Saturday April 25th 2026
East Lothian Council headquarters
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Marie Sharp
Families in East Lothian are being asked to take part in a consultation about new laws introducing breaks for unpaid carers.
New legislation introduced by the Scottish Government means carers will be given a right to get short break support if they cannot get enough breaks from the role.
The local authority has opened a consultation on the changes asking people what they think about the proposals and how they could work.
Among areas being discussed are what constitutes a ‘short break’, how they would work for those involved and the type of breaks which should be offered to carers.
It is estimated there are around 800,000 adult and 27,000 young carers in Scotland with recent figures suggesting as many as 3,000 young people in East Lothian alone are caring fora relative in their home.
Under the new legislation local authorities will have to draw up support plans for all carers in their area looking at the support they have themselves and arrange suitable breaks for them where they are unable to take time off themselves.
The councils will also have to make available information about the types of short breaks which are available to carers who need them.
The new rules are expected to be introduced after the May elections with councils asked to carry out local consultations to establish what people believe a ‘short break’ should be.
The Scottish Government said defining the term will make sure all local authorities are given clear guidance to what they have to offer carers.
They said while many carers are able to take breaks with support from others or have lighter care duties, some do not.
They said: “The definition of “sufficient breaks” is what local authorities will use to decide about the needs of each carer they speak to. This will help them to identify how the caring role impacts them and if they are getting enough time for themselves.
“If a carer is not getting enough breaks, resulting in negative impacts on their own life, a local authority or health and social care partnership must offer them support to address this.
“Creating this new definition will ensure that all local authorities approach these decisions in the same manner and improve consistency across Scotland.”
The East Lothian consultation is available to take part in on their consultation hub here.
Tweet Share on Facebook
