Am I considered an unpaid carer?

An unpaid carer is anyone who looks after a friend, family member, or neighbour due to either old age, physical or mental illness, disability, or an addiction. You do not have to live with the person you care for and you may be providing practical or personal care, emotional support or a mixture of the above.  A person is not considered an unpaid carer if they have a contract to provide care (in employment) or if the care provided is part of voluntary work.

Carers can be relatives, including parents, children and siblings, but can also be partners, friends or neighbours. You may be a young carer if you meet the above definition and are under the age of 18, or 18 and still at school.

If you are an unpaid carer, it can be hard to know where to go to get the support you may need. Care Information Scotland have a comprehensive website to help get you started with finding support, they also have a phoneline and online chat function, both of which can be accessed via their website, if you want to speak to someone about any care enquiries. You can find the site by following this link.