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.
