Supporting Carers in Ceredigion:
a Joint Strategy
2006 - 2011
Ceredigion County Council
Ceredigion Local Health Board
Pembrokeshire and Derwen NHS Trust
Ceredigion and Mid Wales NHS Trust
Voluntary organisations supporting carers in Ceredigion
(represented by the Carers Alliance)
Report commissioned by Ceredigion County Council
Researched by Roger Blunden, Carers UK, with additional support from
Carers Wales
Written by Roger Blunden, Carers UK 2006
Acknowledgements
Our thanks go to everyone who contributed to this work, including
carers who generously gave of their time and those working in services
in Ceredigion.
Contents
Executive summary
Statement of support from participating organisations
1. Introduction
2. The needs of carers
3. Strategy objectives: support to carers in 2011
4. Identification of gaps in service to meet need
5. Costs of services
6. Contracting/partnership arrangements
7. Changing the focus of services
8. Recommendations
Appendix 1: Current support to carers in Ceredigion
Appendix 2: Priorities identified in the Health, Social Care
and Wellbeing Strategy
Appendix 3: Views expressed by carers
Appendix 4: Identified needs of young carers
Appendix 5: Priorities and milestones
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Executive summary
1. Introduction
This strategy forms the basis for the development of support
services to carers in Ceredigion for the years 2006 to 2011. It has
been drawn up with the participation and agreement of the many
organisations, which have a contribution to make to carers’
wellbeing in the County.
The strategy sets out a clear direction for future services, with
milestones and arrangements to monitor their attainment. It is a
comprehensive strategy, which will help ensure that carers in
Ceredigion are properly supported to carry out the vital role they
play.
It is particularly important that the partner authorities in Ceredigion
set out a clear direction for carer support in the county.
Demographic changes will result in a growing population of older
people and the County’s own strategy for older people will result in
a greater emphasis being given to care at home, with a vital role for
carers. Current and forthcoming legislation and government
guidance will also increase the demand for effective carer support
services.
The 2001 Census identified nearly 8,000 carers in Ceredigion, with
nearly 2,000 of these providing unpaid care of 50 or more hours per
week. The Ceredigion Young Carers Project estimates nearly 200
carers aged between 5 and 18 years in the county.
Carers in Ceredigion are currently supported by a range of specialist
services, and should also expect to receive support from various
ordinary services available to all, such as GPs, hospitals, education,
housing and transport. The strategy provides a focus for all these
organisations to work together to provide the range of supports
necessary for carers to carry out their role effectively.
The strategy has been designed to meet the requirements of
various government strategies, legislation and guidance, including
the Welsh Assembly Government Carers Strategy in Wales and the
National Carers and Disabled Children Act and the Carers (Equal
Opportunities) Act. It also takes account of current and forthcoming
human rights and anti-discrimination legislation.
There are a number of local policies, which have implications for
carer support, including the Health, Social Care and Wellbeing
Strategy and the Social Care Plan.
The strategy is based upon the following principles:

recognition that carers are the primary providers of community
based care and should be seen as expert and equal partners;
3

recognition that carers have a right to a life beyond their caring
role;

the need for effective services to support people cared for;

the need for effective carer support services;

putting carers at the centre;

effective joint working;

