Written question WQ93534

I recognise the vital role unpaid carers play and the value of their input to the care and support of our most vulnerable citizens.

We will continue to provide specific support for unpaid carers in Wales via our Carers Support Fund and Short Breaks Scheme. We have invested £13.5m over three years (2022-25) and these schemes are in addition to the support provided by local authorities and health boards.

Good Care month is a primarily an English campaign to mark the contribution of the paid social care workforce. In Wales, we recognise and celebrate the contribution of young carers on Young Carers Action Day in March and unpaid carers of all ages during Carers Week in June and on Carers Rights Day in November.

Welfare benefits are not devolved; however, we are committed to ensuring people in Wales claim every pound to which they are entitled. We support several income maximisation projects which increase awareness of the financial support available to people. For example, our Claim What’s Yours campaign, which ran from winter 2023 to March 2024 helped 36,800 people claim £10.4m in additional income. Everyone accessing the Welsh Government’s Single Advice Fund is offered a welfare benefits entitlement check. Since January 2020 this has resulted in claims for £137m of additional income.

The Ministerial Advisory Group for Unpaid Carers has identified the provision of advice and support to carers as an area for improvement and is working closely with health and local authorities to drive progress and share best practice with the delivery of their statutory responsibilities. We have published a Charter for unpaid carers outlining carers’ rights and entitlements.

We fund Carers Wales and Carers Trust Wales to train health and social care staff so professionals recognise carers and can provide them with the necessary information. We also fund other third sector organisations to provide support and signpost unpaid carers to other services and resources available to them

We have supported the provision of written information for unpaid carers in a variety of languages and formats to aid accessibility. We know there is more to do to ensure unpaid carers from all communities and cultures are aware of information, advice and support available. We are revising our national strategy for unpaid carers this year and are engaging with our social care partners on how communication and engagement with all our unpaid carers can be maximised.

Carers Trust Wales manage the Carers Support Fund and the third sector grant scheme part of the national Short Breaks scheme on our behalf. Funding for these schemes is passed onto local organisations that are awarding small grants or providing short break opportunities to carers.

We know unpaid carers are more likely to live in low-income households and often face additional costs. The latest National Survey for Wales (2022-23)found that 18% of unpaid carers reported they lived in material deprivation. A survey completed by Carers UK in 2023 found 34% of unpaid carers in Wales reported financial hardship. These findings demonstrate the continued importance of income maximisation support services and measures to support carers in the workplace. We know many carers give up their jobs or reduce their hours due to their caring role and we will continue to support measures within our control in Wales, and within our budgets, to support carers.

We have previously raised concerns about the rules surrounding Carers’ Allowance, most notably where unpaid carers lose all entitlement to the allowance if they exceed the earnings threshold by only one pound. We will be urging the new UK Government to review these rules.