Carers (Scotland) Act 2016

27 Duty to involve carers in carer services

(1) Each local authority must take such steps as it considers appropriate to involve the persons mentioned in subsection (3) in carer services of that local authority.

(2) Each health board must take such steps as it considers appropriate to involve the persons mentioned in subsection (3) in carer services of that health board.

(3) Those persons are—

(a) carers in the area of the local authority or, as the case may be, the health board, and

(b) such persons and bodies representative of carers as the local authority or, as the case may be, the health board considers appropriate.

(4) “Carer services” means services provided, or to be provided, by the local authority or, as the case may be, the health board to—

(a) carers in relation to the care they provide, or intend to provide, for cared-for persons,

(b) cared-for persons in relation to the care they receive.

(5) Subsection (4) does not apply to—

(a) services which are contained in a children’s services plan (within the meaning of section 8 of the 2014 Act) if the persons mentioned in subsection (3) have been consulted in relation to the preparation of that plan,

(b) services provided by virtue of functions which have been delegated under an integration scheme (within the meaning of section 1(3) of the Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014) or which are to be carried out in conjunction with those functions.

(6) “Involvement”, in relation to carer services, includes involvement in considering—

(a) what needs might call for the provision of services,

(b) what services might be provided to meet those needs,

(c) how those services might be provided, and

(d) how the provision of those services might be evaluated.