It's Carers Week (8–11 June) and the focus this year is on building carer friendly communities.
As part of this, the Scottish Borders Health and Social Care Partnership is encouraging unpaid carers to recognise the vital role they play and make sure they’re accessing the support available to them.
Who is an unpaid carer?
A carer is anyone who provides unpaid care to a family member, partner, friend or neighbour who, due to illness, disability, mental health challenges, addiction or frailty, cannot cope without their support.
Carers come from all walks of life. They may be adults in employment juggling work and caring for an ill or disabled partner, parent or relative; older people caring for a spouse or loved one in later life; people supporting someone with mental health conditions, dementia, or substance use issues; young carers and young adult carers balancing education with caring responsibilities; or others who may not identify as carers, seeing their role simply as being a husband, wife, sibling, friend or neighbour.
Caring can be short-term or lifelong. It may involve practical tasks such as personal care, medication management, and household responsibilities, or emotional support, supervision, and advocacy. Many carers provide significant levels of care without recognition, often at the expense of their own health, wellbeing, financial stability, and opportunities.
Recognising who carers are, and helping people to identify themselves as carers, is the first crucial step in ensuring they receive the support they are entitled to. Carers Week provides an ideal opportunity to raise awareness of the caring role and ensure people understand what help is available.
Having access to the right information and support is also key to building communities where carers feel recognised and valued.
Councillor Tom Weatherston, Executive Member for Social Work and Community Enhancement
“Unpaid carers make an enormous contribution to our communities every day. Carers Week is a chance to recognise that contribution and, importantly, to remind carers that help is available.
“This is also about building communities where carers feel recognised and supported and know where to turn for help. By recognising carers, listening to their experiences, and working together, we can build communities across the Borders where carers feel valued, supported and empowered.”
Support for carers is available
If you're an unpaid carer, advice and information is available as follows:
- The Borders Carers Centre website provides advice, information and guidance on what support is available to help you maintain your caring role. You can phone them directly on 01896 752431. The Carers Centre is commissioned by the Health and Social Care Partnership.
- Advice about support for young carers in the Borders is available on our website.
- Information about national support for carers can be found on the NHS inform website. You can also call them on 0800 011 3200 (lines are open Monday to Friday, 9am–5pm).
- Visit the Carers UK website for more advice and information.
- Visit the Social Security Scotland website for information about financial support and carers rights.
More information
Living Well in the Scottish Borders - A Plan for Adult Unpaid Carers 2024-28 is the Health and Social Care Partnership’s strategic plan for carers, which sets out a clear vision and approach on how the Partnership aims to meet their commitment to supporting unpaid carers over the next four years by, for example, focusing on carer identification and recognition and the provision of information, advice and communication for carers.
Download Living Well in the Scottish Borders from our website