A £500,000 fund has been launched to help third sector groups meet the costs associated with the new Carers Act

Charities are being given support to prepare for new legislation.

The Carers Act Transformation Support (CATS) Fund will give third sector organisations involved in the local implementation of the Carers (Scotland) Act the opportunity to apply for small grants to improve their capacity to do so.

The £500,000 fund has been provided by the Scottish Government and managed by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO).

The funding is aimed at helping organisations to meet transformation costs that will be incurred as a result of the new legislation: such as IT, accounting, data collection, data protection and recording and associated templates, paperwork and procedures.

SCVO chief executive Anna Fowlie said: “SCVO is delighted to be managing this fund on behalf of the Scottish Government as it recognises both the vital role that Scotland’s third sector has in the implementation of the Carers (Scotland) Act, and the need to financially support organisations to do this successfully.

“We want to help charities across the country develop their processes and procedures to ensure they have the capacity to meet the opportunities and challenges the act presents in their communities. I would encourage eligible organisations involved in this work to apply.”

Public health minister Aileen Campbell said: “Carers play a vital role in society and the new act gives carers support to look after their own health and have a life alongside caring. The third sector plays a valuable role in helping carers at a local level and our funding will help charities improve their systems to help unpaid carers access their new rights.”

More details and information on how to apply are available on the SCVO website.