Falkirk Health and Social Care Partneship (HSCP) is seeking your views on a new Self-Directed Support Policy. This new policy sets out how people can access social care support in a way that best suits their needs. The policy is also based upon national guidance and best practice.
You can learn more about the draft policy by visiting the link below, and you’ll be able to by taking part in the survey it closes on .
https://participateplus.falkirk.gov.uk/en-GB/projects/self-directed-support
As a carer, there are various benefits you may be able to apply for that support you with your caring role and/or your specific needs. We know how overwhelming it can be to comb through all the possible options and then go through the application process. This is why we are working in partnership with the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) to provide welfare benefits advice and support to carers in Falkirk and Clackmannanshire. We would encourage you to call or email us to request an appointment with a CAB Benefits Advisor.
There are multiple benefits available through Social Security Scotland. We picked 2 main areas to focus on in this article, which are Disability Benefits and Carer Benefits. Social Security Scotland is an executive agency of the Scottish Government, managing and delivering several benefits that have been devolved to the Scottish Government. If you’d like to find out what other benefits are available via Social Security Scotland, please visit their website https://www.socialsecurity.gov.scot/benefits.
Adult Disability Payment replaces Personal Independence Payment in Scotland. This money is intended to help people with a long-term illness or a disability affecting their everyday lives. It has two parts, Daily Living and Mobility, and you may qualify for both depending on your circumstances. The amount you receive per week will depend on how your condition impacts your abilities to get around and carry out daily activities, and whether you are eligible for one or both parts. Importantly, your income and savings will not impact how much you can get. For specifics, please visit: https://www.mygov.scot/adult-disability-payment
Child Disability Payment replaces Child Disability Living Allowance. This benefit may help you cover the costs of caring for a child with a mental or physical disability. You can apply for a child under 16, but a diagnosis is not necessary. You may still contact Social Security Scotland and explain to them about your child’s condition, the symptoms they may have, and how they are affected. You can receive the payment until your child turns 18, and in certain cases, the payment may continue beyond 18. For more information, please visit: https://www.mygov.scot/child-disability-payment
Pension Age Disability replaces Attendance Allowance in Scotland. If you have reached pension age and you have care needs due to disability or a long-term health condition, you are eligible for this benefit. How much you can get depends on your care needs. The amount can vary from £73.90 to £110.40 per week, and your income and savings won’t affect how much you’ll receive. Please note that if you already get Adult Disability Payment, when you reach pension age, you will remain on Adult Disability Payment.
For more details, please visit: https://www.mygov.scot/pension-age-disability-payment
If you or the person you care for has been diagnosed with terminal illness and you live in Scotland, you can still apply for disability benefits under Special Rules for Terminal Illness. To find out more, please visit: https://www.mygov.scot/terminal-illness
Carer Support Payment has now replaced Carer’s Allowance in Scotland. If you are eligible, you can get paid £83.30 a week.
You must:
For more information, please visit https://www.mygov.scot/carer-support-payment/who-can-apply.
Young Carer Grant is a flat rate payment of £390.25 paid once a year to young carers in Scotland, acknowledging their role as carers. To be eligible, you must be 16, 17, or 18 years old. Applicants can apply each year they are eligible up until they turn 19. The payment increases with inflation each year.
When applying, you must also have been caring for 1, 2, or 3 people for an average of 16 hours a week for at least the last 3 months. If you care for more than one person, you can combine the hours. To find out more, please visit: https://www.mygov.scot/young-carer-grant/how-to-apply
Additionally, besides benefits from Social Security Scotland, you may be able to receive a council tax discount if you meet the following criteria:
You can find the Council Tax relief claim form on their website https://www.falkirk.gov.uk/council-tax/council-tax-discount-exemptions-additional-charges under the heading ‘Voluntary care workers’
The Carers Centre will be closed from Friday 18 April 2025 to Monday 21 April 2025 (inclusive), re-opening on Tuesday 22 April 2025. Details of local support and emergency services are available below:
Tip#2: Self-help techniques – find what works for you!
Self-help techniques are great for reducing stress, but they’re not a one-size-fits-all approach. We are all unique, and just because something works for some people, it doesn’t necessarily mean that’s the right technique for you, too. Therefore, it’s important to experiment so you can find what you like and what helps you.
Some things you could try:
Additionally, you may want to check out this guide produced by the Mental Health Foundation ‘How to manage and reduce stress, which contains tips on how to manage stress and protect your mental health.
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Tip#3 Talk to someone
When you are under a lot of stress, the struggle can be isolating and tiresome to the extent that reaching out to someone is the last thing you may feel like doing.
But even just a casual chat with friends and/or family, a friendly neighbour or a nice colleague, can make the difference to how you feel and help you cope better.
It may be that you don’t have trusted friends or family whom you could turn to, and it can feel like you are all alone. It’s completely natural to feel this way, especially under the demands of a caring role. But know this, you are not alone. Many helplines and charities are there to support you.
You can also get in touch with one of our Adult Carer Support Workers, who can refer you to our Telephone Support Team, who provide emotional support to carers.
We also have various carer groups you may be able to join. Check out our What’s on page or speak to one of the Adult Carer Support Workers in Falkirk or Clackmannanshire from Monday to Friday between the hours of 9.30 am to 4 pm to find the right one for you.
Here are some FREE Helplines you may find helpful:
And here are some FREE social gatherings you may consider joining:
Falkirk area:
Clackmannanshire:
Check out these pages for some events happening near you and our What’s on page to find something you like:
Imagine how much difference it would make to your life if you not only had access to technological devices that can make caring easier, but someone showed you how to use them!
Would you be juggling fewer tasks and feeling less overwhelmed? How about worrying less about your loved ones because you will be able to stay connected? Would you even have more time to yourself to do the things you enjoy? We think so!
