Unpaid Carers in Lanarkshire are recognised on Carers Rights Day 2024

Lanarkshire Carers highlighted the invaluable role of unpaid carers and advocated for greater levels of investment as we marked annual Carers Rights Day on Thursday 21 November 2024.

Local elected representatives were invited to both Lanarkshire Carers Centre: Airdrie and Lanarkshire Carers Centre: Hamilton including North Lanarkshire Councillors Chris Costello, Martin McCulloch and Helena Gray, South Lanarkshire Councillors Kirsty Williams and Allan Falconer and Marianne Paton from Christina McKelvie MSP’s office as part of our Elected Members Open Doors Day for Carers Rights Day.

We had some fantastic discussions about the pledges that were developed by the National Carer Organisations and also the vital information, advice and support that Lanarkshire Carers provides to carers living in Lanarkshire and why it's vital that carers' rights are recognised and upheld by our elected members.

The Open Doors Day provided a platform to share the critical issues that carers face; such as financial insecurity and access to breaks, and emphasise the importance of sustained funding for carers centres which provide lifeline services.

The Elected Members were encouraged to take a stand on several key policy areas. This includes making a commitment to ending care charges that place a financial burden on households already stretched thin, addressing the inadequate financial support for older carers, securing increased and stable funding for carers centres to meet the rising demand for support and asking for a renewed commitment to a legal right to a break.

This new right was proposed as part of the National Care Service which faces an uncertain future, due to increasing opposition from within Holyrood. Breaks from caring are vital for carers’ mental and physical health and support for a sustainable short break sector is an essential part of ensuring that carers can access services.

As Scotland’s unpaid carers continue to make a vital contribution valued at over £15.9 billion annually, Carers Rights Day emphasised the urgent need to provide them with essential rights-based support to protect their own health and wellbeing.