Are you a carer?
Carers provide unpaid help and support to a relative, friend or neighbour who cannot manage to live independently due to frailty, illness, disability or addiction. You may become a carer at any stage in your life.
Carers provide unpaid support to a relative, friend or neighbour who has a physical disability, a learning disability, mental ill health, dementia, is dependent on alcohol or drugs or who is elderly and frail.
Caring can be a rewarding and fulfilling. It can also be stressful and impact on your health and wellbeing. You may be looking for some help to become more confident as a carer, information about your rights as a carer or support to identify goals for your own life.
For some people and at some times, caring for someone else can be a good experience. Some children and young people talk about gaining confidence, skills and knowledge from being an unpaid carer. Caring for someone can also be stressful and isolating. You may feel as if there is no-one you can speak to or that other people do not understand.
As a carer, you may be doing any one or more of these things:
Are you a young carer?
A young carer is a carer who is under 18 years old or is 18 years of age and is still a pupil at school. The person you care for may be a parent, brother, sister, grandparent or other family member. You may be the main carer, or you may be helping someone else.
Carer eligibility criteria
You can find information about eligibility criteria for adult and young carers in Clackmannanshire.
For further information and support, please access the community directory.
If you are a carer, the Forth Valley Carers card provides identification and recognition of your role as a carer.
Who can I speak to?
Some problems won't go away on their own, but you can feel a lot better when you talk to someone about them. You might want to talk to friends or family or you might decide to talk to someone like a teacher, doctor or social worker if you want someone to help you with something.
If you are finding it hard to find the right moment to bring something up with someone, you might want to try writing it down first in a diary, a poem, or a letter. You could practise what you want to say with ChildLine or telephone 0800 1111.
Where else can I go for help and advice?
If you are a young person, aged 8 – 18, who helps to look after your mum, dad, brother, sister or grandparent, who needs your help due to disability, illness, frailty or addiction- you’re a young carer.
If you are a young carer, you can get information and support from the Falkirk and Clackmannanshire Carers Centre, Young Carers Project on 01259 452394, e: youngcarers@centralcarers.co.uk.
The Young Carers Project will help you to complete a Young Carers Statement which will make sure your views and opinions are heard and set out what information and support you may need in relation to your caring role.
Young Carers Grant
The Young Carer Grant is a yearly cash payment for 16-18 year olds which carers can spend as they choose. Young carers can claim if they are at school, in further education, employed or unemployed.
The Carers (Scotland) Act 2016 introduced new rights for carers. You can request an Adult Carer Support Plan which will set out your personal outcomes and identified needs. There is a duty to provide support for carers.
To find out contact details for your local carers centre for help and advice, please visit the HSCP carers page.
Adult Carer Support Plan
The Adult Carer Support Plan is an opportunity to express your views and needs as an unpaid carer. Please refer to our web page by following the link given.
Respite Care
All carers need a break from caring and how to request an assessment of their needs is explained on our Respite Care web page.
Adult Care
Kilncraigs, Greenside Street, Alloa, FK10 1EB
Tel: 01259 452498 / 450000
Email: adultcare@clacks.gov.uk