Questions Without Notice from Party Spokespeople

Part of 2. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services – in the Senedd at 2:49 pm on 25 April 2018.

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Photo of Huw Irranca-Davies Huw Irranca-Davies Labour 2:49, 25 April 2018

I think you rightly identify an issue that follows on from the approach that we've taken of co-production, which is supported by all Members here, that, in terms of assessing the needs of carers, it should be something on which we work in collaboration with the individual who is looking to see the right care package—the right package of support and advice for them—but they also, of course, have the right to advocacy as well, and they also have the right to make representations when they don't think the right package has been put forward for them. All of those places are not only there in terms of the legislation, but also the codes as well.

Now, if there are specific instances, Suzy, that you want to draw to my intention, I'm more than happy to look at them. There will, of course, be variability in the way that this is done between local authorities, but our expectation, as the Welsh Government, is that the entire focus in every individual circumstance is that this is done with the individual to provide them with the right package of support for them as a carer, and, if they're not satisfied with that, then they have that recourse to advocacy, they have that right to challenge that package that's been put forward. There's tremendous work, I have to say, being done on the ground as well by people such as the Carers Trust, who I meet regularly, and take these issues up on behalf of individuals who aren't happy with the package.

There is the backdrop to this as well, I have to say, which is the context—that in putting the right support and advice package together, including respite support for carers, we do it against the context in which we exist. You will see local authorities in the region that the Member represents as well saying, 'Ideally, we would like to provide something that is more enriched, more deep, wider for that individual. We cannot do it because of the cutbacks in local authorities', and that is the reality of some of the decisions that are made in a co-productive way. It's right to do it in a co-productive way, but when a local authority says, 'Well, because of the financial constraints we're under, which is because of where we are with austerity funding, we cannot provide the entirety of services that we wanted', that has an impact on the individual at the end. It's a tragedy to see, and I saw it when I met recently with young carers in Carmarthen; they liked the approach that we were taking to this, they liked the fact that their voices were being heard now more than ever, but they were frustrated when, with the best will in the world, in their local area they were being told, 'Well, that day club, that evening out, that whatever—it isn't available anymore. We'll have to look at something else'.

So, we have to wrestle with this all the time, about how we put the right package together. But they have advocacy, they have the right to co-determination of this package being put forward, and I think that's the right legislative framework to be put in place.