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Meeting of the Parliament 28 October 2010

28 Oct 2010 · S3 · Meeting of the Parliament

Item of business

Carers and Young Carers Strategy

Baillie, Jackie Lab Dumbarton Watch on SPTV

I thank the minister for her honesty. In the context of the economic climate, perhaps we could discuss self-directed support. A commitment was made to extend direct payments to carers and to provide additional funding for young carers. That has been done, but the fact that the Government did not proceed with its legislation on self-directed support, which the Labour Party would have fully supported because we think that it is the right direction of travel, represents a real lost opportunity.

I understand that there was an argument—or a discussion—between COSLA and the Government about funding. My difficulty is that given that we know that there might be insufficient funding next year, as the financial circumstances will be extremely tight in 2011-12, an opportunity existed to bring forward such legislation this year, but that opportunity has been lost. I would like the minister to comment on that, too, because self-directed support has been cried out for at local level but, unfortunately, it has not been delivered.

I want to mention older carers, particularly older carers of people with learning disabilities. I very much welcome the fact that the carers strategy acknowledges that, for the first time, there is a generation of people with learning disabilities who will outlive their parents. When those babies were born, the parents were told to take them home and love them or to put them into hospitals. Many of those who chose to take them home have had the joy and the privilege of caring for their son or daughter for the past 40, 50 or even 60 years; they never expected to be able to do so.

However, they are worried about the future. Older family carers in particular are worried about peace of mind. They want to know what will happen to their son or daughter when they are no longer able to care for them, because of either infirmity or death. Will the minister give us information on emergency planning that can be put in place; long-term planning for carers who are worried that there will be no one to advocate for their son or daughter when they are gone; and transition planning, which needs to be done sensitively and put in place well in advance?

Carers make the point that respite breaks from care are often too inflexible and not available at short notice. Their fear is that the definition used by the Scottish Government and COSLA means that some forms of day services can also be seen as short breaks, which has led to a substitution that I do not think the minister desires, and which we certainly do not. By creating a definition of respite breaks we would get a true figure, rather than one that has been inflated by some forms of day services.

The key point is that we all want to see successful implementation of the carers and young carers strategy. We fear that it might be at risk, and that momentum could be lost, partly because we are moving into an unsettling financial period. We are asking that funding for carer support, which we all acknowledge is critical, be protected because more and more is being asked of unpaid carers and our society relies heavily on them. As part of that, we ask that carer centres, which are a critical part of that infrastructure, and which enable unpaid carers and young carers to continue, enjoy our support.

We support the Scottish Government in implementing the strategy. The minister will enjoy our complete support in arguing to secure the funds to ensure the continuation of carer strategies, and to implement them across Scotland.

15:17

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Meeting of the Parliament 28 October 2010

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