Renfrewshire Council

Carers Act

The Carers (Scotland) Act 2016 introduces a number of duties to support carers' health and wellbeing and help make caring more sustainable

The provisions and duties introduced by the Carers Act from 1 April 2018, include:

  • changing the definition of carer - a carer is "an individual who provides or intends to provide care for another individual";
  • the introduction of an Adult Carer Support Plan (replacing carer assessments) and a duty to prepare one for anyone identified as a carer, or for any carer who requests one;
  • a duty to prepare young carers' statements;
  • a duty to provide support to carers that meet local eligibility criteria;
  • a duty to establish and maintain advice and information services for carers; and
  • a duty to create local carer strategies.