Adult Carer Support Plans

So welcome to our information presentation about Adult Carer Support Plans. This video will be brief yet informative and lasts about 20 minutes.

So find yourself a comfy spot, maybe grab a cup of tea and settle in. I’ll talk you through some slides and explain what all of this could mean for you.

So during the session we’ll be having a look at the following: What is an Adult Care Support Plan and who is eligible? You know, what exactly is it and who can benefit from it.

We’ll have a look at understanding the importance of the Adult Carer Support plan and why this is so crucial for carers. We’ll look at what should be included in the plan and then look at the key elements that should be there.

We’ll spend quite a bit of time on that. We’ll have a look at who is responsible for completing the plan and who plays a pivotal role in pulling it all together.

We’ll look at who you can share the plan with, and who are the people that you can entrust it with to help and support you moving forward.

And we’ll have a look at what happens after the Adult Carer Support Plan is completed. What’s next? You know, once your plan is all set and done.

So what is the Adult Carer Support Plan?

An Adult Carer Support Plan is a personalised plan to support people who are providing unpaid care, and it starts with a conversation about your role as a carer and what matters most to you in your life.

This discussion helps us get an idea of your needs and what you hope to achieve, allowing us to create a plan that supports you in balancing life and caring.

The Carers Act (Scotland) 2016 stipulates that any individual who is currently providing or intends to provide regular care is eligible for an Adult Carer Support Plan. For young carers, this is also known as a Young Carer Statement and it’s carried out slightly differently for young people.

The Adult Carer Support Plan helps identify the support that you might need to continue caring whilst maintaining your own wellbeing and achieving your own personal goals.

It’s worth noting at this point that you might still hear professionals refer to the Adult Carer Support Plan as a Carer’s Assessment. However, the Carer s Assessment no longer exists and was replaced by the Adult Care Support Plan when they implemented the Carers (Scotland) Act.

OK, so now let’s talk about the significance of an Adult Carer Support Plan. An Adult Carer Support Plan helps carers to think about the support they might need as a carer, both now and in the future.

Think of the Adult Care Support Plan as a road map. It guides you in considering the type of support you might need if you choose to continue in your caring role, and what could assist you in maintaining a balanced life whilst caring.

And the plan outlines your needs and how they will be addressed. It can also help the carer, as well as others they engage with, to identify and better understand their support needs.

Creating this plan is also a step towards determining your position in the local eligibility criteria for support. And this position will be used to decide the support you are entitled to.

Regardless of the level that you are at in the eligibility criteria, every carer has the right o access information and support from community organisations such as your local carer centre.

Additionally, you may be eligible for other forms of support. An Adult Carer Support Plan is not just a document, it can be a lifeline for carers.

Your needs are as important as the person you care for. You can’t pour from an empty cup.

Who has responsibility for completing the Adult Carer Support Plan? As a carer, it’s important to know that the local authority in the area where the person you’re caring for lives is there to help you.

They’re in charge of providing and setting up an Adult Carer Support Plan, and they’ll collaborate with you to figure out the best time and methods for discussing the plan.

In some places, this might be coordinated through another service. If you’re in Edinburgh or Midlothian, you’re in luck. VOCAL is able to assist you with an Adult Carer Support plan when it’s appropriate, and there’s also a variety of other third-sector agencies that can support you with this.

So remember, you’re not alone in this journey and there are many resources and supports available to help you.

So what should be included in the Adult Carer Support Plan?

Your plan is more than just a document. It’s a reflection of your own caring journey and it should be filled with personal touches like quotes and examples that mean something to you.

Because the Adult Carer Support Plan is all about you, and it should outline the goals that you’re aiming for and the support that you need from others to achieve them.

This includes looking at your personal circumstances and the nature and extent of care that you provide or intend to provide. And it could also include things like discussions around childcare responsibilities, finances, paid work or education, for example.

So remember, your Adult Carer Support Plan isn’t set in stone.

It’s a living document that grows and evolves with you, and you can update it and review it as you progress in your role as a carer. The plan should have clear actions, details on who is responsible for what and when. This way everybody knows what their role is and can work together effectively.

