- 17/06/2013
- Posted by: Mike Hedges MS
- Category: Latest News
Welsh Labour’s Deputy Minister for Social Services Gwenda Thomas has marked Carers Week 2013 by launching the refreshed Carers Strategy for Wales at a conference organised by the Newport Carers Forum.
The refreshed Carers Strategy for Wales identifies five priority areas for action:
- Health, social care and well-being
- Identification, information and consultation
- Young carers and young adult carers
- Support and a life outside of the caring role
- Carers and employment.
The strategy contains 18 key actions. A detailed delivery plan will be published later in the year.
The strategy, first published in 2000, has been updated to consider how support for carers needs to adapt to meet the demands of an ageing population. These changes have increased the pressure on unpaid carers and the agencies that support them. The updated strategy provides a framework for support, within which agencies and carers can work together to find innovative and sustainable ways of supporting carers more effectively.
Taking on a caring role can be a huge responsibility, and carers need the right information and support if they are to continue in this role and maintain their own health and wellbeing.
More than 370,000 people of different ages and backgrounds in Wales provide unpaid care for relatives, friends and neighbours. Carers ensure that vulnerable people can continue to live within their home and family environments with those they love and trust, saving the NHS and social services millions of pounds a year.
