Lanarkshire Carers Flexible Support Fund

This can be used for a range of purposes including transport costs, fuel, furniture, clothing, top-up cards for mobile phones, gas and electricity, bed linen, one-off practical costs such as repair/replacement of white goods and other things that may be exacerbating isolation and exclusion. This fund will be allocated using household income as a criteria to ensure carers in most financial need get access.

This will be offered to carers who are not currently eligible to access funding from other sources currently available, due to their personal circumstances or particular eligibility criteria. A selection of pre-paid short break opportunities will be available to individual carers such as vouchers for meals, theatre tickets, cinema passes, therapeutic and beauty treatments and other services. We will also consider other appropriate suggestions/requests for use of this funding if it meets an identified need and responds to issues highlighted through our conversations with carers that cannot be met in other ways. There will be limited restrictions on the type of short breaks that can be awarded and applicants will be encouraged to consider opportunities that can be sustained over a period of time to support their caring role.

Applications will be considered by eligible carers that are taking a short break from caring in line with local and national COVID-19 restrictions.

This fund is available to all carers currently being supported by Lanarkshire Carers (and young carer organisations in Lanarkshire). It will be offered to carers living in Lanarkshire as part of a package of support from Lanarkshire Carers. 

The following eligibility criteria should also be met by anyone wishing to make an application:

• The carer lives in Lanarkshire and provides regular unpaid care
• The carer is under considerable, immediate and financial distress
• Little or no immediate support is available from another sources
• The carer finds it difficult to cope and may be unable to continue their caring role(s) without support

Carers will be supported by Lanarkshire Carers and applications considered when the need has been identified through an Adult Carer Support Plan discussion. If the carer is eligible and able to access support from other sources to meet their support need, then that support may be utilised instead.

Awards will be made at the discretion of a decision making panel.

Successful applicants will be required to produce proof of purchase through receipts (if applicable) and submit an evaluation form to detail how the funding has benefitted them.