Support Plans, Needs and Support Provided

The analysis in the following section is based on those carers for whom information was available. Some organisations only provide certain support services, such as short breaks and respite, and do not carry out support plans; while other organisations carry out plans but do not provide support services. Therefore, not all organisations will collect information on every topic covered in this report. 

Adult carer support plans (ACSPs) and Young Carer Statements (YCSs)

Under the Carers (Scotland) Act 2016, all carers have the right to an ACSP or YCS based on their personal outcomes and support needs.

Some organisations who submitted data for the Carers Census do not carry out ACSPs or YCSs; however, this does not necessarily mean that there has not been a conversation with the carer to talk about their role and what might help them.

Some organisations will have an initial conversation with carers and put support in place, but will use an ACSP or YCS as an escalation tool if the carer’s situation worsens or their needs increase. Others will have a conversation with the carer, put support in place and will record the data relevant to the carer but do not call this an ACSP or YCS. As such, the data on ACSPs and YCSs presented here will not fully represent the number of carers who have a support plan.

Of the 44,310 individual carers in the 2022-23 Carers Census, information related to ACSPs and YCSs (including date of offer or request, whether the plan was a review, whether the plan was completed or not and whether or not the plan was incomplete) was present for 73% of records – a slight increase from last year (66%).

Of these records where information was available, the data showed that 45% of carers had a completed ACSP or YCS (a 10% percentage point decrease from last year) and 51% were recorded as having an incomplete ACSP or YCS. An incomplete ACSP or YCS means that the plan was offered or requested but not finished. This could be because the plan was declined by the carer, deemed to be not appropriate for the carer’s situation or because the plan was still being put in place by the end of the reporting period (31st March 2023). This year, 24% of records with an incomplete ACSP or YCS were reported to be due to the plan being declined by the carer or being deemed not appropriate, and 6% were reported to be still being put in place.

It should be noted that some records had both a complete and incomplete ACSP or YCS, which should be taken into consideration when interpreting these figures. This may be due to changes in the carer’s situation. For example, a carer may decline to have an ACSP or YCS but then later decide that it would be useful for them and request one.

The figures above include all instances of where there was some information on ACSPs or YCSs available, which will also include historic information that was submitted as part of the carer record. Based on records where information on the date the plan was offered was available, the data shows that 40% of records with information on ACSPs and YCSs relate to 2022-23. Looking at 2022-23 only, 70% of carers for whom information was available had a completed ACSP or YCS in place.

Support Needs

Carers can have multiple support needs; including short breaks or respite, counselling or emotional support, or assistance with benefits.

Based on the 20,540 records for which information on carers’ support needs was available in 2022-23 (including 3,300 records for young carers), 78% were recorded as needing advice and information – an increase from 68% last year. 49% of carers were recorded as needing short breaks or respite, which is a decrease from 62% last year.

The data suggests that support needs vary between adult carers and young carers, as shown in Figure 6. In 2022-23, adult carers were more likely to be recorded as needing advice and information (83% compared to 52% of young carers) whereas young carers were more likely to be recorded as peer or group support (51% compared to 9% of adult carers).

Figure 6: Nearly 4 in 5 carers were recorded as needing advice and information in 2022-23

Source: Carers Census, Scotland, 2022-23. Based on 17,220 records for adult carers and 3,300 records for young carers.

Support provided (or intending to be provided) to unpaid carers

Carers may be provided with multiple types of support to meet their needs and to help support their caring role. A carer can be provided with support without needing to have an ACSP or YCS in place.

Information on support provided (or intending to be provided) to carers was available for 22,950 records in 2022-23. Based on these records, 79% of carers were provided with advice and information, which is a similar proportion to last year (82%). The proportion of carers provided with short breaks or respite is also similar to last year, with 40% of carers provided with this in 2022-23 compared to 37% in 2021-22.

The data suggests that there were differences in the support provided to adult carers and to young carers, as shown in Figure 7. Young carers were more likely to be provided with short breaks or respite (55% compared to 36% of adult carers) and counselling and emotional support (48% compared to 28% of adult carers). This may reflect the different support needs for young carers. Adult carers were more likely to be provided with advice and information (83% compared to 61% of young carers in 2022-23).

Figure 7: The most common type of support provided in 2022-23 was advice and information, followed by short breaks or respite

Source: Carers Census, Scotland, 2022-23. Based on 18,690 records for adult carers and 4,230 records for young carers.