A national inquiry into unpaid carers’ experience of social work and social care services has revealed major barriers to accessing, understanding and navigating ‘cumbersome’ systems, leaving the majority feeling unsupported to continue caring.

The Care Inspectorate has found support from social services continues to be ‘almost exclusively’ crisis-led, with more than half (52%) of carers feeling that social care and social work staff had a good understanding of their needs.

Staff have told the regulatory body that they want to offer early intervention support to carers - but that a lack of resources, increased workloads and, sometimes, a lack of knowledge and training of how to do so holds them back.

The 2016 Carers Act was introduced by the Scottish government to ensure unpaid carers receive the information, advice and support they need for their role as a carer, and to maintain their own health, wellbeing and quality of life.

However, carers have said not all social work staff seem to be familiar with the legislation, and that accessing services is “an exhausting process”.

The establishment of a straightforward, single point-of-contact was suggested by carers to ensure they receive timely support.

A lack of recent training around Self-Directed Support (SDS) was also raised as a key issue by some social work staff, which has left some carers with limited choice and control.

Some carers even reported having to return budgets due to difficulties hiring personal assistants, which has led to damaged relationships with services and left carers feeling unsupported.

Fewer than half of carers felt they had been treated with compassion and understanding by services, and just a quarter felt supported to continue caring.

In contrast, those carers who reported an ongoing, trusting relationship with a member of social work said this helped them feel understood, valued and supported.

Jackie Irvine, Chief Executive of the Care Inspectorate who carried out the inquiry between March and April this year, said she hopes the findings pave the way for improvements needed to support unpaid carers across Scotland.

Her organisation has called for health and social care partnerships to strike a better balance between early intervention and crisis responses, and to embed SDS as the default approach to working with all carers.

The Care Inspectorate has also recommended that accessibility and availability of short breaks be improved – including a revisit to how local authorities commission services.

Availability of day services and residential respite - a recurring priority identified by carers throughout the inquiry – were found to be frequently lacking across Scotland.

Under the National Care Service (Scotland) Bill, health and social care partnerships will become responsible for ensuring carers are able to take sufficient breaks from caring.

One carer told the Care Inspectorate that “it feels like the pandemic had become a good vehicle for some local authorities to alter and/or remove services”.

A Scottish government audit held in the summer found fewer than 50% of these critical services were fully operational, as a result of workforce challenges and pandemic restrictions.

Total investment in the Carers Act, including short break provision, has increased by £20.4m this year to £88.4m according to the Scottish government.

At last month’s Carers Parliament, Social Care Minister Kevin Stewart admitted much of this funding has not reached carers, with funds allocated for local support being divided between other health and social care spending.

Despite all health and social care partnerships involving carers in the development of strategies and initiatives to some extent, most carers reported feeling consultation was done ‘to’ them and not ‘with them’ and they did not feel listened to.

A key ask from Carers Trust young carer media ambassadors this year is for decision makers to work with young carers from the very beginning of policy creation, rather than at the end of processes or consultations where they can feel like an afterthought.

Carer inclusion on planning and governance bodies was also found by the inquiry to be not fully representative or consistently impactful on policy.

Responding to the publication of the report, Kevin Stewart, said:

“We will continue to engage regularly with carers and the organisations that represent them to make sure we understand their concerns and can act accordingly.”

A national Carers Strategy is due to be published shortly, which the Scottish government says will set out a new approach to carers’ financial inclusion through the Scottish Welfare Fund and supporting carers in employment and education.

The inquiry also reported that financial hardship and balancing employment and caring were key challenges in sustaining caring.

 

Read more: Young carers: Don’t overlook us; New carers continue to face financial crisis; Carers: Where is our funding going?

 

 

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