About the National Carer Organisations
Shared Care Scotland is one of the six National Carer Organisations (NCOs) in Scotland. Together we have a shared vision that all Scotland’s unpaid carers will feel valued, included and supported as equal partners in the provision of care. The NCOs aim to achieve this through the representation of carers and giving them a voice at a national level.
We believe we can deliver more for carers by working together to share our knowledge and experience, and by focusing our collective efforts on achieving improvements in areas of policy and practice that are of greatest concern to carers.
In responding to proposed policies, laws, strategies and regulations, the NCOs seek to represent the views and experiences of carers in Scotland. Additionally, Shared Care Scotland aim to represent those involved in the development and delivery of short breaks across Scotland to make recommendations about how proposals can be improved to further carers’ rights in Scotland.
There are six NCOs in Scotland:
- Carers Scotland
- Carers Trust Scotland
- Coalition of Carers in Scotland
- MECOPP (Minority Ethnic Carers of Older People Project)
- Shared Care Scotland
- The Scottish Young Carers Service Alliance
2026 Manifesto: Supporting unpaid carers and young carers in 2026 and beyond
Scotland’s unpaid carers face considerable challenges as the pressure on our health and social care system mounts. Cuts to budgets and services mean more unpaid carers are caring for longer and more intensively. The National Carer Organisations call upon all parties to make a commitment in the 2026 election to supporting unpaid carers. Three in five of us are likely to become an unpaid carer in our lifetime: supporting carers doesn’t just make political and economic sense, it’s a moral imperative.
Read the manifesto here.
NCO 2026 manifesto - communications toolkit
