshire and Stirling.

Any service can be added to this list. However, it is important to highlight that the Clackmannanshire and Stirling Health and Social Care Partnership are not promoting or endorsing services on this list. These are solely provided for information to widen the choice and control of services you may need to support you in your caring role. It is advisable that you do your own enquiries to ensure your choice is the best fit for your needs and to check the standards of the services.

The development of a Short Breaks Bureau service is underway and can provide you with information and guidance as a carer as well as signposting you to services that can provide support to enable you a break from your caring role. If you would like to have a chat please contact: shortbreaksbureau@stirling.gov.uk

Carers Strategy

Clackmannanshire and Stirling Health and Social Care Partnership are currently working on the revised local Carers strategy which will be available here once the consultation begins and will align with Scotland’s National Carer Strategy, published in December 2022.

The National Carers strategy focuses on five different aspects of unpaid carer support, these being:

• Living with COVID-19
• Recognising, valuing and involving carers
• Health and social care support
• Social and financial inclusion
• Young carers

View the strategy here.

Get Involved

As a carer there are many ways you can have your say across Clackmannanshire and Stirling and the Health and Social Care Partnership encourages you to participate in the Carer Support Framework consultation.

Carers Week 10 – 16th June 2024

Carers Week takes place in June every year with a range of activities available to support carers – these are arranged and promoted through your local Carers Centres and supported by Clackmannanshire and Stirling Health and Social Care Partnership.

This year, leading up to Carers week, we are hosting a ‘Celebration for Carers’ drop in event on Wednesday 5 June 2024 (11am to 3pm), please save the date and further information will be published shortly.

Come along and join us on the day to see how you can be supported as a carer, with the right support, carers can live full and positive lives within supportive communities, some of our carers stories have been published below.

Additional Resources

• Carers (Scotland) Act 2016: statutory guidance – updated July 2021 (gov.scot)
• Carers’ charter (gov.scot)
• Coalition of Carers in Scotland – From Recognition to Rights (carersnet.org)
• Supporting Carers in Scotland (Carers Trust Scotland)