Hansard

We came into government with a strong commitment to develop a new carers strategy for Scotland. The aim was to build on the considerable progress that had been made since the publication in 2005 of the landmark care 21 report, “The Future of Unpaid Care in Scotland”. I am pleased to open this debate on the new carers and young carers strategy for Scotland, which we produced jointly with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and launched on 26 July.

COSLA and the Scottish Government did not produce the strategy on our own. That would have been to do a huge disservice to the thousands of carers and young carers who selflessly care for family and friends. The strategy was very much informed by many people in the statutory and voluntary sectors and by carers and young carers—I welcome many of those people to the gallery. Their significant input has ensured that the strategy reflects the needs and interests of Scotland’s unpaid carers and young carers, which is important, given the significant contribution of carers and young carers to their families, communities and society. As we know, unpaid carers in Scotland save the statutory services as much as £7.6 billion each year.

The publication of the strategy is evidence of our commitment to address the adverse impact of caring that there can sometimes be, when carers’ physical and mental health and wellbeing and financial situation are compromised. The approach builds on the £9 million that we invested in health boards to enable them to develop carer information strategies. The information strategies are having a positive impact at local level. There is a sense that the profile of carers has been raised, and support has been provided in many different ways.

A significant part of the funding is going to carers centres and young carers projects, for essential work with carers. I stress that we regard the continuation of the funding—£5 million a year from April 2011—as a priority in the spending review. If we are successful, I will discuss with the national carers organisations and health boards the priority for use of those resources. Of course, local authorities will continue to have an important role in providing core funding to local carers services.

The strategy builds on the £4 million that we allocated to enable local authorities to make progress in delivering our concordat commitment to provide an additional 10,000 weeks of respite care by 2011. Figures that were published in September showed that overall respite provision increased by nearly 9,000 weeks between 2007-08 and 2009-10, against a target of 6,000 weeks. That is good news, which shows that our investment in respite is delivering real progress.

The strategy also builds on the considerable resources that we allocated to the national carers organisations to fund carers training programmes, stabilise young carers projects, provide national young carers festivals and do much more. It complements investment from elsewhere, including the Big Lottery Fund, which has said that it will invest £50 million in a programme that will support people with dementia and their carers. We welcome that investment. Other investment, such as the £20 million investment in telecare, benefits carers, who tell us that such funding is important.

The strategy provides clear direction and gives impetus to the progress that the Government wants to see during the next five years. However, because of the challenging economic situation, we have to acknowledge and accept that there will not be a change overnight. Change will be incremental.

We should note that there is a strong economic argument for supporting carers, as set out robustly in the strategy: with timely and appropriate support, carers can continue to care for longer and in much better health, diverting significant demands away from health and social care services. In the current economic climate, it is even more important that health and social services, as well as the third sector, make the best use of existing resources. There is a clear spend-to-save argument for supporting carers through earlier, preventive interventions.

Carers have a crucial role to play in our work around reshaping care for older people, and we are determined that they will not be further burdened by the shift from institutional care to care at home. Indeed, when local partnerships submit their local delivery plans under the reshaping care programme, they will have to demonstrate how the third sector—including carers organisations and carers themselves—will be involved. I am clear that carers should be around the table when the local plans are being developed. We are in discussion with COSLA about making significant resources available to be used in pooled budgets jointly across statutory bodies and involving the third sector. That presents a major opportunity to transform services locally, which can better support carers.

The strategy highlights the fact that many of the improvements that carers look for do not require significant additional investment. Carers tell us that it is often the small things that make a difference—for example, when a general practitioner gives time to the carer and is sensitive to the impact that caring can have. Young carers tell us that having a supportive teacher who gives them extra time for homework makes a difference.

The carers and young carers strategy is one strategy, but with two significant parts. That approach recognises that adult and young carers have different needs and require different approaches to meet those needs and achieve improved outcomes. However, it also acknowledges that some issues are common to carers and young carers, particularly for young carers in their transition into adulthood.

Both parts of the strategy have common features. For example, they both include many recent quotations from carers and young carers to show what it is like to be a carer or young carer and to tell both positive and negative stories. Those real-life situations will help to pave the way for good service development and show what to avoid. The Equal Opportunities Committee and many others welcomed that approach, and I put on record the committee’s good work.

Both parts of the strategy also have a strong evidence base for support to carers and young carers. They both have a strong equalities dimension, with a focus on hard-to-reach carers and young carers. They both show the importance of a pathway approach from carer and young carer identification, through assessment to different types of support at crucial times. They both recognise the diversity of carers and young carers and acknowledge that every caring situation is unique.

There will be priorities for support to carers and young carers, whether that is older carers, the parent carer who cares for a disabled child or carers living in the most deprived areas with little income.

Specifically on adult carers, “Caring Together: The Carers Strategy for Scotland 2010-2015” recognises carers as “equal partners in care” who make a significant contribution to the delivery of health and social care services. It identifies a suite of action points, the delivery of which will help to support and sustain unpaid carers and enable them to enjoy a quality of life outwith caring.

Both parts of the strategy are based on an outcomes approach and are set within a wider framework for action, such as our programme for reshaping care for older people. With young carers, there are clear links to the getting it right for every child programme, which provides a catalyst for outcome-focused assessment and multi-agency working. It will benefit young carers and help to ensure that they are supported. Of course, there are also strong links to curriculum for excellence and to the more choices, more chances agenda.

“Getting it Right for Young Carers: The Young Carers Strategy for Scotland: 2010-2015” recognises that young carers can benefit from providing care. However, it is essential that they are relieved of inappropriate caring roles and supported to be children and young people first. It highlights the crucial role that social workers and national health service staff have, as they can ensure that the cared-for person’s care package never relies on a child or young person’s contribution. Further, the strategy recognises the key contribution that teachers can make in supporting young carers in school and responding sensitively when their caring role impacts on their attendance, attainment or behaviour.

We are giving the Princess Royal Trust for Carers £150,000 for a fourth young carers festival next year. We will be able to get feedback from 500 or so young carers on what impact they think the strategy has had one year on from publication. It is worth noting the very good support that there has been for the young carers festival from across the chamber. I know that that support is welcomed.

In recognising the voluntary sector’s hugely important role in supporting carers, I was pleased to be able to commit £1 million in new investment this year to support the implementation of the strategy, and subsequently to extend that funding to cover each of the five years of the strategy, making £5 million in total. In the current economic climate, that funding is meaningful and will deliver change for carers and young carers. We have awarded the funding to the national carers organisations to enable them to develop innovative, flexible and personalised short breaks for carers and young carers. With our approval, they propose to use it in two ways: to invite bids from stakeholder organisations with service development ideas that aim to increase the choice, availability and quality of short-break opportunities; and to help carers directly and quickly by giving them access to a fund that can help them to purchase a break of their choosing. The national carers organisations are working up the details and will publicise the scheme as soon as possible.