Carer Support Payment: island communities impact assessment

Executive Summary

In accordance with section 13 of the 2018 Act, this ICIA has:

• Identified and described areas where Carer Support Payment will have an effect on an island community which is likely to be significantly different from its effect on other communities (including other island communities);
• Consulted and worked with island communities to develop the assessment of the extent to which the Scottish Ministers consider that Carer Support Payment can be developed in such a manner as to improve or mitigate, for island communities, the outcomes resulting from it;
• Considered and proposed mitigation or actions to support the aims of Carer Support Payment within island communities; and
• Considered any financial implications of the above.

This ICIA has considered the potential effects of Carer Support Payment, case transfer, and their impacts on people living in island and remote rural communities. The findings here are based on desk research, engagement with and feedback from carers living in island and remote communities, and analysis of the Scottish Government's consultation on Scottish Carer’s Assistance (as the benefit was previously called), which closed on 23 May 2022.

• The Scottish Carer’s Assistance consultation outlined the Scottish Government’s proposals for how Scottish Carer’s Assistance will look when it first launches, for a new extra payment for those who care for more than one person and the future of Carer’s Allowance Supplement, and set out five priority proposals for future change. The consultation was launched in February 2022, and the Scottish Government response will be published later this year.
• In total, there were 192 responses to the consultation, of which 41 were from organisations and 151 from individuals. Question 45 asked respondents to set out any information they wished to share on the impact of Scottish Carer’s Assistance on Island communities. Ongoing engagement with carer organisations in Scotland has been a key consideration in developing this policy. These views have been sought through the Carer Benefits Advisory Group, which was set up in November 2015 to advise Scottish Ministers on developing policy for social security benefits for carers. Members include Carers Scotland, the Carers Trust, Citizens Advice Scotland, and carer centres.
• Social Security Experience Panel members were interviewed to explore their views on proposals on how Scottish Carer’s Assistance could be different from Carer’s Allowance. The research was designed to provide data for a range of proposals on: how Scottish Carer’s Assistance should work when it is first introduced, extra payments for carers in Scotland, and further changes to be made to Scottish Carer’s Assistance in the future. The research took place from March to July 2022. It involved a survey completed by 242 Panel members and follow-up interviews with 16 participants. Many interview participants highlighted the impact of the Carer Support Payment proposals on carers who are located in rural and island communities.
• Additional consultation was sought from Island Local Authorities and Disability Access Panels in September 2022, who were asked for their views on the positive/negative impacts of Scottish Carer’s Assistance on island and rural communities, and whether there are any inter-island differences to consider.
• ICIAs have previously been completed on the introduction of Young Carer Grant and the Carer’s Allowance Supplement.
• In-person user research was conducted with carers and third sector organisations in the Highlands and Islands in spring 2023, as part of the development of Carer Support Payment.

The assessment and its conclusions have been reviewed taking into account the Scottish Government’s published case transfer principles and two surveys regarding the case transfer process that were sent out to Experience Panel members in January and February 2019. 404 and 559 responses were received respectively. A series of individual and group interviews were also conducted. Results from both surveys and the interviews were published in 2019^[2].

Going forward, the Scottish Government remains committed to continued close engagement with carers and stakeholders, including those from island communities, to ensure that people's experiences and voices are heard and contribute to change and improvement. This ICIA is a living document, and we have committed to continuous improvement. We will continue to review the impacts of Carer Support Payment on island and remote rural communities, to understand and address any issues identified.