New fund to help local charities implement Carers (Scotland) Act 2016
Melanie May | 25 June 2018 | News
The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) is to manage a new grants programme on behalf of the Scottish Government, to help charities implement the Carers (Scotland) Act in their local areas.
Launched on 20 June, the Carers Act Transformation Support (CATS) Fund will give third sector organisations involved in the local implementation of the Act the opportunity to apply for small grants to help them do so. The Scottish Government is investing around £500,000 in 2018/2019 to help charities gear up for supporting the implementation of the Carers (Scotland) Act 2016 by providing funding for transformation costs to help charities develop local capacity and systems.
Transformation costs are expected to be those centring on systems such as IT, accounting, data collection, data protection and recording and associated templates, paperwork and procedures.
Applications for the fund are now open, and close on 20 August. Eligibility criteria is detailed on the SCVO website.
Anna Fowlie, Chief Executive of the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) said:
“SCVO is delighted to be managing this fund on behalf of the Scottish Government as it recognises both the vital role that Scotland’s third sector has in the implementation of the Carers (Scotland) Act, and the need to financially support organisations to do this successfully. We want to help charities across the country develop their processes and procedures to ensure they have the capacity to meet the opportunities and challenges the Act presents in their communities. I would encourage eligible organisations involved in this work to apply.”
Public Health Minister Aileen Campbell said:
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“Carers play a vital role in society and the new Act gives carers support to look after their own health and have a life alongside caring. The third sector plays a valuable role in helping carers at a local level and our funding will help charities improve their systems to help unpaid carers access their new rights.”
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.