If this is you, then you are a Carer and one of 45,300 Carers living in North Lanarkshire…

It’s common that people hear the word ‘carer’ and think that only means people who are paid by local authorities, charities, and companies to provide care in people’s homes, nursing homes or day support services. What we are describing here is a different kind of carer, the ‘unpaid carer’ who supports someone outside of paid employment. We provide support to ‘unpaid’ carers, not to people who are in paid employment with ‘carer’ as their job title. Unpaid carers can claim the Carer Support Payment benefit if they are eligible and if they do, they are still classed as ‘unpaid’, claiming a benefit doesn’t change that status.

A note on Kinship Carers

Kinship care’ is a term used for the raising of children by grandparents, other extended family members, and adults with whom they have a close relationship with, such as godparents and close family friends because their biological parents are unable to do so. NLCT recognise that with kinship care arrangements, these are often a result of trauma, illness, or addiction, and this is likely to have impacted on the child being looked after. If the child has additional needs, either from illness or disability, or has experienced trauma which affects their day-to-day life, our organisation will support the kinship carer regardless of any arrangements made with statutory services.