Carers (Scotland) Act 2016

PART 6 INFORMATION AND ADVICE FOR CARERS

Information and advice service

34 Information and advice service for carers

(1) Each local authority must establish and maintain, or ensure the establishment and maintenance of, an information and advice service for relevant carers.

(2) The service must provide information and advice in particular about—

(a) carers’ rights, including those set out in the carers’ charter,

(b) income maximisation for carers,

(c) education and training for carers,

(d) advocacy for carers,

(e) health and wellbeing (including counselling) for carers,

(f) bereavement support services for carers following the death of a cared-for person,

(g) emergency care planning and future care planning for carers.

(3) The information and advice must be accessible to, and proportionate to the needs of, the persons to whom it is provided.

(4) In providing information and advice about the matters mentioned in subsection (2), the service must, in particular, identify information and advice likely to be of particular relevance to persons who have one or more protected characteristics (within the meaning of section 149(7) of the Equality Act 2010).

(5) In this section “relevant carers” has the meaning given by section 31(5).

Short breaks services statements

35 Short breaks services statements

(1) Each local authority must prepare and publish a short breaks services statement.

(2) A short breaks services statement means a statement of information about the short breaks services available in Scotland for carers and cared-for persons.

(3) The information must be accessible to, and proportionate to the needs of, the persons to whom it is provided.

(4) The Scottish Ministers may by regulations make further provision about the preparation, publication and review of short breaks services statements.

Carers’ charter

36 Carers’ charter

(1) The Scottish Ministers must prepare a carers’ charter.

(2) A carers’ charter is a document setting out the rights of carers as provided for in or under this Act.

(3) Nothing in the charter is to—

(a) give rise to any new rights, or

(b) alter any existing rights.

(4) The charter may also contain such other information as the Scottish Ministers consider appropriate.

(5) The Scottish Ministers may from time to time revise the charter prepared under subsection (1).

(6) The Scottish Ministers must—

(a) before preparing the charter under subsection (1) or revising it under subsection (5)—

(i) consult such persons and bodies representative of carers as the Scottish Ministers consider appropriate,

(ii) consult such other persons as the Scottish Ministers consider appropriate,

(iii) take such steps as they consider appropriate to involve carers,

(b) lay the charter or revised charter before the Scottish Parliament, and

(c) publish the charter or revised charter in such manner as they consider appropriate.