Are you a carer?

Professionals can provide you with information and advice to enable you to make informed choices, such as how to access services, help with completing an Adult Carer Support Plan and information on short breaks. Every carer can access information and advice from a range of sources.

The Equal Partners in Care (EPIC) leaning resources has been designed for health and care staff.

The EPiC core principles are based on six key outcomes for carers and young carers. They were developed in partnership with a wide range of stakeholders including carers and young carers. The principles support workforce education and learning and promote consistent understanding of how to work effectively with carers.  Whatever your role, there will always be opportunities to identify carers and to work in ways which:

• recognise, acknowledge and value the role of carers as partners in care
• involve carers in planning for the person they care for
• support carers to manage their caring role
• avoid discrimination and disadvantage related to the caring role
• support the carer to have a life outside caring Working in partnership with carers results in better outcomes for everyone involved

Lanarkshire Carers training programme provides a range of condition-specific sessions and topics that address issues identified by carers throughout their caring journey. The courses they deliver can be found on their website.

When you become a carer, or your caring role changes, it may affect your finances. Scottish Government has detailed Social Security Scotland benefits that are available to carers.

We have a team of dedicated welfare rights officers in the Money Matters Advice Service who can help you with a benefits check.

Carers can ask for a review of their current and potential benefits entitlement. Although the benefits system can be complicated, they could help to increase your household income and can sometimes help protect your State Pension entitlement in the future, depending on your circumstances.

Money Is Not The Only Problem is a new online resource that you can access to get the help, support and guidance that is available to you and your family regarding finances and wellbeing. There is a wealth of information and contact details for a range of topics, such as money, housing, wellbeing, healthy eating, funerals, employment, and education.

You can also contact Lanarkshire Carers to have a conversation with them about the financial impact of caring and ways you can be supported. Lanarkshire Carers has a range of support services for carers living in Lanarkshire including direct carer grant funding which may assist carers to:

• Take a short break from caring
• Help carers who have an unexpected but necessary expense such as the cost of repair/replacement of white goods, equipment and essential items
• Help those in financial hardship due to reduced and limited incomes
• Access other things that can help reduce isolation and exclusion

Local CAB (Citizen Advice Bureau) provide a range of general advice services including benefits, debt and money, see details in the useful contacts section.

Taking a break from caring can sometimes be challenging due to personal circumstances or the nature of the caring role, but it is important that carers take some time out now and again. A short break should be designed around the carer; it should reflect their individual goals. Choice and flexibility are central to short breaks for carers. Alternatively, the carer and cared-for person can go away together.

For more information, please read our Short Break Services Statement.

As a carer you need to know that if an emergency happens you have a plan in place to deal with the situation.

If an emergency happens a plan can help ease your worries if you are not able to care for the person you look after either in the long or short term.

Future Care Planning is what used to be known as “Anticipatory Care Planning.” These plans will gradually be replaced with “ReSPECT,” which stands for “Recommended Summary Plan for Emergency Care and Treatment.” This new programme aims to help everyone get the right care at the right time, in the right place.

Carers are able to create plans that can involve their friends or family, or you may need the reassurance of involvement from the Health and Social Care Partnership in case your informal arrangements cannot meet your needs at any point. The plan will hold lots of details about the person you look after that will ensure this information can be easily accessed if needed.

Enable Scotland has developed some emergency planning resources that can support you to create an emergency plan that make provisions for occasions where you are unable to fulfil your caring role. Lanarkshire Carers can also help you with this.

Advocacy support does not guarantee a successful outcome, but it does give a carer an assurance that they have been listened to. You, the carer, decide what you want to say; advocacy supports you to do it. Advocacy services listen to what a carer has to say about their circumstances, helping carers to identify and prioritise issues allowing carers to deal with the challenges they face with greater confidence. Advocacy is provided to priority groups, some who cannot advocate for themselves due to a disability, long term condition, dementia, or mental ill health and carers. We have commissioned Equal Say to provide Advocacy support in South Lanarkshire.

If you are caring for someone with a terminal illness, you may be able to get access to support more quickly. In this instance, a terminal illness is defined as a progressive disease where the person is not expected to live more than six months.

The Coalition of Carers In Scotland, in partnership with Marie Curie, have created a guide called What to expect when caring for someone with a terminal illness containing more information and where to go for advice and support.

Coping with grief will mean trying to find a balance between your emotions and managing practical day to day life. This can be especially hard If you are dealing with other pressures. Services dedicated to providing bereavement support to Carers are provided by The Haven.

The Carers (Scotland) Act 2016 introduced new rights for carers: What are my rights - Coalition of Carers in Scotland.

Occasionally carers can encounter legal issues that can be very daunting. A range of legal services are available to carers through Lanarkshire Carers, delivered in partnership with local and national providers. This includes information, advice and support with Will Writing, Power of Attorney, Guardianship and other legal aspects relating to caring.

For more information on Power Of Attorney, please visit our dedicated page.

Local CAB (Citizen Advice Bureau) provide a range of general advice services including law and courts, housing and consumer advice.

Carers have the right to be informed, heard and their views considered and should be involved in the discharge process. This applies for planned or unscheduled admissions and where it is likely that you will be providing care after the person you care for is discharged. The NHS has a duty to inform and involve you in the discharge planning.

Healthcare professionals should have an early conversation with you to inform you of the discharge date and hear your views to plan for the right supports to be put in place following discharge. Being involved in discharge planning will help you be better prepared and will help ensure the person you care for has support to help them at home after discharge. It also means you can inform staff about how things are at home, you can find out about follow up plans, appointments, and medication.

You should be asked about the support and services you as a carer might need. Lanarkshire Carers have a dedicated hospital support team to assist you as a carer.

We use Recite Me to help people use our website to do the things they need to do. It can be used to:

• Have the text on our website read aloud (including most downloads)
• Download the text as an MP3 file to play it where and when it suits you.
• Change font sizes and colour.
• Customise background colour.
• Translate text into more than 100 different languages.

More information on our translation and interpreting services can be found at Translation and Interpretation Services.

Lanarkshire Carers has an Equality and Diversity Carer Support Service. The work they do includes supporting minority ethnic backgrounds, as well as other groups facing barriers such as LGBTQ+. This includes provision of information and support in multiple languages (including phone support in Urdu, Punjabi, and Hindi) as well as engagement, consultation and awareness raising with minority communities at cultural events and other forums.

There is a range of care services in South Lanarkshire provided by voluntary organisations, community groups and private companies that can help you as a carer and the person you support. Some examples include care homes, care at home, befriending, meals delivery and small repairs services. We have included a selection of links to directories and websites that can help you find the right support for you in our useful contacts and resources.

Take Control is a Self-Directed Support Service that provides all eligible people to explore all the options of SDS to promote independent living by helping people access information, skills, and support to overcome barriers and make informed choices. This includes assistance with the recruitment of Personal Assistants and payroll.

There is a wide range of services and supports offered to support you and the person/people you care for to enable them to live as independently as possible from home. This ranges from day opportunities, community alarms, assistive technology, equipment, adaptations. help with personal care and/or self-directed support funding options.

This is usually accessed through Social Work Resources via an assessment. For more details, please visit our social work pages.