a developmental approach.
2. The needs of carers
Carers themselves have had opportunities to articulate their needs
in a range of consultation exercises and satisfaction surveys. Whilst
carers are very appreciative of the support they receive, many have
identified significant areas where their lives could be considerably
improved by more effective service support.
There are particular issues in Ceredigion because of the rural and
dispersed nature of much of the population. The county also has a
significant (and growing) retirement population.
A range of data is available on carers’ needs and more will be
forthcoming from the Core Unified Assessment Process and the
monitoring of the Health, Social Care and Wellbeing Strategy. There
is scope to further develop the collection of information relating to
carers’ needs and their use of services.
3. Strategy objectives: support to carers in 2011
The strategy details objectives under each of the following
headings:
1.
recognition of carers;
2.
information to carers;
3.
ensuring carers have a voice;
4.
financial security for carers;
5.
training and support to care;
6.
emergency support and contingency planning;
7.
emotional support;
8.
time off;
9.
ensuring the quality of services;
10.
support to young carers (aged 7 – 18 years)
11.
working carers;
12.
promoting the independence of the cared for person and the
carer.
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4. Identification of gaps in service to meet need
The strategy identifies gaps under each of the above objectives
5. Costs of services
A total Carers Grant of £149,641 was allocated to Ceredigion for the
year 2005/06. Ceredigion Council has agreed to ringfence this
money in future years, when the Carers Grant becomes
incorporated into the Council’s Revenue Support Grant.
Various other sources of funding for carer support services have
been identified.
Carer support has significant financial implications beyond the
services provided through the Carers Grant. Carers provide unpaid
support to people who would otherwise make major demands on
health and social care services and there is a strong case that
investment in carer support will produce significant savings in these
services.
It should be noted that current support to carers in Ceredigion relies
considerably on the Carers Fieldworker Project and the Carers Equal
Opportunities Officer.
6. Contracting/partnership arrangements
There are a range of contracting and partnership arrangements in
effect and some joint funding of services.
There is a case to be made for bringing carer support services
together under the umbrella of one organisation (in the voluntary
sector) and developing a Ceredigion Carers’ Service for adult and
young carers under a single management structure.
There may still be opportunities in Ceredigion to develop additional
sources of funding for carer support services, for example through
the European Structural Funds.
Effective support to carers has implications for a wide range of
other services, for example housing, leisure, transport, general
practice, employment, education and further education.
7. Changing the focus of services
There are a number of significant developments, which may
influence the focus of carer support services in Ceredigion.
There is an increasing emphasis at both national and local levels on
citizenship, a rights agenda for carers, inclusion and prevention.
Services are setting out to work with citizens and communities to
ensure that disadvantaged people are supported to be full members
of their communities. It is recognised that allocating resources to
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prevention can significantly reduce the demand on more resourceintensive services. Investment in support to carers has the potential
to significantly reduce demand for long-term residential care and
other intensive support services.
Ceredigion’s Accommodation, Care and Support Strategy for Older
People promotes the adoption of a whole systems approach and
sets out to shift the culture and resources away from hospital and
residential care towards community care, prevention, minimum
intervention and community inclusion. This will have significant
implications for the support of carers in the county and opens
opportunities for re-investment in carer support.
A number of other developments in the county will have an impact
on the role of carers, including:

telemedicine;

assistive technology;

direct payments;

re-enablement services;

hospital discharge schemes (such as Adre’n Saff).
8. Recommendations
The following recommendations are made:

Each agency issues a formal statement of commitment to the
strategy as the basis for the development of carer support in
Ceredigion from 2006 to 2011.

Each agency should identify a Carers’ Champion at a senior level
to take the lead in implementing the strategy.

A Joint Agency Strategy Executive Group should be established
to oversee the implementation of the strategy, ensuring that
there is a good level of communication and information sharing
between agencies and that the agreed outcomes are met by the
year 2011. The Executive Group should include senior
representatives from all partner agencies (including relevant
County Council departments) and should include member and
carer representation. The Executive Group should meet at least
twice per year and report to the Ceredigion Health, Social Care
and Wellbeing Partnership Group. The Group should develop a
detailed implementation strategy, with clear responsibilities and
time frames, in line with the priorities and milestones in
Appendix 5.

A Joint Agency Strategy Implementation Group should be
responsible for the detailed implementation of the strategy. The
Implementation Group should include Carers’ Champions from
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statutory and voluntary organisations, and carer representatives
elected from carer forums.

The work of the existing Carers Alliance Task Groups should be
extended to carry out work on specific aspects of the strategy.

