Will the Minister provide assurances that families of young people with life-limiting conditions will be eligible for the £9m respite fund for unpaid carers, regardless of whether they meet the criteria for standard disability services or Continuing Health Care support, including carers of those transitioning to adult services?
The Welsh Government’s £9million short breaks scheme aims to increase the availability and diversity of short breaks for unpaid carers, including the families of young people with life-limiting conditions.
A core principle of the scheme is that unpaid carers achieve the personal outcomes that matter to them. We are inviting third sector organisations with expertise in working with unpaid carers to submit an expression of interest for the role of a national coordinating body. A key function of the coordinating body will be to ensure that the projects delivered under the scheme are person-centred and unpaid carers have access to a range of suitable options that help them to take a break when they need to.
The specifics of the scheme will be worked out in partnership with the national coordinating body, once the successful organisation is in place. Nevertheless, our intention is to target unpaid carers who are caring for long periods and who are struggling to cope with their caring role, regardless of their eligibility for other services and support not connected to the short breaks scheme.