Knowledge is Power

Knowledge is Power Carers Toolkit

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER TOOLKIT

As a Carer, you will no doubt come across lots of information, from names and contacts to appointments and possible resources of equipment, help, and information. Keeping track of all these and organising what needs prioritising can be a daunting task and the phrase that can often be heard is ‘I just don’t know where to start.’

Recognising that you are an ‘unpaid Carer’ is important and If you are looking at this you may already have come to the VSA Carers Service so you have made a good start already!

This toolkit aims to give you a starting point and provide you with some knowledge of what may be important to you as a Carer and your rights to help you perhaps feel some sense of empowerment.

Carers (Scotland) Act 2016

A good starting point is the Carers (Scotland) Act 2016 which became effective on 1st April 2018.

The Carers Act is a law that enhances the rights of unpaid carers in Scotland. The Act is intended to recognise the valuable role that carers have when looking after people with care needs as a result of their illness, condition, or disability.

A key feature of the Act relates to carer involvement, there is a duty to involve carers in the assessment of the cared-for person, as far as is reasonable and practical. Once an assessment is completed, arrangements will be made for regular reviews and the duty to involve carers still applies.

Coalition of Carers in Scotland Factsheet

What to expect when...The person you care for is being assessed Click here

Some other key provisions of the Act are:

1. You have the right to an Adult Carer Support Plan (ACSP)

One of the most important rights to come from the new Carers Act and a good starting point is the entitlement to have an Adult Carer Support Plan. An important distinction to make is that this is separate from any assessment which the person you are caring for might have. The ACSP is a document for YOU, as a Carer, in your own right and seeks to capture your role and needs as a Carer.

The plan will initially detail exactly what you do for the person you care for and is a chance for you to tell your story. This can often be quite emotional and even challenging but your Carer Advisor is there to support and reassure you through this process.

The plan is then broken down into the following sections:

•Health

•Relationships

•Finances

•The Caring Role

•Emotional Wellbeing

•Work (Employment, Training, and Education)

•Life Balance/T ime for Yourself,

•Future Planning

Each carer will face different challenges although often there will also be many similarities this should not, and does not, detract from your right to seek help and support, however big or small.

When working through the plan, not every area may be a problem that you feel is significantly impacted by your caring role. However, where it is, it is very important to identify and acknowledge this in the relevant section of the plan.

An example may be an impact on your physical health. You may suffer from a back complaint but feel like you have to ‘just get on with it’ but actually, you are in considerable pain and find it difficult to attend a GP appointment. Through your ACSP a need may be identified for some equipment that might help and a referral can then be made to the relevant services or it may become evident that you need some help with care.

In the discussion, and through your ACSP, your Advisor can help you identify what you need and just how much of a difference this might make for you. If you have had no previous contact with agencies, relevant referrals, for example to Occupational Therapists and/or Care Management, can then be made.

The process of contacting social work (Care Management) for the first time can often be a daunting and confusing one. Working with the Carers Service and your Advisor can often be a way of bridging this gap and starting the process, particularly if more care may be required or a need for respite identified.

The ACSP is a document which, in essence, captures your story and your voice and remember, it is your right to have that voice heard!

As you will see completing an ACSP and engaging with the Carers Service will help to give you much of the information which you need as a Carer and the service is always available to advise and signpost.

Coalition of Carers in Scotland Factsheet

What to expect when...You make an Adult Carer Support Plan Click here

2. You have a right to support to meet any needs which you may identify (based on you meeting the Eligibility Criteria set out)

Another important provision under the Act is that Eligibility Criteria for Carers must set out the specifics about thresholds that need to be met for funding. Many elements will be considered and this is usually undertaken with the completion of an Adult Carer Support Plan which your Carer Advisor would support you with.

Once you complete an adult carer support plan, there will be agreed actions. If you meet the local eligibility criteria, you should be supported to choose the services and/or support that is right for you and best meet your outcomes.

If you do not meet the local eligibility criteria, a discussion with your Carer Advisor will provide you with information about what support there is and, where appropriate, signpost you to other organisations which can also help. There will also be an agreement on when, and under which circumstances, a review of the plan will take place.

