What plans does the Welsh Government have to introduce monitoring mechanisms to measure whether national investment reaches community services for unpaid carers, recognising their vital role in relieving pressures on health and social care?
The Welsh Government employ a range of monitoring mechanisms to ensure national investment improves outcomes for citizens and communities in Wales, including those providing unpaid care.
The terms linked with Welsh Government grant funded activity, such as the Sustainable Social Services Third Sector Grant, include the standard requirements of regular monitoring reports against agreed work plans, and an evaluation when programmes reach the end of their funded delivery period. Mid and end-of-year review meetings are an important method for tracking progress against work plans.
For example, the £3million allocated to local authorities in 2021-22 to increase opportunities for unpaid carers to access respite requires authorities to submit a work plan for agreement and mid-year and end-of-year reports.
Annual and mid-year reports provide an overview of how funding has been deployed to improve outcomes for people accessing services in Wales and allow us to identify examples of good practice.
Similarly, the Integrated Care Fund, which supports the development of integrated, preventative models of care for key population groups, including unpaid carers, carefully monitors levels on investment for carers.
Regional Partnership Boards, as part of managing the fund, are asked to specifically identify levels of both direct and indirect investment in support services for unpaid carers. These figures are separated out in the ICF annual report and in 2019/20 the levels of direct support for unpaid carers grew to £10.2m.
To reinforce this, the guidance that has been issued to regional partnership boards in relation to their management of the ICF in 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 sets out the Welsh Government’s commitment to supporting carers. It reaffirms the need for increased investment by regional partnership boards to support carers’ own well-being needs so that this valuable group of people, whom so many rely on, can get the care and support they need.
Finally, the £40m Social Care Recovery Fund which I announced in September includes support for unpaid carers as a priority and has been recently increased by an additional £5.5 million of funding specifically intended to secure support for unpaid carers. This funding is subject to submission of a Recovery Plan in January 2022 and mid- and end-year reports.
The Welsh Government also provides significant funding to local government, through the local government settlement, and to the NHS. Given their entitlements under the Social Services and Wellbeing Wales 2014 Act, unpaid carers will be accessing and receiving support from mainstream health and social services budgets. Financial support through the local government settlement is provided as unhypothecated funding which offers considerable flexibility for authorities to prioritise their services in line with the needs of their communities, and will be deployed and monitored according to local assessments of those needs.