Category: Latest News

In the final episode of our short series on Guardianship Katy talks to Fiona, a parent carer who has recently got guardianship for her son, and Martin fills in any final details about the practicalities of being a guardian.

We had a number of questions sent in which we didn’t have time to answer in the podcast, so have included them here.

Is there any option/method where guardianship can be shared between a group like a circle of friends/ community circle? For example, if I were to lose capacity or to die.

Yes – you can appoint more than one guardian, and you can remove or add guardians at any time, although it is most easily done when you renew your guardianship.

I saw a post on some Facebook page and it suggested that if you had financial guardianship and report back with your financial receipts etc etc that you don’t need to fill in annual reports for SDS?

Sadly this is not the case, the council rules are different form those around guardianship, and the forms you complete are different.

Why do people suggest you need financial powers in order to access SDS as an adult in some Local authorities?

Local authorities each have their own rules. For help with SDS in East Dunbartonshire you can contact Take Control.

Why do we need to basically pay £700 to be responsible for our own child?

If we chose not to take responsibility for our child, the duty of care that would be placed into our local authority would cost much more than £700 so in the long term, we are saving EDC (and all others ) loads of hassle and loads of cash. Why are we paying VAT on this service when we don’t pay vat on goods for disabled people?

These are very valid questions, but not ones that we can answer – it is a Scottish Government decision. They have recognised the issues and have proposed some changes to the law which will be considered by ministers in September 2022. You can see these at https://consult.gov.scot/mental-health-law-secretariat/scottish-mental-health-law-review/

Parent Carers Legal Support

Caesar & Howie solicitors

Office of the Public Guardian in Scotland

Take Control

Carers Link can offer you an appointment for information and advice at our Legal Clinic. This is free of charge and gives you the chance to have a one-to-one meeting over the phone with a solicitor from Blackadders Solicitors, to ask questions on legal matters.

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In this episode, Katy is joined by Martin, a solicitor with Ceasar & Howie solicitors, who have launched Parent Carer Legal Support to support parent carers through the process of guardianship.

Katy and Martin talk about the detail of how to apply for guardianship, and what needs to be done.

This is the second of three podcasts on the topic – the first is an overview of capacity and what guardianship is, and in the third episode they are be joined by a parent carer to discuss her experience of applying for and carrying out her guardianship role.

Parent Carers Legal Support

Caesar & Howie solicitors

Office of the Public Guardian in Scotland

Carers Link can offer you an appointment for information and advice at our Legal Clinic. This is free of charge and gives you the chance to have a one-to-one meeting over the phone with a solicitor from Blackadders Solicitors, to ask questions on legal matters. Call us on 0800 975 2131 to book you appointment.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In this episode, Katy is joined by Martin, a solicitor with Ceasar & Howie solicitors, who have launched Parent Carer Legal Support to support parent carers through the process of guardianship.

This is the first of three episodes on the subject of guardianship, and Katy and Martin talk about what capacity is, and give an overview of the process of guardianship. This is the first of three podcasts on the topic – the second will go into guardianship in more detail, and in the final episode they will be joined by a parent carer to discuss her experience of applying for and carrying out her guardianship role.

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In this episode Jon returns to join Katy and talk about technology, and how Carers Link can help you use it. Jon also talks to Shona and Cameron about their experiences of the support our Switched On service can provide and the difference it and our Tech Talk group made to them.

You can find out more about the Switched On service and details of the Tech Talk groups on our website, and our Technology Helpline number is 07592 040 703 if you are looking for one to one help.

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Katy, Catriona, Heather and Jon get into the Christmas spirit with a quiz and chat about Christmas’s past, favourite Christmas songs an d more. Join us round the virtual water cooler for a chat.

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In this episode, Katy and Catriona are joined by David, one of the Carers Link tech buddies and a registered electrician. They discuss the new Scottish legislation around smoke, heat, and carbon monoxide alarms which mean that every home in Scotland must have interlinked fire alarms by February 2022

Listen in to find out everything you need to know about the new regulations, the kind of alarms you need, and how to avoid scams.

Take a look at the resources below for more information, and as always, get in touch with any questions!

Resources:

Scottish Fire and rescue service

SFRS factsheet on alarms

Scottish government fire alarm publication

If you are suspicious of a trader or salesperson you can call Trading Standards at East Dunbartonshire Council on 0300 123 4510, or you can call the non-emergency police number 101 if you feel that someone may be bogus.

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