Minister praises Wales’ carers on Carers’ Rights Day

The invaluable contribution carers make to society in Wales has been praised by Minister for Health and Social Services Mark Drakeford.

There are estimated to be more than 370,000 carers in Wales; 90,000 carers look after family and friends for at least 50 hours a week.

Between 70% and 95% of the care provided to people in communities across Wales is given freely by family and friends. Many carers juggle other responsibilities, such as work or education, on top of their caring commitments.

The Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 comes into force on April 6 and will transform the way social services are delivered in Wales to meet the care and support needs of all individuals in Wales. The Act recognises the key role played by carers and ensures that carers have the same rights to assessments and help to meet their support needs as those that they care for.

The Act strengthens the rights of carers through providing a right to assessment for all carers, regardless of the amount of the care they are willing and able to provide. A local authority has a duty to inform carers of their right to an assessment, and to provide a consistent approach to meeting their support needs.

While carers can have an assessment of their needs under the current legislation, there is no legal duty on the local authority to provide any support following the assessment, even if a clear need is identified.  The Act works to address this ensuring carers rights of access to support are equivalent to those provided for those they care for.

Speaking on Carers’ Rights Day, Professor Drakeford said:

“Caring is characterised by selflessness, determination and resilience. But this can often be at the expense of a carer’s own aspirations, wellbeing and quality of life as they put the care and support they provide to their family, friends and neighbours before their own needs.

“In these challenging times we must all ensure carers are neither taken for granted nor forgotten. I want to send my best wishes to everyone involved in Carers Rights Day 2015 and to all carers for the amazing work they do every day of the year.”