Supporting people who care for family and friends
We are sharing the Autumn/ Winter programme of group support sessions for parent carers. The programme has been designed based on feedback that parent carers gave us when we reviewed our group support. They told us that they’d like to see us offering a combination of in person and online sessions, a mixture of learning … Read more
Join us for the Carers of East Lothian Annual General Meeting We are pleased to invite carers, members, colleagues and supporters to our Annual General Meeting (AGM). The AGM will be held at the Fraser Centre, Tranent, from 10.00am to 12.00pm on Wednesday 28th October. Alongside the formal business of the AGM, the morning is … Read more
The following article provides an overview of Winter Heating Benefits from Social Security Scotland. Child Winter Heating Payment Child Winter Heating Payment is a payment to help disabled children and young people and their families with increased heating costs over winter. The payment for winter 2026/27 is £265.50. Children and young people in Scotland can … Read more
Earlier this year, we asked carers supporting someone with mental health issues to share their thoughts on what would benefit them when attending carer support groups. We received lots of helpful feedback about the benefits of peer support, session formats, and the topics carers would like us to focus on. A huge thank you to … Read more
Have you heard about Venturing Out’s Carers Adventure Wellbeing Group? This group is about adventurous activities, offering a break from the caring routine and a setting for social connection. Activities have included cooking in the woods, climbing rock faces, paddleboarding & kayaking in Musselburgh Lagoons and exploring East Lothian on foot and bike with coastal … Read more
As we develop our next five year strategy, it is really important that we hear directly from carers about how we can provide the best possible support. We have already held a some sessions where we have heard from carers and would like to invite more carers to share their views. Please see below for … Read more
This week (8th – 14th June) is Carers Week 2026. Carers Week is a national campaign to raise awareness of caring, highlighting the challenges unpaid carers face, and recognise the contribution they make to families and communities. At Carers of East Lothian, we are proud to be supporting this year’s campaign, which focuses on the … Read more
11th – 17th May is Mental Health Awareness Week. The Mental Health Foundation have chosen Action as this year’s theme because, while awareness is vital, real change comes when we take action too. They are asking people to join them in taking action to support good mental health. Even small actions can help us feel hopeful and … Read more
Carers Week is running from 8th – 14th June. The theme of the national campaign in 2026 is Building Carer Friendly Communities, highlighting the impact carer friendly communities can have in making a real and lasting difference to the lives of carers everywhere. Carers of East Lothian will be running a range of events throughout … Read more
Please find a list of resources and factsheets about different benefits in Scotland. Easy read factsheet about Carer Support Payment Scotland: https://www.socialsecurity.gov.scot/publications/2025/04/carer-support-payment-factsheet-easy-read Easy read factsheets about different benefits from Social Security Scotland: https://www.socialsecurity.gov.scot/publications?cat=filter&assist=easyread&page=1&sort=date Easy read factsheets from DWP about Universal Credit: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/easy-read-universal-credit Social Security Scotland benefit factsheets that are available in alternative languages: https://www.socialsecurity.gov.scot/translated-resources Social … Read more