Let’s make a plan
A good plan starts with you. It’s an opportunity to talk about your strengths, interests, relationships and aspirations, as well as any difficulties you may be experiencing.
By identifying the things that matter most to you, you can set clear outcomes that reflect your own priorities. These outcomes might relate to your health and wellbeing, maintaining independence, balancing caring responsibilities, building confidence, accessing education or employment, strengthening relationships, or taking part in your community.
What is an Adult Carer Support Plan?
If you’re an unpaid carer, an Adult Carer Support Plan is the chance to have a discussion about your caring role and how you can be best supported.
CoWL are here to support you to create a meaningful plan. We will discuss outcomes, which are the changes or improvements that you want to achieve. Having clear outcomes can make it easier to identify practical steps, monitor progress and celebrate achievements along the way. Even small improvements can have a meaningful impact on your quality of life and wellbeing.
As an unpaid carer, you have the right to complete a plan (as part of The Carers (Scotland) Act 2016).
What does making an Adult Carer Support Plan look like?
Once in touch with a social worker, you will begin to talk about the outcomes you wish for. They’re a way of describing what is important to you, and what your aims and hopes are.
Some possible outcomes include:
Being as well as you can be
Feeling valued
Feeling informed
Having a life outside caring
Being listened to
Once you’ve identified your outcomes, the next step is to explore the support that may help you achieve them. Support can come from many different places, including family and friends, community groups, local services, health and social care professionals, education providers, employers, and specialist organisations.
A plan can help you understand what support is already available, identify any gaps, and connect with services and opportunities that match your needs and goals. When necessary, a local eligibility criteria is used to decide what support
Carers of West Lothian are here at every step of the way to help you through the process of making an ACSP. If you're yet to discuss your plan with social work, it could be helpful to set out your priorities with us before you complete your plan.
How can a plan help me?
