Dawn Bowden MS, Minister for Children and Social Care
I am pleased to announce we are investing a further £5.25 million to continue our Short Breaks Scheme and Carers Support Fund for a further twelve months, until the end of March 2026.
It is right we do all we can to support unpaid carers with what can be a very demanding role, and which can leave them at financial disadvantage.
Our Short Breaks Scheme was established in 2022 to add to the existing duties on local authorities regarding respite for unpaid carers. The scheme supports more innovative and individualised approaches to breaks from caring and can include equipment to pursue a hobby, and leisure memberships, as well as activity sessions and outings. The scheme is on track to deliver 30,000 additional short break opportunities by March 2025. There is evidence such opportunities improve the well-being of unpaid carers.
The Carers Support Fund provides emergency financial support for unpaid carers of all ages on low incomes to pay for essential items. This could be food, a household item or a utility bill. We know many unpaid carers experience financial pressures because of their caring role, which impacts on their access to paid employment including the number of hours they can work.
Almost half of unpaid carers accessing the schemes in the past three years were not previously known to services and received information on their rights and entitlements, as well as local carers’ groups, as a result. This provides significant added value to these schemes as a gateway to other forms of support.