Commitments to enhance employment support and improve the availability and range of respite breaks feature as part of a long-awaited Carer Strategy, now published by the Scottish government.

A National Carers Strategy, initially promised by spring, was published just before Christmas.

A total of 89 actions are included within the strategy which outlines how the government will improved the lives of carers by the end of the parliamentary term in 2026.

Among the actions is a commitment to, ‘as soon as practicable and within the lifetime of the parliament’, end all charges for non-residential social care support.

Funding for carer centres and young carer services will be increased ‘where possible’, according to the document.

The Scottish government has also committed to working with local commissioners to improve the availability and range of short-term breaks across Scotland, including easy-access preventative breaks support.

The strategy comes amidst reports of unpaid carers “spiralling into poverty” due to the cost crisis, with many being forced to cut back on food and heating to make ends meet.

Carers have told the Care Inspectorate that accessing services is an “exhausting process”, with fewer than half of those involved in the care regulator’s national inquiry into unpaid care feeling like they had been treated by services with understanding and compassion.

Meanwhile, attendees of last month’s annual Carers Parliament raised concerns that much of the funding supposed to enhance their support is being lost within other local health and care spending.

The strategy says the government will ‘continue to encourage authorities to spend their full share of Carers Act funding’ on carer support, ahead of establishing a National Care Service where Ministers will become responsible for social care spending decisions.

When the strategy was first announced in February, both Carers Scotland and the Coalition of Carers in Scotland said that actions must be initially targeted toward short-term support to ensure carers can recover from the pandemic.

Now published more than ten months later, Carers Scotland says actions to improve the lives of carers must now be “progressed at pace”:

“In these most challenging of times, alongside this the Scottish government and public bodies must seek out and grasp every opportunity to improve carers lives and to provide the support they desperately need. This includes support for those carers whose caring role has come to an end."

The Director of the Coalition of Carers, Claire Cairns, says the strategy will require “significant investment and measurable actions” in the short and long-term for its aims to be fully realised:

“In launching the National Carers Strategy, we are pleased that the Scottish government recognises the multiple challenges faced by unpaid carers, which have left many of them at breaking point. Through the strategy, they have shown a continued commitment to improving carer support and addressing the problems caused by the pandemic and the historic underinvestment in social care. 

“In order to be fully realised we believe the strategy will require significant investment and measurable actions for both short-term recovery and long-term reform.” 

The strategy says it will continue to fund and promote increased uptake of the Carer Positive employer accreditation scheme, to ensure carers have access to flexible and inclusive workplaces.

Balancing employment with caring responsibilities was found in a national audit of caring to be a key challenge faced by carers.

The new multi-year Workplace Equality Fund, set up to support workplaces to become more inclusive and diverse, will also help carers to overcome the workforce inequalities they face, according to the publication.

In the long term, the strategy commits the Scottish government to develop options for improving Scottish Carer’s Assistance and on-going work to consider a Minimum Income Guarantee.

For young carers, a full time Education Officer tasked with raising awareness of young carers in schools will also be funded.

Difficulty in identifying carers is one barrier to them receiving the support they need early, according to this year’s Carers Trust Scotland’s media ambassadors, as they called for greater awareness across education settings and workplaces.

Carers will be involved directly in measuring and monitoring the impact of the strategy during its lifespan until 2026 – including those who don’t engage with formal services – according to the strategy.

The commitment to include carers throughout the process has been welcomed by the Coalition of Carers’ Claire Cairns:

“We are committed to continuing to support the implementation of the national carers strategy and the right to breaks from caring as part of the National Care Service. In particular, we welcome the Scottish government's continued engagement with unpaid carers as equal partners in care in the delivery of these important developments.”

Social Care Minister Kevin Stewart says the strategy “provides a coherent picture of what the Scottish government is doing to build a sustainable future for unpaid carers”:

“The strategy sets out how we will support unpaid carers to care for loved ones without the financial worries and social isolation. 1 in 8 of us cares for someone, and we should be able to do that without having to fight for support, recognition, and quality of life.”

 

Read more: Care crisis to hit rural regions hardest; Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry core participants revealed; Inquiry: Social work systems “exhausting” for carers

 

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