A free Adult Carer Support Plan (ACSP) is your assessment of circumstances and needs for support as a carer. It can be a helpful approach to thinking about your caring role and how this affects the rest of your life and relationship. At the end of the assessment you will have an action plan which is outcome focused and based on your personal needs for support and personal strengths you already have. It can guide you to people and places where you can get this support and in some cases, it will identify what we and our partners will do to help you meet your needs.
A support plan starts with a conversation with you, about you, your caring role and your goals as a carer. It helps to focus on what is important to you and where you might benefit from some guidance and help. A copy of the Fife Adult Carers Support Plan template is available at more information – don’t let it put you off; it’s intended to record the conversation and not every point will be important to you. Remember, it’s your assessment and plan.
Every carer has the right to ask for and receive a support plan, but sometimes a full assessment and plan may be too much for you. An initial carer’s conversation will help you to decide what level of help you need, a full support plan or perhaps just a couple of bits of information to help yourself.
We will be developing some additional tools to help you to help yourself. For example, it may be that by reviewing the information about the Adult Carers Support Plan you decide that you only need guidance on where to find out more information about a specific point.
Think about what support you might need to help you in your caring role. Perhaps you only want advice or help on a couple of small points instead of a full Adult Carers Support Plan assessment. You’re still entitled to ask for and to receive a full assessment and Adult Carer Support Plan if you want one, and it is free. Either way, we are here to help. Please ask your social worker, if you have one, or contact the Fife Carers Centre.
If you decide you do want a conversation and assessment we can arrange this. It can be in a location, date and time of your choosing. We know that getting away from your caring role might be difficult so we can arrange for the conversation to take place at your home, by telephone or possibly by video. The important thing is you know that support is here to help.
Already have a support plan?
If you already have an Adult Carer Support Plan there may be no need to review it. However, if it's been a while since you developed your plan you may benefit from talking to someone to review your personal actions and future plans. If your plan is more than three years old, if there are any material and significant changes in your caring circumstances or if you have moved home and changed the area in which your plan was developed it might be beneficial to review it. If you would like to take advantage of a review you should contact the person or organisation who helped you to prepare your existing one.
Further information: The Coalition of Carers in Scotland has developed a range of leaflets to help carers understand their rights as a carer. One of their leaflets is specifically about what you need to know when you have an adult carer support plan. Adult Carer Support Plan Leaflet.