'Carers at the heart of 21st century families and communities' strategy
10 June 2008
The government published Carers at the heart of 21st century families and communities, building on the 1999 strategy Caring about Carers.
The government envisioned that by 2018, carers would be universally recognised as playing critical roles in promoting strong families and communities.
The strategy committed that by 2018:
- carers would be respected and treated as expert care partners and would have access to integrated and personalised services
- carers would be supported to avoid financial hardship and to pursue lives of their own outside of their caring responsibilities
- the health and wellbeing of carers would be supported.
The strategy emphasised that this was a shared vision, with responsibility for implementation sitting across central and local government, the NHS and the third sector.
Specific commitments included:
- giving carers better access to information
- the provision of £150m for breaks for carers
- piloting the expansion of NHS support for carers in the form of better support from GPs and annual health checks
- the provision of training for carers to strengthen them in their role and responsibilities.
Source(s)
HM Government.
Carers at the heart of 21st century families and communities.
HM Government; 2008.