DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
News Release issued by The Government News Network on 10 June 2008
New ten year
programme to give carers short breaks, more help with employment
and support for them to stay healthy
The government today launched a new multi-million pound
cross-cutting strategy to improve the lives of Britain's
army of carers.
The Carers Strategy is supported by £255 million of new
investment to implement some immediate steps.
This money is in addition to the £224 million per annum given to
Local Authorities through the Carers Grant, the extra £340 million
to be spent by the government supporting the families of disabled
children over the next three years, and £2.7million a year to fund
a new information helpline and website for carers.
Today's announcement means:
- £150 million extra investment to expand short breaks for carers
over two years;
- £38 million towards supporting carers to enter or re-enter the
job market with more guidance for employers, and more flexible and
accessible skills training for carers;
- Piloting annual health checks for carers to help them stay
mentally and physically well;
- Training for GPs to recognise the role that carers play and
pressures on the carers' own health;
- £6 million towards improving the support for young carers and
more protection from inappropriate caring for young people;
- Giving carers greater choice and control over their lives by
encouraging increased use of direct payments - often, carers'
lives will be improved if services to the person for whom they
care are better tailored to their needs.
Health minister Ivan Lewis said:
"In a society where an increasing number of us are caring
for ageing parents or sick and disabled relatives, it is right
that we recognise carers are at the heart of 21st century families
and communities.
"In the next decade elder care will be the new childcare and
it is essential our policies properly meet the scale of the challenge.
"Thousands of carers, irrespective of their roles or
postcode, have told us they want a support system that is on their
side, rather than a constant struggle and the right to a life of
their own alongside their caring responsibilities.
"Today's historic announcement is the beginning of a
ten year programme to give carers the recognition and status they deserve.
"An extra £150m for short breaks will double the amount of
respite care available over 2 years, £6 million will be made
available to support professionals to ensure no child has their
childhood stolen through taking on inappropriate caring
responsibilities and £38m will help carers who want to combine a
job with their caring role. A further £61m will be aimed at
enhancing support to voluntary organisations and ensuring NHS and
Social Care professionals focus on the specific emotional and
health needs of carers."
The new strategy launched today is another big step forward, and
has the commitment of seven Government Departments, carers and
those who work with them. It is broader than health, looking also
at housing, benefits and education.
Minister for Disabled People, Anne McGuire, said:
"Carers want a better balance between their paid work and
their caring responsibilities. We want to ensure that we give
carers the recognition they deserve and today our strategy
outlines how we make this a reality."
Children's Minister Kevin Brennan said:
"Too often young carers take on caring roles that are too
much for them, which can harm their education and broader
outcomes. We need to do more to prevent this. We want to improve
support to families with young carers so they are better protected
and have the same opportunities to learn and achieve as other
young people do. We also want to make sure that schools and other
front line services can better identify young carers and know how
to support them. The new measures, worth over £6m, will bring our
total investment over the next three years to nearly £10m."
Minister for Women and Equality, Harriet Harman, said:
"Caring affects everyone. Most caring of older and disabled
people is by family members. And as the number of people over 85
is set to double in the next 20 years this will be an issue for
more and more families.
"This is an issue of major concern to women - 70% of care in
the family is by women. This is despite the fact that our new
research shows that most people think men and women should share
caring responsibilities equally.
"It's important that family members caring for older or
disabled don't have to give up their job. Only 7% of people
know that carers have the right to request flexible working.
That's why John Hutton and I will launch a major awareness
raising campaign later this year."
The strategy was drawn up with a wide range of key stakeholders.
More than 33,000 people's views were fed into the consultation.
There are currently about 5.2 million carers in England and
Wales, and nearly half of them provide more than 20 hours care a
week and over a million provide more than 50 hours care per week.
The demand for care is expected to rise in the future, with the
number of people over 85, those most in need of care, rising by
over 50% in the next ten years.
Notes to editors
1. During consultation, carers identified the provision of breaks
and replacement care as one of their highest priorities. In
response to this, the Carers Strategy has put great emphasis on
the provision of planned breaks and measures to ensure that carers
have the same work, education, leisure and training opportunities
as anyone else.
The government has already provided £340 million to improve the
provision of short breaks for families with disabled children, and
this strategy announces a further £150 million which will be
invested over the next two years to support carers of all ages.
This funding will provide a wide range of services from holidays
to sitting or befriending services or access to local leisure
services, and will greatly increase the opportunities carers have
to have a life outside of their caring role.
2. A Standing Commission on Carers has been set up to advise on
the implementation plan and any changes to carers needs over the
next ten years.
3. The Carers Strategy is one part of a wider vision for the
future based on the seven outcomes for adults contained in the
2006 White Paper Our Health, Our Care, Our Say.
It also contributes to the Government's aim for every child,
set out in Every Child Matters, to have the support they need to
be healthy and safe, make a positive contribution and achieve
economic well-being. Putting People First, the Independent Living
Strategy and the Care and Support Green Paper are at the forefront
of the move across government towards a single community based
support system focussed on the health and well-being of the local
population. The Carers' Strategy is another major part of
this move towards providing better care and support for
individuals and families.
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