Two big things coincided in our diary this week:

  • yesterday, we marked ten years of the Carers Act at a conference attended by lived experience advocates, policymakers, and health and social care practitioners
  • today is International Day of Care and Support.

The rights for carers created by the Carers Act are underpinned by human rights legislation and approaches. At yesterday’s event, there were many conversations around making rights real and what that looks like in practice – the provocation through the day was what can you take away and put into your everyday practice that creates the conditions for people to realise their rights?

We also spoke about funding for carers and the wider social care sector. We need a healthy social care sector that offers timely care and support, but we also need to ensure dedicated funding for unpaid carers is protected so it gets to where it needs to be.

With public service reform getting underway, the prospect of a Human Rights Bill being introduced in this parliamentary session, and the implementation of the right to a break, the next five years will be an important time to make sure carer voices are meaningfully included in the discussions.

So on International Day of Care and Support, we’re asking the Scottish Government to take action on:

  • more direct funding to third‑sector organisations, including carer centres
  • a wider range of short break options, especially flexible, preventative breaks
  • protect Carers Act funding to ensure it is used for carer support
  • more transparency and accountability in tracking local spending

The big message from yesterday is that we’ve come a long way since the introduction of the Carers Act, but there’s so much more still to do. And the central theme we kept coming back to was that behind the policies are people – that’s why we’ll continue to advocate with and alongside carer voices.

To understand your rights contained in the Carers Act, please visit: www.CarersNet.org/CarersRights