Support Plans, Needs and Support Provided

The analysis in this 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 all topics covered within this report. 

Further, information was provided relating to both current support plans being implemented in 2023-24, and historic support provided in previous years.

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.

As mentioned above, 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 discuss their role and what support might help them. Organisations could have an initial conversation with carers and provide support, but will only use an ACSP or YCS as an escalation tool if the carer’s situation worsens or if there is an increase in their needs. Others will have a conversation with the carer, put support in place and will record the data relevant to the carer, however this may not be classed as an ACSP or YCS. As such, the data on ACSPs and YCSs presented here may not accurately represent the number of carers who are in receipt of a support plan.

Of the 52,000 individual carers in the 2023-24 Carers Census, information related to ACSPs and YCSs was present for 70% of records – a slight decrease from last year (73%). This includes information on date of offer or request, whether the plan was a review, whether the plan was completed or whether the plan was incomplete.

Of these records where information was available, the data showed that 55% of carers had a completed ACSP or YCS (a 10 percentage point increase from last year) and 38% 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 due to the plan being 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 2024). This year, 28% 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 (an increase from 17% in 2022-23), and 7% were reported as still being put in place.

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

Comparing Current and Historic Plans

The figures above include all instances where there was information on ACSPs or YCSs available. This includes historic information on support plans offered in previous years, as well as information relating to plans in place in 2023-24. Based on records where there was information on the date when carers were offered or requested plans, 46% relate to 2023-24. The remaining records relate to plans that were offered or requested in previous years.

When looking at 2023-24 only, 63% of carers for whom information was available had a completed ACSP or YCS in place. This is higher than the 55% of all records with information on support plans (current and historic) having ACSPs or YCSs in place. This may suggest that carers receiving support in 2023-24 are more likely to have a completed support plan in place than those who received support in previous years.

Support Needs

Carers can often have multiple support needs; including short breaks or respite, counselling or emotional support, or emergency planning. Based on the 22,730 records for which information on carers’ support needs was available in 2023-24 (including 4,290 records for young carers), 64% were recorded as needing advice and information – a decrease from 78% last year. Conversely, the data suggests that slightly more carers (52%) are reported to need short breaks or respite this year compared to 2022-23 (49%).

The data suggests that support needs may vary between adult carers and young carers, as shown in Figure 6. In 2023-24, adult carers were more likely to be recorded as needing advice and information (66% compared to 56% of young carers) and emergency planning (35% compared to 9% of young carers). Conversely, young carers were more likely to be recorded as needing counselling or emotional support (46% compared to 30% of adult carers), short breaks or respite (63% compared to 49% of adult carers), and peer or group support (56% compared to 16% of adult carers).

Figure 6: More than three in five carers were recorded as needing advice and information in 2023-24

Support needed by Adult and Young Carers identified in the Carers Census, Scotland, 2023-24.

Based on 18,370 records where information is available on Adult Carers, and 4,290 records for Young Carers.

The findings indicate that the intensity of care being provided also has an effect on the needs of carers. For instance, where data is available on those recorded as needing advice and information; 49% were providing 50+ hours of care per week, compared to 12% of carers providing up to 19 hours of care. Similarly, where information on intensity of care was available, 57% of carers recorded as needing emergency planning support were providing 50+ hours of care per week – over six times as many as those providing up to 19 hours per week (9%).

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

Carers may be provided with multiple types of support in order to both meet their needs, and to help support them in their caring role. As mentioned previously, it should be noted that a carer can be in receipt of support without requiring an ACSP or YCS to be in place.

Information on support provided (or intending to be provided) to carers was available for 27,510 records in 2023-24. Based on these records, 40% of carers were provided with short breaks or respite, which is the same proportion as in 2022-23. The proportion of carers provided with advice and information has decreased in the most recent year, from 79% in 2022-23 to 72% of carers in 2023-24.

The data suggests that there were differences in the support provided to adult carers compared to young carers, as shown in Figure 7. Young carers were more likely to be provided with short breaks or respite (55% compared to 37% of adult carers) and peer support and group activities (50% compared to 16% of adult carers). Conversely, adult carers were more likely to be provided with advice and information (75% compared to 59% of young carers in 2023-24). This is likely to reflect the different support needs for young carers compared to adult carers, generally corresponding to the trends seen in Figure 6 above.

Figure 7: The most common type of support provided in 2023-24 was advice and information, followed by short breaks or respite

Support provided to Adult and Young Carers identified in the Carers Census, Scotland, 2023-24.

Based on 21,850 records where information is available on Adult Carers, and 5,570 records for Young Carers.