Category

• Promising Local Practice

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Poverty impact

• Mitigation

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Poverty driver

• Reduce cost of living
• Increase income from benefits
• Non-driver - improving quality of life

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Keywords

• Unpaid carers
• Carers
• Cost-of-living crisis
• Income Maximisation
• Advocacy

Aim

To consult with carers on how the increased costs associated with cost-of-living crises are affecting carers and the people they care for via surveys and the NLCT Carer Forum.

Ask carers their opinions via these engagement tools on possible low barrier, accessible solutions that could be delivered at a local level across North Lanarkshire.

Campaign on behalf of carers publicly and at a local government and Health and Social Care North Lanarkshire level to achieve outcomes that will support carers facing hardship this winter.

Summary

North Lanarkshire Carers Together (NLCT) are an information and advice service for unpaid carers and professionals, offering a range of services ensuring carers rights and needs are known, upheld, and considered as part of local and national policy and guidance development. NLCT launched their “Tackling the Cost-Of-Living Emergency for Unpaid Carers in North Lanarkshire WE ASKED, YOU SAID, WE DID” Campaign to support unpaid carers who are experiencing ever increasing levels of financial hardship. NLCT speak to unpaid carers daily and gather local data on how current financial pressures affect unpaid carers and the people they care for. NLCT’s findings and recommendations have been successful in implementing much needed measures in North Lanarkshire.

What difference does it make?

As a result of the campaign's findings and recommendations, important measures have been implemented in North Lanarkshire.

The implementation of £1000 hospital discharge payments offered to carers upon hospital discharge of the person they care for is enabling people to leave hospital and fund carers for up to a six-week period to provide essential care.

An effort to increase the number of unpaid carers who access their own Self-Directed Support (SDS) budgets to support them in their caring roles.

An immediate implementation of the latest Scottish Government guidance around increased flexibility around what current SDS payments can be used for.

A new approach from North Lanarkshire Council’s Tackling Poverty team that prioritises identifying unpaid carers during support calls and signposts them to specific services and supports to alleviate specific caring role-related financial stressors.

Key take-aways

• The project is the first to highlight the difficulties unpaid carers are facing due to the cost-of-living crisis in North Lanarkshire, despite them being the largest workforce in the area.
• NLCT’s recommendation to make a one-off cash payment to carers was not implemented. Health and Social Care North Lanarkshire and North Lanarkshire Council explained that this may trigger benefit checks from the Department for Work and Pensions and adversely impact carers financially.
• NLCT are providing a vital community point of contact for carers across North Lanarkshire. They are a go-to resource for unpaid carers.

 

Organisations

North Lanarkshire Carers Together, North Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnership, North Lanarkshire Council

Location

North Lanarkshire local authority area

Contact