Our Carer’s Digital Discovery project is a new space within the Carers Centre that will support you by showcasing how technology can make things a bit easier and less stressful.
The project will provide you with hands-on experience using devices such as voice assistants, wearable alarms, and smart home tools to help with your everyday tasks, monitor those you care for, and stay connected.
You will receive support to set up and use these devices in your own home, improving independence and well-being for both yourself and those you care for.
Help us make a difference! Vote now 
https://bit.ly/vote_for_fccarerscentre
📍Note
You must live in Ward 7 – South Falkirk, and submit your vote by 28 February!
Map of Ward 7: https://bit.ly/ward7_southfalkirk_map
List of postcodes in Ward 7: https://bit.ly/4hWnNfO
The Carers Centre will be closed from 1pm on Tuesday 24th December 2024, and will re-open on Monday 6th January 2025! Details of local support and emergency services are available below:
Finally, the staff and Board of the Carers Centre wish carers a happy, healthy and safe festive season, and we look forward to continuing to offer support in 2025.
Thanks to funding from The Robertson Trust we have an exciting opportunity to join our Young Carers Project as a Young Adult Carer Support Worker.
Applications for this post will close Monday 21st October 2024.
you can find out more about this role and our Organisation at our VACANCIES page! Or if you would like to apply, click below!
We currently have an exciting opportunity to join our dedicated team of support workers who deliver information, support, and involvement services for young carers of all ages across Falkirk district and Clackmannanshire.
Young Carer Involvement Worker (x2)
Applications for this post will close on Monday 19th August 2024..
You can find out more about this role at our VACANCIES page! Or if you’d like to apply, click below!
The Carers Centre is a growing and forward-thinking organisation with ambition to support an increasing number of children, young people and adults who provide unpaid care for a family member or friend due to disability, illness, addiction, or frailty.
We are currently looking to fill the following role:
Applications for this post will close on Monday 22 July 2024.
You can find out more about this role at our VACANCIES page! Or if you’d like to apply, click below!
A free networking lunch gathering will take place at the Hippodrome Cinema, Bo’ness after the screening of a heartwarming new British documentary about ageing and caring, on Monday 3 June.
The informal event has been planned around the showing of a new film – Much Ado About Dying (cert. 15) – and will be facilitated by members of the teams at Falkirk Health and Social Care Partnership, Falkirk and Clackmannanshire Carers’ Centre and Strathcarron Hospice tbc.
The film follows Simon Chambers, who is shooting a film in India when his uncle David calls him with a message of doom: “I think I may be dying.” Simon finds his life drastically interrupted but resolves to try to help his uncle have a good death. What the viewer doesn’t yet know is that David is a total drama queen, a former actor and Shakespeare-lover who has grown old on a diet of attention and applause.
David’s anarchic spirit is unbreakable. He fights with Simon, refusing to go into a care home, insisting on dying in the squalor of his unheated tumble-down house. He can’t remember where he put his false teeth, but he still knows nearly all the lines from his beloved Shakespeare. David’s real life starts to echo King Lear, Shakespeare’s play about an old man who gives away his kingdom and is driven mad with grief, as David starts giving away thousands of pounds to the “hot young carer” who pops in from time to time. Despite seemingly insurmountable domestic challenges, illness, and the dreaded care home, they create an award-winning final performance to send David on his way.
Alison Strauss Arts Development Officer (Film and Media) and Hippodrome programmer said:
“Despite the apparently bleak subject matter this is a lovely and funny film. I was moved to tears by David’s precarious situation but moved to laughter by his fantastically irresistible ‘joie de vivre’. David’s outlook is a real inspiration for us all, and his nephew Simon’s struggles remind us that you don’t have to be perfect to make a difference. I am really pleased that the teams from Falkirk Health and Social Care Partnership, Falkirk and Clackmannanshire Carers’ Centre [and Strathcarron Hospice tbc] will be on hand for the lunch afterwards. It will be a friendly and relaxed opportunity for folk to speak amongst themselves about the film – or about anything at all – over a nice sandwich and a cup of tea, and the teams will be able to answer any questions about the services they provide in the area!”
Ami McKnight Support Options for Carers Lead with Falkirk & Clackmannanshire Carers Centre said:
“It is estimated that 3 in 5 of us will, become carers at some point in our lives, and this networking event will be the perfect opportunity to speak with our team and some of our partners about the services we provide to unpaid carers in our community. Falkirk & Clackmannanshire Carers Centre are pleased to work in partnership with the Hippodrome cinema throughout the year by providing unpaid carers with cinema tickets through the Respitality project. Carers interested in accessing cinema tickets, or other local Respitality opportunities, can contact the Short Breaks Team on 01324 611510 or shortbreaks@centralcarers.co.uk.”
Tickets for the special screening at 11 am on Monday 3 June are £5 for the film only, or £7.65 for the film with tea/coffee and cake. All ticket holders are welcome to stay after the film for a complimentary light lunch and informal get-together in the Hippodrome auditorium (12.45 pm – 2 pm).
Much Ado About Dying is screening four times at the Hippodrome Cinema, 10 Hope Steet, Bo’ness EH51 0AA – on Friday 31 May at 4.30 pm, Saturday 1 June at 2.30 pm (captioned for Deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences), Sunday 2 June at 7.30 pm. Adult tickets £8.25 (pre-book) or £8.65 on the door. Concession tickets £6.40 or £6.70 on the door. The final screening of Much Ado About Dying plus networking lunch is on Monday 3 June at 11 am.
To book online see What’s On | Hippodrome (hippodromecinema.co.uk). Bookings can also be made in person at the Hippodrome or by phone 01324 506850.