What assessment has the Minister made of the impact of the modification of local authorities care and support duties brought in by the Coronavirus Act 2020 on the well-being of unpaid carers in Wales?
We consider all the measures we have put in place, including those under the Coronavirus Act 2020. Our decisions will continue to be informed by the evidence and the prevailing conditions across our communities.
We have established a range of measures to evidence the impact of the coronavirus across social care. Since March, we have provided a dedicated cross-sector weekly forum for stakeholders, including carers to engage on the commencement of the provisions and the associated guidance. It remains a key conduit for informing their repeal.
In addition, we convened a dedicated task and finish group of policy officials and senior representatives from national carers’ organisations, which discusses a wide range of issues, including carers’ wellbeing, and the impact of the pandemic on carers, the impact of modifications to care and support services. This group will support us to consider the specific needs of a broad range of carers as lockdown restrictions are eased.
The Carers’ Ministerial Advisory Group (MAG) remains the key strategic mechanism for advising Ministers about the issues that affect carers. I have attended virtual meetings of the group in late April and early July to hear directly about the impact of the coronavirus on carers, and the work across the public and third sector to support them. The MAG will be supporting us in developing our new national plan for carers, which will take into account the impact of coronavirus.