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Funding & Benefits

As a carer the main benefit that you may be entitled to is Carers Allowance. The person you care for may be entitled to Personal Independence Payments (PIP) or Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or Attendance Allowance. The PIP or DLA are sometimes known as gateway benefits as they open other avenues of support to you. To find out more about Carers Allowance and other benefit information that Carers UK have on their website.

Applying for some of these benefits may seem daunting so if you require support with this Shetland Islands Citizens Advice Bureau can assist carers and those being cared for. They can run a check to see if you are claiming all the benefits you and the person you care for are entlitled to, support you if your benefit is being reviewed or stopped and help with representation at social security appeal tribunals; give advice on housing issues, fees for accessing respite or residential care, and avise what to do if you need to arrange Power of Attorney, a Guardianship Order, Intervention Order or the Access to Funds Scheme.

You may also be entitled to get social care and support in Shetland. Under the Social Care (Self-directed Support) (Scotland) Act councils have a duty to offer you more choices. There are five principles that will guide how this support is provided Involvement, Information and Choice, Collaboration, Dignity and a Right to take part in Community Life.

The type of support could include:

  • personal care like having a bath, washing or getting dressed
  • enabling you to live independently in your own house, for example; help with managing your money or cooking and cleaning the house
  • support to get out and about, so you can see friends, join in activities, stay fit and healthy
  • opportunity to go on a short break (respite)
  • support to go to work or college

The Act requires councils to offer you four choices for how you meet these needs:

A Cash Individual Budget also referred to as a Direct Payment. This is where you will receive money to arrange your own support, employ care staff, or buy a service from a care organisation.

A Managed Individual Budget. This is when you do not want to handle the money yourself you can choose a care provider that you want to provide your support and ask the local council (in this case the Shetland Islands Council) to pay the care provider. This option is currently limited in Shetland as we do not have many alternative care providers.

A package of care that the council organises for you. However, the Shetland Islands Council will still work with you to find the support that is right for you.

You could have mix of the above, depending on what you want. Everyone’s support arrangements are different and people receive different types of support to meet different support needs.

For more information about all of these options please see the self directed support section of the Shetland Islands Council website.

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