Resources and guidance
On this page
We partner with dedicated organisations like Connecting Carers, Mobilise, Change Mental Health and Partners In Advocacy to provide tailored support for unpaid carers.
These services offer practical advice, emotional support, and tools to help you manage your caregiving responsibilities more effectively.
Our commissioned services
Help us enhance our services - share your feedback and experiences with our commissioned support:
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Connecting Carers
Connecting Carers offer a wide range of services to help carers manage their role, including information, advice, and practical support. Their team can help you with things like accessing benefits, understanding your rights, and provide personalised Adult Carer Support Plans to help you get the support you need.
Mobilise
Mobilise offer a wide range of resources and support for carers, including financial toolkits, guidance on legal rights, and emergency planning advice. They help carers navigate complex systems, providing practical advice on accessing benefits, understanding financial entitlements, and managing your caring responsibilities. Mobilise also runs online peer support groups, where you can connect with others in similar situations.
Partners in Advocacy
Partners in Advocacy offers advocacy services to help unpaid carers and the people they care for. They support carers by ensuring your voices are heard, particularly in challenging situations such as dealing with local authorities or accessing services. Partners In Advocacy can help you navigate difficult decisions, provide advice, and represent your interests in meetings. Their advocacy services are a great resource if you're feeling overwhelmed, unsure of your rights, or need support to ensure you and the person you care for receive the appropriate services.
Other funded projects that offer support
Change Mental Health
Change Mental Health is committed to supporting the mental health and well-being of carers. They understand the unique challenges that carers face and provide services designed to improve your mental health. They offer support for managing stress, anxiety, and the emotional demands of caring. Change Mental Health also runs awareness days, events, and peer support groups to help you connect with others who understand your experience. Their goal is to ensure carers’ mental health is prioritised, and that you receive the care and support you need to stay well.
Connecting Communities - Here to Help
Here to Help is a free support service designed to give unpaid carers in the Lairg, Rogart, Bonar Bridge, Golspie, Brora, Dornoch and Helmsdale areas the breathing space they need to continue in their vital role. Whether you’re caring for someone with a long-term illness, disability, mental health condition, addiction, or dealing with a short-term emergency, this service offers short-term respite and practical support to help you carry on.
Thriving Families
Thriving Families support families of children and young people (0 to 25 years) with additional support needs (ASN), providing trusted information, advice and holistic, person-centred support. Their aim is to empower families to improve their lives by building their confidence, recognising their expertise and value, understanding their rights and ensuring their voices are heard. They offer a range of services including one-to-one intensive family support, early intervention through programmes like E-PAtS, as well as local initiatives like the Family Links project and the Pines Partnership.
Help with Self-Directed Support (SDS)
Looking for information and advice on self-directed support? We recommend The SDS Handbook.
Looking for help to navigate SDS? Community Contacts is an independent Carr Gomm project offering impartial advice, information, and support to people navigating SDS in Argyll and Bute and Highland. Funded by the Scottish Government’s Support in the Right Direction (SiRD) initiative, they aim to empower people to design and manage their own support with confidence, with the reassurance that we’re here to help if needed. Get one-to-one guidance tailored to your SDS journey.
See more information about SDS on this NHS Highland site.
Tools to help you care
Technology Enabled Care (TEC) options
The NHS offers a range of Technology Enabled Care (TEC) solutions to support people living at home, including motion sensors, safety alarms and lighting aids. These tools can help improve safety and independence, particularly for individuals with dementia or mobility challenges. We encourage you to talk with the TEC Team about what would be suitable for you and your cared-for person's needs.
Other services and information to help you in your caring role
Explore a range of digital tools, assistive technologies and expert resources - from Alzheimer Scotland’s product list, to GPS devices and online tools like ADAM and AskSARA. These are designed to support carers and individuals with specific needs such as hearing or sight loss, incontinence, epilepsy and more, with setup support available through AbilityNet.
- Carers UK - using technology to support Carers
- RNID - technology to support people with hearing loss or sight loss
- ERIC - technology to support people with incontinence problems
- Epilepsy Action - technology to support people with epilepsy
- Tech Silver blog - GPS devices
- Alzheimer Scotland - ADAM - digital tool that helps you find useful products, specifically designed for those with Alzheimer’s
- Equipu - AskSARA - online tool that helps you find useful products to make like easier
- Ability Net - may be able to help you set up your device
- NHS.uk - How to make your home dementia friendly
Other services
Find out more about the range of support available in Highland and in your area at the Highland Directory of Support Services.
Unpaid carers
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Unpaid carers
NHS Highland recognise the essential role that unpaid carers play and wants to provide support to unpaid carers to li...
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Rights under the Carers Act
You’ve supported others - now let us support you. We’re here to help you access what you’re entitled to and empower y...
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Breaks and support
There are funding options available to unpaid carers in the Highlands to help provide much-needed breaks from their c...
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Resources and guidance
We partner with dedicated organisations like Connecting Carers, Mobilise, Change Mental Health and Partners In Advoca...
Adult social care
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Support for individuals
Our services are here to promote the health and well-being of individuals in Highland and, where necessary, provide t...
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Self-directed support
Self-Directed Support (SDS) is about assisting individuals who may need support to have maximum choice and control ov...
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Appropriate Adult service
Support for vulnerable adults involved in the criminal justice system in the Highland area.
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Adult Support and Protection
In Scotland, the Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2007 exists to protect adults from harm.