Carer Support Payment has replaced Carer’s Allowance in Scotland, offering improved support to unpaid carers who play such a vital - and often invisible - role in our society. At CHAP, we know just how much unpaid carers contribute, often putting their own needs on hold to support a family member, friend or neighbour. This new payment is designed to better reflect their circumstances and make it easier to get the support they deserve. What is Carer Support Payment? Carer Support Payment is a benefit issued by Social Security Scotland, offering financial support to people who provide 35 or more hours of unpaid care a week to someone receiving a qualifying disability benefit - such as Adult Disability Payment or Attendance Allowance. What’s Different? Unlike Carer’s Allowance, the new system is designed to be: More flexible - carers in full-time education can now apply, removing a barrier faced by many young and adult learners. Less restrictive - there’s more support for carers navigating changes in work, health, or family life. Better aligned with other Scottish benefits - helping to reduce overlap and confusion. How Much Is It? You could receive £83.30 per week (as of April 2025), paid every four weeks. This amount is not taxed, and it doesn’t count towards the benefit cap. In addition, Carer’s Allowance Supplement is an extra payment for eligible unpaid carers who are getting Carer Support Payment. This payment is made twice a year and is unique to Scotland. Each payment of Carer’s Allowance Supplement in 2025 will be £293.50. It is paid automatically without the need to apply. Who Can Claim It? Many people provide regular care but don’t realise they could be entitled to financial support. To be eligible to apply, you must: Be aged 16 or over Usually live in Scotland Provide care for 35 hours or more a week (this includes if you provide care all day every day) Not earn more than £196 a week after tax, National Insurance and expenses (this threshold has been increased from £151 per week) What If You Were Already Getting Carer’s Allowance? If you were receiving Carer’s Allowance and you live in Scotland, you should have been automatically transferred to Carer Support Payment - you don’t need to apply again. But if you’re unsure or something doesn’t look right, CHAP can help you check and get it sorted. How CHAP Can Help Our friendly, professional advisers can: Check if you're eligible Help you apply Go through a benefits check to make sure you're claiming what you're entitled to All our services are free, independent and confidential. Get in touch: Freephone 030 0002 0002 For further information: https://www.mygov.scot/carer-support-payment

CHAP is gearing up for an exciting challenge on Friday, 16th May 2025, as we take on the Killie 2 Coast fundraising walk. This 18-mile trek from Kilmarnock to Ardrossan marks our first long-distance walk, all in aid of raising vital funds for supporting local people facing housing, welfare, and debt challenges. The team will set off from CHAP’s outreach office at CentreStage and make their way to the coast to finish at our main office in Princes Street. This is the first time CHAP has organised the event, and we’re eager to invite the community to get involved and show their support - either by donating or joining the walk at one of the checkpoints along the route. The K2C walk takes place during Mental Health Awareness Week, and in addition to raising funds for CHAP’s vital services, the team hopes to raise awareness of mental health issues and help break the stigma. Debbie Alexander, CEO of CHAP, said: "Every day, our advisers work with people facing real hardship - from housing problems and homelessness to debt and benefit issues. These challenges have a negative impact on mental wellbeing and we are encouraging people not to suffer in silence but to know that help and support is available if they reach out.” It’s well known that walking is a fantastic way to boost mental wellbeing, so we’re encouraging the community to come together, get active, and support both a crucial cause and an important conversation. CHAP has been a lifeline to thousands of Ayrshire residents for over 20 years by providing free, independent advice on housing, welfare rights, debt, and money management. With the ongoing cost-of-living crisis and increasing demand for their services, all funds raised through the K2C walk will help us continue delivering expert advice and advocacy services to those most in need. Debbie adds: "Every pound donated will help us continue supporting local people who are struggling. We’d love as many people as possible - including families and dogs - to join us on the journey, whether for the full route or just a mile or two. We’re also hoping this will be the first of many Killie 2 Coast walks, turning it into an annual event that brings the community together for a great cause. The CHAP team is looking forward to this exciting challenge and we hope you can join us!" How you can support CHAP Make a donation via JustGiving Register to participate in the K2C Walk Spread the word and encourage friends, family, or colleagues to donate or take part. To keep up to date with the latest Killie 2 Coast news and plans, please follow us on Facebook . To access CHAP services, call Freephone 030 0002 0002 .

