If you look after a family member or help someone who has a disability, is unwell or frail, you may be entitled to support through an Adult Carer Support Plan (ACSP) or Young Carer Statement (YCS). This page explains the eligibility criteria used to assess the support you need, to ensure you are supported in a manner which ensures you are not worse off due to your caring role.
Read our full eligibility criteria guidance here
How requests for support are made
By means of the Carers (Scotland) Act, Argyll and Bute HSCP have a duty to support carers who meet the threshold of the eligibility criteria framework. This process which forms the framework can be broken down into four steps:
Step One
A carer who is identified and is offered, accepts or wishes to access support can request an ACSP/YCS. Find out how to make a request for support here
This will involve conversations with the carer to jointly assess their caring situation, exploring their needs and personal outcomes and identify how best these supports can be achieved.
Not all carers who are initially assessed will have an eligible need, however, many carers will still be able to access universal and/or preventative services through the Carers Centres. In addition carers may be signposted to specific information and or advice centres within Argyll and Bute.
Step Two
Once the assessment is complete the carer’s outcomes and actions will be identified in their ACSP/YCS. The framework for eligibility criteria will identify the level of support the individual carer may access.
Step Three
Based on the carer’s eligibility, together with the carer decisions will be made in relation to what level of support the carer may be able to access.
Step Four
Once the level of support has been agreed, the carer will then decide how they would prefer to arrange their support and choose from the four self-directed support options. Carers will be involved in each stage of the process and in all decision making. A review date will be set at this point.
5 Categories of Risk
No Impact
Indicates that there are no quality of life issues resulting from the caring situation and at this moment there is no need for support or advice.
Low Impact
Indicates that there may be some quality of life issues but low risk to a carer’s capacity for independence or health and wellbeing. There may be a need for universal and/or preventative support or advice.
Moderate Impact
Indicates that there is some risk to a carer’scapacity for independent living and health and wellbeing. This may call for provision of some health and social care services.
Substantial Impact
Indicates that there is a major risk to a carer’s capacity for independent living and health and wellbeing. Likely to require urgent provision from health and social care services.
Critical Impact
Indicates that there are significant risks to a carer’s capacity for independent living and health and wellbeing. Likely to require immediate provision from health and social care services.
Table of Impact on Risk to a Carer’s Outcome
The following table shows areas of risk and there possible impact on a carers ability to continue in their caring role. Area of a carer’s life have been identified in the columns on the left with the category of risk identified across the row at the top of the matrix.
| Area |
Caring has no impact |
Caring has low impact |
Caring has moderate impact |
Caring has substantial impact |
Caring has critical impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Health & Wellbeing |
Carer in good health. Carer has good emotional wellbeing. |
Carer’s health beginning to be affected. Caring role beginning to have an impact on emotional wellbeing. |
Carer’s health at risk without intervention. Some impact on carer’s emotional wellbeing. |
Carer has health need that requires attention. Significant impact on carer’s emotional wellbeing. |
Carer’s health is breaking/has broken down. Carer’s emotional wellbeing is breaking/ has broken down. |
| Relationships | Carer has a good relationship with the person they care for and is able to maintain relationships with other key people in their life. | Carer has some concerns about their relationship with the person they care for and/or their ability to maintain relationships with other key people in their life. | Carer has identified issues with their relationship with the person they care for that need to be addressed and/or they find it difficult to maintain relationships with other key people in their life. | The carer’s relationship with the person they care for is in danger of breaking down and/or they no longer are able to maintain relationships with other key people in their life. | The carer’s relationship with the person they care for has broken down and their caring role is no longer sustainable and/or they have lost touch with other key people in their life. |
|
Living Environment |
Carer’s living environment is suitable posing no risk to the physical health and safety of the carer and cared for person. | Carer’s living environment is mostly suitable but could pose a risk to the health and safety of the carer and cared for person in the longer term. | Carer’s living environment is unsuitable but poses no immediate risk. | Carer’s living environment is unsuitable and poses an immediate risk to the health and safety of the carer and/or cared for person. | Carer’s living environment is unsuitable and there are immediate and critical risks to the health and safety of the carer and/or cared for person. |
|
Employment & Training |
Carer has no difficulty in managing caring and employment and/or education. Carer does not want to be in paid work or education. |
Carer has some difficulty managing caring and employment and there is a risk to sustaining employment and/or education in the long term. Carer is not in paid work or education but would like to be in the long term. |
Carer has difficulty managing caring and employment and there is a risk to sustaining employment and/or education in the medium term. Carer is not in paid work or education but would like to be in the medium term. |
Carer has significantly difficulty managing caring and employment and there is a risk to sustaining employment and/or education in the short term. Carer is not in paid work or education but would like to be soon. |
Carer has significant difficulty managing caring and employment and/or education and there is an imminent risk of giving up work or education. Carer is not in paid work or education but would like to be now. |
|
Finance |
Caring is not causing financial hardship e.g. carer can afford housing cost and utilities. | Caring is causing a risk of financial hardship e.g. some difficulty meeting housing costs and utilities. | Caring is causing some detrimental impact on finances e.g. difficulty meeting either housing costs OR utilities. | Caring is having a significant impact on finances e.g. difficulty meeting housing costs AND utilities. | Caring is causing severe financial hardship e.g. carer cannot afford household essential sand utilities, not meeting housing payments. |
|
Life balance |
Carer has regular opportunities to achieve the balance they want in their life. They have a broad choice of breaks and activities which promote physical, mental, emotional wellbeing. |
Carer has some opportunities to achieve the balance they want in their life. They have access to a choice of breaks and activities which promote physical, mental, emotional wellbeing. |
Due to their caring role, the carer has limited opportunities to achieve the balance they want in their life. They have access to a few breaks and activities which promote physical, mental, emotional wellbeing. |
Due to their caring role, the carer has few and irregular opportunities to achieve the balance they want in their life. They have little access to breaks and activities which promote physical, mental, emotional wellbeing. |
Due to their caring role, the carer has no opportunities to achieve the balance they want in their life. They have no access to breaks and activities which promote physical, mental, emotional wellbeing. |
|
Future Planning |
Carer is confident about planning for the future and has no concerns about managing caring. | Carer is largely confident about planning for the future but has minor concerns about managing caring. | Carer is not confident about planning for the future and has some concerns about managing caring. | Carer is anxious about planning for the future and has significant concerns about managing caring. | Carer is very anxious about planning for the future and has severe concerns about managing caring. |
NB: In determining a carer’s eligibility for funded services, it is important to recognise that indicators will not always exist in isolation from one another. It is appropriate and desirable that indicators should be explored in relation to one another, as there may be a ‘multiplier’ effect when two or more indicators overlap or interact. For example, it would be appropriate to discuss the impact of insufficient household income in relation to the effect financial hardship can have on the emotional health and wellbeing of a carer. Similarly, some indicators may be overarching, such as the ability to have a life alongside caring, which may be affected by the cumulative impact of the caring role in several areas of a carer’s life.