3. You have a right to be involved in Services, your views are taken into account and considered

The core principles underpinning the strategy are that Carers should be seen as Equal Partners in care and treated accordingly. It is important that you are identified, valued, and respected for this. The aim is that you can manage your caring role with access to relevant information, support, advice, and services and free from any discrimination.

Following carer conversations that occurred at the time of compiling the strategy, many Carers identified several areas which they felt most impacted on by their caring role and these are broken down into the sections of the Adult Carer Support Plan (as previously mentioned.) The plan will break down each or any of these sections further, as is relevant to you as an individual. The extent to which a particular area is being impacted on can in turn then be measured against the eligibility criteria.

Carer involvement also relates to the planning and development of services. Carers must be involved in the development of the local Carer Strategy as well as the local Short Break Services Statement. If you would like to find out more about being involved in local carer strategy developments, please contact the VSA Carers Centre on 01224 727670 or email: carers.shire@vsa.org.uk

• Local Health Boards have a duty to involve Carers in hospital discharge

4. Local Health Boards have a duty to involve carers, as far as reasonable and practical, when the person they care for is being discharged from hospital.

Being involved means you can get information about when and how the discharge from the hospital will happen. This lets you prepare and helps 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 and gives you the chance to ask any questions e.g. about medication or plans for follow up.

When the person you care for is admitted to the hospital you should speak to staff on the ward and make them aware you are the Carer. Tell them how they can contact you and this is especially important if you are not the next of kin. Staff may not realise that you are the Carer, so it can help them if you let them know.

Coalition of Carers in Scotland Factsheet

What to expect when…..the person you care for is being discharged from hospital

Click here

Coalition of Carers in Scotland Factsheet

About the Carers (Scotland) Act 2018 Click here

Short break-funding

As is often the case your ACSP may well identify the need for some respite from your caring role.

Our Carers Service has a fund called Time to Live and it is operated by Shared Care Scotland on behalf of National Carers organisations and the Scottish Government.

Carers can apply to the Carers service for a grant up to the value of £250 which you, as a Carer, are entitled to. This is designed to be used to give you a break from your caring role for something which may benefit you and help you to sustain your caring role. It can be extremely tiring being a Carer and this funding can help you have a well- earned bit of time to yourself through a break, class, or activity which will help ‘recharge your batteries.’

Of course, in these challenging times, options may have changed but we would still encourage you to think creatively in something which may be of benefit to you at this time.

You could set up a subscription for books, an online educational course, or sign up to learn a foreign language. However, you can use it to have a weekend away either with the person you are caring for or with friends.

Breathing space as a Carer is so very important and it is also important to look after yourself and take that time for you as an individual in your own right.

There are often other grants that become available which the Carers Service can advise you of and find out if you are eligible to apply for.

Newsflash - New Carers Card

This year’s Carers Week was themed ‘Making Caring Visible’ and saw the launch of a new initiative seeking to give carers recognition as equal partners in care in the form of a new Carers Card.

The lockdown and subsequent restrictions have been and continue to be very difficult for many Carers and placed them under immense strain. Many found it difficult to get their shopping, particularly at the height of lockdown, or even book an online slot and were worried about getting back to the person they cared for but had no way of explaining this to supermarkets. The Carers Card seeks to give them the recognition which they deserve and make them more visible. Information on applying for a card can be obtained from the Carers Service or your Carer Advisor.

The VSA Carers Service is here to help you to navigate your way through the system, to support, advise, and signpost.

A referral to our service, at whatever stage you are at in your caring journey, is often a very good starting point.

We hope this toolkit and the information contained within it will have given you an idea of what support you can access as an unpaid Carer and help to make you feel that you are valued and have the right to a life alongside your caring role.

Other

https://carers.org/taking-care-of-yourself/reducing-stress

https://www.nhsinform.scot/healthy-living/mental-wellbeing/five-

https://llttf.com/

https://clearyourhead.scot/