Now we’re going to have a chat in a little bit more detail, about what should be included in the Adult Carer Support Plan.

The Adult Carer Support Plan is designed to help you reflect on your wellbeing and daily life and it will guide you to think about the following. How long do you spend caring each day or each week (because this might fluctuate)? What type of care do you provide?

Is it emotional support, personal care, financial assistance, transport or supervision?

The plan will help you consider what makes a good day and what makes a bad day for you.

The plan will discuss whether you want to continue providing care and how this affects your wellbeing, and it will also explore the support that you need to have a life alongside caring.

So, for example, an outcome or a goal that you might set in this plan could be to have a life outside of caring, and the support that you need to do so could include referrals for a break, respite or leisure activities.

Or other examples to include for your wellbeing might include accessing a counsellor or participating in wellbeing activities.

The Adult Carer Support Plan can play a crucial role in improving your physical and mental health.

It can provide information around health services tailored specifically for carers, ensuring that you receive the medical attention and support that you need.

This includes regular check-ups and mental health support. It can offer guidance on self-care and stress management, for example, and the plan can also offer training on maintaining a healthy lifestyle, including advice on nutrition and exercise.

It can explore options to access respite, which allows you to take a break and recharge. This guidance could help you to improve your overall physical and mental health, making it easier to manage your caring responsibilities.

One of the key aims of the Adult Carer Support Plan is to ensure that you remain healthy and resilient.

By prioritising your own health, the plan helps you to continue providing care without compromising your own wellbeing, and this support ultimately leads to a better quality of life for both you and the person that you care for.

The Adult Carer Support Plan can significantly assist you with managing your finances. It provides guidance on access and financial support, such as benefits and grants, which can help alleviate some of that financial burden associated with caring.

The plan ensures you’re aware of all of the financial resources and support available to you to help pay for care so you can make informed decisions about your own finances.

And additionally, the plan can connect you with financial advisors who specialise in supporting carers, and these advisors can help you create a budget, manage debt and plan for future expenses.

By receiving tailored financial advice, you can achieve greater financial stability and peace of mind.

One of the main outcomes of the Adult Carer Support plan is to ensure that you, as an unpaid carer, have the financial support and knowledge that you need to manage your caring responsibility without undue financial stress.

And this support helps you focus more on your caring role and less on financial worries, contributing to a balanced and more fulfilling life.

The plan will also include a discussion about your relationships. The Adult Carer Support Plan is designed to help you maintain and strengthen relationships, and it ensures that you have time to spend with those who are important to you, fostering meaningful connections.

It’s there to reduce isolation. If you’re feeling lonely, the plan can guide you towards support groups or social activities that can offer companionship and a sense of community. This approach not only helps you manage your caring responsibilities but also supports your emotional wellbeing by keeping you connected with others.

Additionally, the plan can provide access to counselling services, helping you navigate any relationship challenges and changes that might arise due to the stress of caring.

By addressing these issues, you can achieve a more balanced and fulfilling personal life. You know, the ultimate outcome is to ensure that you, as an unpaid carer, feel supported and valued, while also maintaining healthy and positive relationships with those people that are close to you.

Now, let’s have a look at living environment. The Adult Carer Support Plan can help enhance your living environment, making it more comfortable and conducive to your caring role.

It can provide information and signpost to you towards home adaptations and equipment that can make daily tasks easier and safer for both you and the person that you care for. So this might include things like installing a grab rail, ramp or stair lift, for example, as well as providing specialist furniture or mobility aids.

The plan can offer advice and support on managing household tasks and maintaining a clean, organised living space because we all know that this helps reduce stress and creates a more pleasant living environment for everybody involved.

You may also receive referrals to get help with home maintenance and repairs, ensuring that your living conditions are safe and well-maintained.

One of the key outcomes of the Adult Carer Support Plan is to enhance your overall quality of life by creating a living environment that supports your health and wellbeing.

By addressing the physical aspects of your home, the plan helps you to focus more on your caring responsibilities without being overwhelmed by these environmental challenges.

