Question reference: S5W-34671
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 19 January 2021
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Current status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 29 January 2021
Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to its news release of 18 January 2021, Extra funding to support unpaid carers, what information it has regarding how many unpaid carers there are; how many will be able to access the £750,000 being allocated, and what the average payment will be.
Answer
The actual number of unpaid carers in Scotland is not known but is estimated to be around 700,000 to 800,000 people. The latest estimate is 690,000, of whom 29,000 are young carers (under 18). This is based on Scottish Health Survey figures from before the pandemic, so is likely to be an underestimate.
The extra £750,000 is being invested in the voluntary sector Short Breaks Fund’s ‘Time to Live’ scheme. The scheme is delivered locally by partners, usually local carer centres, which are able to use the funding to support carers take a break from caring by providing them with small grants. After engaging with delivery partners, at their request, we have also agreed that they can use this additional funding to increase vital wellbeing services for carers such as counselling or peer support groups. We believe that these local delivery partners are best placed to identify those in need and decide how to prioritise the funding within their area. Reporting on the reach and impact of the funding will be undertaken after the end of the financial year.
This is the third top up this year of the Time to Live scheme in response to carer needs for short breaks during the pandemic. We invested an extra £100,000 in June 2020 to support young carers and another £80,000 in December 2020 for all carers as part of the Winter Support Package. This brings the total 2020-21 investment in the Time to Live fund to £1,507,000.
The Time to Live fund is only one element of the annual £3 million Scottish Government funded voluntary-sector Short Breaks Fund. Another scheme, the £700,000 Take a Break fund for parents of children with disabilities, delivered by Family Fund, was also topped up with an extra £178,750 in July 2020.
We also provided an extra £200,000 to the Young Scot young carers package in June 2020 which has been invested in support for young carers such as entertainment subscriptions, gaming devices, shopping e-vouchers and pamper packs.
Alongside the opportunities through the voluntary sector, unpaid carers in Scotland also have a right to have their needs for support, including a need for a short break, considered by their local authority. Local authorities have a duty to provide support to the carer to meet any eligible needs, including to take a break on a regular basis.