Debt can affect anyone. Yet, for too many people, stigma and judgement prevent them from reaching out for the support they need. As we mark Debt Awareness Week 2025 , CHAP is proud to stand with StepChange to challenge these harmful attitudes and encourage open conversations about debt. Now in its 11th year, this annual campaign raises awareness of the financial difficulties many face and highlights the solutions available. The Reality of Debt - It’s More Common Than You May Think A common misconception is that debt only happens to those who have mismanaged their money. In reality, financial struggles often arise from circumstances beyond a person’s control - job loss, illness, rising living costs, or unexpected emergencies. Despite this, many still feel a deep sense of shame about their situation. Research by StepChange* found that: 78% of people feel judged for being in debt 90% experience personal shame about their financial situation 40% wouldn’t talk to family or friends about their debt Men are more likely than women to discuss their financial struggles This stigma leads to silence and isolation, making it harder for people to access advice and support when they need it most. Why Breaking the Stigma Matters Debt is not a personal failure - it’s a reality of modern life that millions of people across the UK experience. The first step towards financial stability is seeking professional help - but that step can feel impossible when shame and fear take hold. At CHAP, we strive to break down the barriers that prevent people from getting support. Not only is our debt advice service free to access, it’s also free from judgement. Our only aim is to find a solution that allows people to move forward. How We Can Help If you’re struggling with debt, you don’t have to go through it alone. Speaking to an experienced debt adviser can help you: Understand your options and the solutions available to you Regain control of your finances with a clear plan of action Find the right support based on your personal situation Take the First Step Today If you, or someone you know, is facing money and debt worries, CHAP is here to help. Freephone: 030 0002 0002 Email: enquiries@chap.org.uk For more information about Debt Awareness Week , visit www.stepchange.org/debt-awareness-week . The more open, honest conversations around debt we have, the more we can work toward ending the stigma and make sure everyone gets the support they need.  #DebtAwarenessWeek #EndTheStigma #DebtHelp *StepChange survey of 2,000 people.

Poverty in Scotland isn’t just persistent - it’s growing. Despite the clear need for early intervention and financial education, funding cuts are making it harder to support those most at risk. In this thought-provoking article, CHAP Chair Ray Chaney explores the widening opportunity gap, the cost of inaction, and why we must rethink how we tackle financial insecurity. I’m old enough to remember the SMASH adverts of the 1970s, where barely-credible, tinny robots laughed uproariously at the thought of mashing potatoes (something, of course, we still do). But it’s hard not to imagine contemporary aliens also clutching their sides at the thought that the world’s most expensive handbag recently sold for two million dollars, while we simultaneously allow people to become homeless for lack of money for earlier intervention. In Scotland and across the UK, we have socialist-inclined governments, alongside poverty and inequality figures which continue to get worse, not better. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s report, ‘Poverty in Scotland 2024’ identifies that over one million people in Scotland continue to live in defined poverty, including a quarter of a million children. ‘Getting people back to work is the answer’, we are regularly told - and having an earned income generally helps an individual or family’s situation. But it’s very far from a single solution. According to the government’s own statistics*, wealth is far more unevenly distributed than income, with the wealthiest 2% of the population owning 18% of Scotland’s wealth. At the same time, around a third of Scottish adults do not have sufficient savings to last a month before falling into poverty. Even greater numbers of adults have zero pension savings. I work with people who are socially and economically excluded in one of the most deprived areas of Scotland. Through a charity focused on financial education, debt advice and homelessness prevention, we spend way too many of our resources helping people already teetering on the point of crisis. What we really want to do is to invest resources in crisis prevention and in achieving lasting social change but, in these times of austerity (by any other name), funding is being cut in ways which make me tear my hair out in frustration. Public sector funding for the provision of debt advice and support is being drastically cut, despite the fact this will demonstrably result in more Court and eviction costs; more health and stress issues being passed to the NHS; greater calls on emergency housing and on hard-pressed social services, as families are broken up. These are less cost-savings than costs being kicked down the road. Or, as the Rowntree Foundation report puts it, “A weak social safety net weakens our economy. Politicians often rightly talk of individuals locked out of the labour market by NHS waiting lists, yet ignore the impacts of the social security system on weakening people’s resilience when they need it the most. Good career advice rarely starts with recommending a period of deep financial insecurity and the anxiety that goes with it.” Our experience, over more than twenty years, is that people on low incomes tend to have poor financial knowledge, little financial interest, and hence highly restricted access to ways to live better on a budget. In families where living hand to mouth is the norm, paying higher prices for goods and services goes unquestioned. The thought of saving to avoid future crises seems laughable and the notion of having any real option a cruel fiction. We have gone into secondary schools in Ayrshire for twenty years, emphasising that money (whether a little or a lot) needs to be actively managed. We discuss in lively ways why debt should be avoided and suggest strategies how this may be achieved. Our efforts have been rewarded by becoming part of the curriculum in several schools, where we have also just been invited to devise pilot programmes for younger pupils. In addition, we offer free, financial education to adults within the community, where take-up has been greatly encouraging. The ongoing problem is that we, like many charities, are struggling to secure ongoing funding for our work. Local Authority budgets increasingly prioritise ‘necessities’ and maintaining the status quo, which means we see the chance of meaningful social change receding further. Early intervention and education to help young people understand the ways that money can be used and wasted, plus sharing understanding of how others thrive, can provide hope and opportunity. We actively challenge the belief that, just because something has always been this way, then this is the way it has to be. Through necessity, we are turning our attention to finding partners in the private sector who believe, as we do, that no society sustains itself by sucking funds from the many to give to the few; only chucking money at problems at the eleventh hour, with all the attendant human and societal misery that entails. That’s not my view of a healthy society, secure communities or potential for economic growth through meaningful change. Ray Chaney is the Chair of CHAP, a debt, welfare and housing advice charity based in Ardrossan in Ayrshire. Providing outreach into local communities, it delivers a range of advice, support and educational services. *The latest published government figures on wealth distribution in Scotland are from 2018-2020 (pre-pandemic) https://data.gov.scot/wealth/ For more articles like this, please connect with CHAP on LinkedIn .