Engaging with Carers
North Lanarkshire Carers Together is a member of the Coalition of Carers in Scotland (COCIS) who are a National Carer Organisation working to improve the lives of carers across Scotland. We work in partnership with them in relation to promoting and developing consistent and meaningful carer engagement.
This means that we actively promote the involvement of carers in areas that affect them and the person they care for. This includes:
- Involving carers in the development of services that directly impact them and/or the person they care for
- Involving carers in assessing their own needs for support
- Carers’ views are into account in assessing the needs of the person they care for
Equal Partners in Care
Care provided by unpaid carers constitutes over 50% of all care that is provided in every local authority and NHS region of Scotland. This demonstrates the huge contribution made by carers, carers are absolutely essential in the delivery of health and social across in Scotland and thus they should always be recognised and valued as Equal Partners in Care.
Furthermore, policies, frameworks and design of services and practice within local authorities and health boards should be developed and co-produced with unpaid carers. Investment in carers will bring many valuable returns including:
- Stronger planning of policy and legislation
- Improved serviced
- More creative use of resources
- Improved outcomes for carers
- Better care for people with support needs
The Coalition of Carers in Scotland developed ‘Equal and Expert’ 3 Best Practice Standards for Carer Engagement. The aim of this is to be used as a bridge to help those involved in planning and commissioning of services move from good intentions to better practice. The standards were developed jointly with Carers and Carer organisations, with support from the Scottish Government’s Carer Policy Unit and the Scottish Health Council. Our practice in relation to Carer Engagement is also underpinned by the principles outlined within the ‘Equal and Expert’ document you can find below.
Our Mission Statement
The management board is responsible for keeping North Lanarkshire Carers Together focussed on its aims and objectives and for safeguarding its values and managing all aspects of its business.
Our Partners & Accreditations