Oral - Proposed Carers Strategies (Wales) Measure

Yesterday, I laid the Proposed Carers Strategies (Wales) Measure. An explanatory memorandum and a written statement in relation to the proposed Measure were also prepared. Today, I am delighted to introduce the proposed Measure for Assembly consideration and I would like to remind you of the contribution of Helen Mary Jones at the beginning of the process that has letters to the proposed Measure that is before us.

All Assembly Members will appreciate and welcome the contribution that carers make to their families and communities without receiving payment. That was reflected in the positive and constructive debates on our proposed legislative competence Order relating to carers that we had in Plenary last year and during the scrutiny of the legislation committee. I am confident that this cross-party support for carers will continue during the consideration of the proposed Measure relating to carers.

I do not propose to spend any time rehearsing the contributions that carers make, as I am sure that they are well understood by Assembly Members. What I will express is my gratitude to carers and my intention to continue to seek ways to support them in undertaking their caring role and to sustain them and improve their wellbeing.

I thank the members of our stakeholder advisory group for their clear and well thought-out advice to the Welsh Assembly Government about the policy directions for the proposed Measure relating to carers. I have published the group’s report to help to inform Assembly Members as the consideration of our proposed Measure proceeds.

When, in July 2009, the First Minister at that time, Rhodri Morgan, announced the inclusion of a proposed Measure for carers in our 2009-10 legislative programme, he mentioned our intention for it to ensure that young carers do not carry an inappropriate burden of care. However, the stakeholder advisory group suggested that there were alternatives to addressing that aspect through a proposed Measure covering carers of all ages.

The stakeholder group’s view was that young carers are children first, and that their particular needs should be considered and addressed as an integral part of the care assessment and care management process that applies to all other vulnerable children and young people and their families. The stakeholder group outlined a range of alternative opportunities that exist through our Proposed Children and Families (Wales) Measure, through approaches associated with our policies to address child poverty and through the children and young persons strategies that would address more fully the needs of young carers, including those carrying an inappropriate burden of care. The advice of the stakeholder group is well reasoned, and after full and careful consideration of this matter we have decided not to include any proposals on that aspect in our proposed Measure. That demonstrates the benefits of our continuing process of constructive dialogue with stakeholders in the development of policy in this area. In providing that advice, the stakeholder group also considered that young carers should still be embraced by the broader information and engagement provisions.

This proposed Measure relating to carers seeks to address two of the main issues of concern that carers have identified to us: the provision of information to help them in undertaking their caring role, and for authorities to consult carers, both in the broader planning of their services and at an individual level when deciding which services are to be provided to a carer or the person for whom they care.

Our explanatory memorandum and my written statement outline the intended purpose and effect of the proposed Measure. It seeks to develop an integrated approach among authorities to the provision of information to, and the engagement of, carers by requiring them to develop strategies on these two aspects. The development of such strategies must be undertaken in consultation with carers and their representatives. The proposed Measure enables the Welsh Ministers to make further provision in regulations about the nature of that consultation and about the preparation and publication of the strategies. Importantly, it also places a requirement on authorities to implement the strategy.

The Welsh Ministers will be able to specify in regulations which should be the relevant authorities for the purpose of each strategy. We have broadly defined in the proposed Measure what ‘appropriate information and advice’ means, but we have also included regulation-making powers for the Welsh Ministers to make further provision in relation to this, as necessary.

For each strategy, we have included powers for the Welsh Ministers to designate an NHS organisation as the lead authority, and we have also required the lead authority to submit the strategy in draft to the relevant Welsh Minister so that we can be satisfied that it complies with the requirements imposed by the legislation.

As I have mentioned, the policy underpinning the development of the proposed Measure has been informed by the advice that we received from our stakeholder group. We will continue our dialogue with stakeholders as we move forward to develop the details of the regulations, guidance, and impact assessments that will flow from it. These will also be subject to the usual consultation in due course.

I commend this proposed Measure to you and look forward to the constructive contribution that the Assembly’s scrutiny process will make.