Mike Hedges MS welcomes new support package for unpaid carers

Mike Hedges MS welcomes new support package for unpaid carers

Welsh Labour’s Member of the Senedd for Swansea East, Mike Hedges MS, has welcomed a new £7m package of support for unpaid carers, in recognition of the vital support they provide to the people they care for.

The new support package will:

• Allocate £5.5 million to local authorities to provide targeted support to unpaid carers;
• £1.25m for the Carers Support Fund – last year, this fund successfully helped almost 6500 unpaid carers to cope with the financial impact of Covid 19;
• £20,000 to fund online mental wellbeing support sessions; and
• £230,000 for the Family Fund to support over 600 further low-income families with seriously ill or disabled children.

The Welsh Government previously committed £3 million in 2021-22 to allow more carers to take a break from their caring role, bringing the total additional funding support for unpaid carers this year to £10 million.

Welcoming the fund,  Mike Hedges MS said:

“The funding announced today shows how much the Welsh Labour Government appreciates and values the army of unpaid carers in Wales who have gone above and beyond to care for family or friends.

“The physical and emotional impact of caring can be overwhelming – it’s vital that we continue to help and support our unpaid carers with the emotional and financial impact of COVID-19.”

ENDS

Notes to editors:

Examples of how the previous funding has been spent to date include:

• £5,000 to fund the creation of a Respitality scheme in Gwynedd to work with the holiday sector to offer cheaper holidays to unpaid carers;
• £10,000 to fund the remodelling of day care for older people in Gwynedd which includes paying for flexible short care packages for carers and the individuals they support;
• £20,000 to fund a 6 week programme of wellbeing counselling to help support carers with personal stresses and anxieties in Conwy;
• £40,000 to fund Carers’ Outreach in Conwy to provide breaks, days out, weekends away in Conwy for carers over 18; and
• £32,000 to run a pilot scheme for parent carers to choose practical support which meets their needs in Swansea.