- 19/11/2012
- Posted by: Mike Hedges MS
- Category: Latest News
Carers will get equivalent rights to the people they care for, in new plans to be announced by the Welsh Labour Government.
The proposals will be set out in the Welsh Labour Government’s new Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Bill early next year. Under the proposals, carers will have a right to an assessment of their needs for support, with local authorities required to assess if the carer has particular needs as part of their caring role. The local authority will also be required to put in place a plan of support which they must regularly review.
A 12-week consultation on a refreshed Carers Strategy also starts today and can be found here.
The strategy looks at how support for carers needs to adapt to meet the demands of an ageing population, which has increased the pressure on unpaid carers and the agencies that support them.
Figures show that there are over 350,000 carers in Wales, 90,000 of whom look after family or friends for at least 50 hours a week.
