Carers Strategy

On 25 November the Government published a cross-Government strategy - Recognised, valued and supported: next steps for the Carers Strategy.  This sets out the Government's priority areas for the next four years to ensure the best possible outcomes for carers and those they support.

The strategy is available via the Department of Health website, click here to download.

The strategy recognises the vital role that carers already play in providing support and care to people, and the importance of having a life outside the caring role.  It also recognises the importance of a 'whole family' approach to supporting young carers, so that they do not take on inappropriate caring roles.

The strategy sets out how the Government will reciprocate the support carers provide with measures that support the responsibilities of caring:

• supporting those with caring responsibilities to identify themselves as carers at an early stage, recognising the value of their contribution and involving them from the outset both in designing local care provision and in planning individual care packages;
• enabling those with caring responsibilities to fulfil their educational and employment potential; 
• personalised support both for carers and those they support, enabling them to have a family and community life; and supporting carers to remain mentally and physically well.

The strategy identifies the actions that the Government will take to support these priorities.  These include:

•  providing £400m additional funding over the next four years for breaks, and further resources for GP training, to increase GPs' awareness and understanding of carers' needs for support.  The Department for Education has already announced that additional funding recycled from the Child Trust Fund will be used to support short breaks services.  The legislative process to place a duty on councils to commission a short breaks service should be completed in the New Year;
• the Department for Education will make a new early intervention grant available to local government from April 2011-12, bringing together a range of funding streams for early intervention services for young people and families, including young carers;
• the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills will issue a consultation document next year to consult with business on how best to take forward the Coalition commitment to extend to all employees the right to request flexible working;
• the Department of Health and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills will examine how small local enterprises can be encouraged to provide good quality, reliable and consistent replacement care either to give carers a break from caring responsibilities or to enable them to work alongside caring responsibilities; and
• the Department of Health and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills will work with industry and statutory and voluntary sector stakeholders to identify the barriers and enablers to market growth in assisted living technologies, and to support further uptake and boost innovation.  

The Department of Health has also published a guide on emerging evidence - Carers and personalisation: improving outcomes. Click here to download.

The guide includes examples to illustrate how the principles of personalisation have been applied, emphasising the value of finding ways forward that make sense and work best locally.

Please note: This information has been forwarded to you from the Mental Health Providers Forum.