Brian Gibbons, Minister for Health and Social Services

I am announcing today the formal designation of John Griffiths, Deputy Minister with responsibility for older people, as Carers’ Champion for the Welsh Assembly Government. As part of his new role, John will be responsible for ensuring a more effective co-ordinated approach to cross-cutting carers’ issues and overseeing the development and delivery of an updated and refocused Carers’ Strategy for Wales.

The current Carers’ Strategy that was introduced in 2000 covers a range of Assembly functions and was co-signed by the then Assembly Secretaries for Health and Social Services, Education and Children, Education and Training, and Environment and Local Government.

The Strategy is presently being reviewed to ensure that it remains coherent and focussed appropriately in the light of wider policy developments over the last few years and strategic policy direction the Welsh Assembly Government has established for future years, for example in Designed for Life. The updated strategy, which is planned to be launched for consultation in the Autumn, will emphasise the critical need for statutory authorities to engage effectively with carers as partners in the delivery of care and to ensure that appropriate help and support is provided to carers to both to sustain them in their role and also achieve ambitions carers may have in education, training and employment. It will also stress the need for agencies to develop and introduce “carer-proof” policies both as employers and also by examining policies and working practices to assess their  impact on carers and to make adjustments where necessary. I shall continue to hold the overall policy responsibility for the development and implementation of the Strategy,

Against this background our external Carers Strategy Review Panel has recommended that the Welsh Assembly Government designate a Carers’ Champion at Ministerial or Deputy Minister level. I am pleased to say that the Assembly Government has agreed with this recommendation, which will
send a clear and strong message to other organisations in Wales about the priority and importance the Welsh Assembly Government attaches to carers’ issues.