Because personal safety is a crucial aspect of this plan, and it includes measures to ensure that your home is secure and that you have the necessary tools and knowledge to handle emergencies.

This might involve things like installing smoke detectors, providing first aid training, or offering guidance on how to prevent accidents in the home.

By prioritising personal safety, the plan helps to create a secure environment where you can confidently carry out your caring duties.

So, next up is planning for the future. The Adult Carer Support Plan is designed to assist you with future planning, ensuring that you are well prepared for any eventualities.

It provides guidance on creating an emergency plan, which includes steps to take in case of sudden illness over another emergency. This planning shows that you have a clear strategy for the person that you care for in place, so you can act quickly and effectively when needed.

Another important aspect for future planning is setting up Power of Attorney. The Support Plan can guide you through the process of appointing someone to make decisions on behalf of the person that you care for, should they become unable to do so for themselves.

This legal arrangement provides peace of mind, knowing that their financial, wellbeing, health and welfare decisions will be managed according to their best interests.

It’s always worth keeping in mind at this point that establishing Power of Attorney can be quite time-consuming, so we recommend not waiting until the last minute to put this in place.

The Support Plan also explores whether Appointeeship could be beneficial as it may help you to manage the benefits of the person that you care for if they are unable to do so.

This ensures that their financial affairs are handled properly and that they receive the support that they are entitled to.

Additionally, Guardianship might be needed for those who have lost capacity and need someone to make more comprehensive decisions on their behalf. Covering aspects beyond financial matters, such as personal welfare and healthcare.

Long-term care options are another crucial element of the Support Plan. It helps you explore and understand the various long-term care services available, ensuring that the person that you care for receives the appropriate level of care as their needs evolve over time. This might include things like residential care, home care services, or other specialist support.

The anticipatory care plan is also linked to your electronic medical records. This is known as KIS, the key information summary.

In the event of an emergency, emergency service and out-of-hours can access your information to gather details about your caring role and your own medical wants and needs, such as how you want to be treated, for example, at home or in the hospital, and this can remove the need for a difficult conversation at a very stressful time.

The Adult Carer Support Plan is designed to assist you with employment and training, ensuring that you have the necessary resources and opportunities to balance your caring responsibilities with your career aspirations.

The plan provides guidance on accessing training programmes that can enhance your skills and qualifications, making it easy for you to find suitable employment or advance in your job.

Understanding your rights at work as a carer is also a crucial aspect of the Plan, and it provides you with information on your legal entitlements, such as your right to request flexible working hours, protection against discrimination, and Carer’s Leave.

Knowing these rights empowers you to advocate for yourself in the workplace, ensuring that your needs as a carer are respected and accommodated. The plan can also signpost to specialist advice services, to support you with advocacy at work if needed.

So we’ve covered all the topics for the Adult Carer Support Plan. I hope this helps you decide whether this Plan will be a supportive option for you.

So who can you share your Adult Carer Support Plan with?

As a carer, sharing your plan is a great step towards receiving the help that you need. It saves you having to re-tell your caring journey and role in great detail over and over again.

By sharing it with your local council, NHS healthcare providers, carer support organisations, and family members, you can access tailored services, medical advice, emotional support and assistance from those around you.

Remember, sharing your plan not only helps you to receive personalised care and support, but also helps your family and those you care for to understand your caring role just that little bit better.

So what happens after the Adult Carer Support Plan is completed?

The Council will look at the risk to the sustainability of your caring role and it will assess the risk if you do not get support. If your caring is assessed as having a critical or substantial impact, they have a duty to provide you with support.

If you do not meet this criteria for support, you will still have access to a range of support available through VOCAL and other community services.

You can ask for a review of your Adult Carer Support Plan whenever there is a change in your circumstances or whenever was agreed, when it was completed.

And if you’re not happy with the outcome of your Adult Carer Support Plan, you can make a complaint.

So that brings us to the end of our session today. Thank you very much for taking the time to join us.

If there is anything more you’d like to know, or if you’re ready to take the next step with an Adult Carer Support Plan, please don’t hesitate to reach out on the contact details provided on this slide.

We’re here to help and support you every step of the way.