Are You a Carer?
A carer is anyone who cares, unpaid, for a friend or family member who, due to illness, disability, mental health problem or an addiction cannot cope without their support.
We understand the vital role unpaid carers play in the lives of those they care for and the unique challenges that come with it. Our goal is to ensure that there is support for unpaid carers in the Scottish Borders; providing access to the resources, advice, and assistance allowing them to maintain both their wellbeing and that of their loved ones.
Adult Carers
Supporting an adult with care needs? Click here to learn about services and resources available for adult carers.
Parent Carers
Are you looking after a child with additional needs, a disability or life-limiting condition? Click here to explore support and resources for parent carers.

Carers Support Plan
Contact us to arrange a Carers Support Plan to identify and support your needs.

Frequently Asked Questions
If you help support a friend or family member who, due to illness, disability, poor mental health or addiction who could not cope without your support, you are a carer.
If your child has additional support needs or a disability, you are a carer.
No, you do not have to be in receipt of Carer Support Payment to be recognised as a carer.
The service from the Borders Carers Centre is free.
Please contact Scottish Borders Council Social Work 0300 100 1800 (option 1). If you require help outwith Scottish Borders Council’s hours, please call SBC’s out of hours number 01896 752111
We will offer you regular support and will continue to be available for advice and information. If you require ongoing support, we encourage you to make contact with us at any point. Our carers support groups are available all over the Borders and you are welcome to join us. Please note, these groups are for carers only.
The Carers (Scotland) Act came in to effect on 1st April 2018. This legislation provides Adult Carers and Young Carers in Scotland with a number of new and enhanced rights. See full details and links here
If you have not made contact with us within 3 years, your details are deleted from the database in compliance with GDPR and our data protection policy. If your caring situation has changed and you feel the need for support, please contact us to re-refer.
Training and Workshops
Latest News
Borders Carers Centre Annual Review
View the annual review for 2018/19.
Borders Carers Centre Annual Review
View the annual review for 2019/20.
TV Ad Campaign
A countrywide campaign for carers – Carers’ Wellbeing Campaign – was launched in partnership with NHS Inform and the Scottish Government.
Borders Carers Centre Annual Review
View the annual review for 2020/21
Parent Carers Legal Support
A website by a group of legal professionals was launched to help parent carers to understand and navigate their way through the guardianship process.
Borders Carers Centre Annual Review
View the annual review for 2021/22
Borders Carers Centre Annual Review
View the annual review for 2022/23.
Carers Week 2024
On June 11th, we held our Carers Week event – ‘Putting Carers on the Map’ at the Kingsknowes Hotel in Galashiels. See our video here
The Way Forward Report
Please see the report of our Carers Conference – The Way Forward.
Winter Covid Vaccine
Unpaid carers will not be called to receive the vaccine this Winter. Read more.
Borders Carers Centre Annual Review
Our 2023/2024 Annual Review is available now. Please see the previous Annual Reviews here.
Government must go further with review of Carer’s Allowance overpayments say Carers Trust
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Liz Kendall’s announcement of a review of Carer’s Allowance overpayments.
Carers and the Budget
Today the Chancellor announced that the earnings threshold for Carer’s Allowance will increase by £45 per week from April 2025. With Coalition of Carers In Scotland, we will be urging the Scottish Government to replicate this within Scotland’s Carer Support Payment ( which replaces Carers Allowance in Scotland) to ensure that carers in Scotland do not miss out.
Borders Carers Centre launch new website
A new website for the Borders Carers Centre!
Carer Support Payments replaces Carers Allowance
What is Carer Support Payment?In Scotland, Carer Support Payment has replaced Carer’s Allowance from the Department for Workand Pensions (DWP). Carer Support Payment is money for people who look after someone who isdisabled or who has a long-term health condition.Who can apply?To be eligible, a carer must be 16 or over provide 35 hours or more of unpaid care a week to someone of any age who is getting certain disability benefits earn £151 per week or less on average after some deductions live in an area where the benefit is available
Plans for a National Care Service in Scotland stall again
Along with the other National Carer Organisations in Scotland The Coalition have put together a statement expressing disappointment at the delay. We are urging all parties in the Scottish Parliament to work together on a solution that puts disabled people and unpaid carers at the heart of any future reform of social care. To read our statement in full: https://www.carersnet.org/national-carer-organisations…/
Grants available for families raising disabled children and young people
The Family Fund provide a wide range of grants to families living in Scotland raising a disabled, or seriously ill, child or young person on a low income. Their Scotland grant programme could help eligible families with essential grant items including kitchen appliances, bedding and furniture, computers and tablets, family breaks, sensory toys or outdoor play equipment. Apply here
Scottish Government’s draft budget
This week, the Scottish Government presented their draft budget for 2025/26 to the Scottish Parliament. We welcome the announcement that the Scottish Government are committed to matching the UK Government by raising the earnings threshold for Carer Support Payment and Carer’s Allowance to £196, which means carers can earn an extra £45 a week whilst receiving these benefits. If these proposals in the draft Scottish Budget are accepted by the Scottish Parliament then the changes to the earnings threshold will come into effect from April 2025.
Local Carers Enjoy Christmas Lunches
Local carers have enjoyed getting together to share lunch and their experiences of 2024 at a series of Christmas lunches across the region. Huge thanks our funders for making local carers Christmas lunch possible. When asked what this meant to them, carers said: “It means an awful lot. To be in a relaxed, undemanding place. Being normal with fellow carers for a couple of hours and to be able to enjoy a Christmas treat.” “It means the world to me to be able to celebrate Christmas with other carers. I can be myself and feel fully understood and supported by other carers. It’s an invaluable experience.”
Strategic Plan for unpaid carers sets out new vision for living well in the Scottish Borders
Strategic Plan for unpaid carers sets out new vision for living well in the Scottish Borders | Scottish Borders Council The Health and Social Care Partnership’s strategic plan for unpaid carers, as approved by the Integration Joint Board earlier in the year, has now been published. Supporting unpaid carers by getting services right for the cared for person is a strategic objective identified in the Partnership’s Strategic Framework 2023-2026. Living Well in the Scottish Borders – A Plan for Adult Unpaid Carers 2024-28 (Living Well) sets out a clear vision and approach on how the Partnership aims to meet this objective over the next four years by, for example, focusing on carer identification and recognition and the provision of information, advice and communication for carers. Living Well was created in partnership with the Borders Carers Centre and Unpaid Carers in the Scottish Borders and was informed by the Carers Needs Assessment, carried…
Carers Centre Manager Vacancy
We are seeking a creative, entrepreneurial individual with a successful track record of leadership, ideally as a Manager, to achieve our ambitions as the leading organisation supporting Unpaid Carers throughout the Scottish Borders. Please see full details and how to apply here
National Care Service (NCS) update
Last week, the Minister for Social Care – Maree Todd outlined the next steps for the National Care Service Bill to the Scottish Parliament. In summary, the plan to introduce a National Care Board and Local Care Boards will no longer go ahead. Instead, the Scottish Government will introduce a new non-statutory advisory board comprising of people with lived experience of accessing care, social care workers, care providers, trade unions, the NHS and local government. This new advisory board will provide guidance on social care improvement in Scotland, but we don’t have any further details about the specific remit of the group or how the board members will be appointed. Other provisions such as the Right to Breaks for Carers and Anne’s Law will still be included in the amended National Care Service Bill. Full statement here https://www.gov.scot/publications/ministerial-statement-future-of-the-national-care-service