Scottish government grants funding to charities to contribute to care service plans
Five third sector organisations have been granted new funding by the Scottish government to act as contributors to the design of the proposed National Care Service.
The funding will facilitate contributions from minority ethnic communities, LGBTI people, children and young people and those with experience of homelessness or the justice system.
The organisations will each receive £5,000 to encourage the communities they work with to have their say on how future community healthcare and social work services should look.
Social care minister, Maree Todd, said: ‘As we build a National Care Service that best fits the needs of everyone in Scotland, we need to hear from people directly.
‘The new National Care Service will set the standards and guidance to support the design and delivery of community healthcare and social work services locally.
‘The complexities of getting this right should not be underestimated. People with experience of the current system, whether receiving health and care support or delivering it, are the experts. We need to hear those voices – and those of groups who are often overlooked.
‘We know that minority ethnic communities, LGBTI people, children and young people and those with experience of homelessness or the justice system are under-represented in our co-design work to date. We also know that people affected by dementia are a key group we want to hear more from and we will benefit from partnering with an organisation with expertise in this area.
‘I am confident the funding to support co-design activity with seldom heard communities will help us shape a system we can all benefit from and be proud of.’
The five organisations are LGBT Health and Wellbeing, Minority Ethnic Carers of People Project (MECOPP), The Simon Community, Scottish Association for the Care and Resettlement of offenders (SACRO) and Alzheimer Scotland.
Proposals to create a Scottish National Care Service were based on recommendations made by the Independent Review of Adult Social Care. One recommendation called for increased national oversight of adult social care in response to challenges that were highlighted during the Covid pandemic.
The National Care Service Bill was introduced last year. It is seen as a framework setting out overall principles with further details to be laid out in future, to be co-designed with service users and workers.
However, the Bill would transfer responsibility for social care, social work and some community health functions – including staff, buildings and equipment – from councils to care boards overseen by Scottish ministers.
The plans have run into opposition from trade unions.
Image: Stavrialena Gontzou
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