Joint agency monitoring of the implementation of the strategy
should take place on a regular basis, with regular reporting of
progress to the partner organisations against the priorities and
milestones.
The strategy also proposes an organisational structure for
implementation, with the Health Social Care and Wellbeing
Partnership Group assuming a lead role. Implementation will also
involve an Executive Group, a Carers Alliance Implementation
Group, various Carers Alliance Task Force Groups, and a Carers
Forum and Working Carers Forum.
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Statement of support from participating organisations
“I wish to confirm my support to the Joint Carers’ Strategy and recognise
that without the good will of the various partnerships this strategy would
be impossible to deliver. I wholly support the aims of this strategy. It
endorses fully the wishes of carers in Ceredigion, gives them a voice, and
appreciates fully their contribution to the County and the singular personal
complexity of each carers role – irrespective of age.”
Anne Kidner,
Secretary/Vice Chairman, Carers Ceredigion
“We recognise and value the role of carers, without whom our services
could not function – the joint Strategy will underpin the importance of this
role in taking care to make a difference and form the basis for the
development of services to support carers in their vital task”
Parry Davies, Director,
Social Services Department, Ceredigion County Council
“Ceredigion Local Health Board fully endorse and support the Ceredigion
Carers Strategy. There is a carer representative board member who will
act as ‘Carers Champion’ on behalf of the Board”
Helen Williams, Nurse Director,
Ceredigion Local Health Board
“The Ceredigion and Mid Wales NHS Trust fully recognises the role carers
have in supporting loved ones remain in their home. Indeed the Trust
could not operate as successfully as it does without the support from
carers. This Strategy sets out the aims and objectives which key
organisations in Ceredigion working with carers will set out to achieve and
through working together success can be realised. The Ceredigion and Mid
Wales NHS Trust fully supports this strategy”
Stephen Griffiths,
Director of Nursing and Patient Services,
Ceredigion and Mid Wales NHS Trust
“The Carers Strategy will provide a framework to develop services and
support for carers on a multi agency basis”
David Pick,
General Manager, Pembrokeshire & Derwen NHS Trust
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1. Introduction
This strategy forms the basis for the development of support
services to carers in Ceredigion for the years 2006 to 2011. It has
been drawn up with the participation and agreement of the many
organisations, which have a contribution to make to carers’
wellbeing in the County.
Purpose of the strategy
The document looks at the present situation and sets out a clear
direction for future services, with milestones and arrangements to
monitor their attainment. The strategy recognises that resources
are limited and so the milestones are those, which are reasonable
to attain with good joint working within this time frame.
This is a comprehensive strategy, which, if implemented, will help
ensure that carers in Ceredigion are properly supported to carry out
the vital role they play. Furthermore, the strategy will place
Ceredigion Council, the Local Health Board, the Health Trusts and
voluntary organisations in a good position to meet their obligations
under a wide range of legislation and good practice guidance.
There is a strong argument that investment in carer support
produces significant savings in more costly residential and daytime
services. The Council’s Accommodation, Care and Support Strategy
for Older People1, adopted in 2003, places a major emphasis on
supporting people at home and in their communities, in order to
delay or prevent long term health and social care support or long
term hospital, residential and nursing home care. This requires a reinvestment in home-based support services. This will have the
effect of supporting carers as well as the people they care for.
The numbers of elderly people in Ceredigion are predicted to rise
substantially in the next few years and with this the role of carers
will become even more important. It is therefore vital that support
for carers is in place and that services are reconfigured to meet
future needs.
The strategy has implications for the whole of the County Council,
not just the social services department. For example, there are
implications for Leisure services, Education, Adult Education and
Lifelong Learning, Transport, Human Resources.
Ceredigion Social Services Department has engaged external
consultants to assist drawing up a commissioning strategy across all
client groups. This strategy for carer support is intended to link to
Development of an Accommodation, Care and Support Strategy for Older People
in Ceredigion, approved by Ceredigion County Council Cabinet at its meeting on
25th March 2003.
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the departmental strategy, and has been structured in the same
way.
Brief picture of carer support in Ceredigion
Carers
The Welsh Assembly Government defines carers as follows2:
Carers are people who look after family members or friends
who need care, help or support. Carers can be adults caring
for other adults, parents caring for ill or disabled children under
the age of 18, or young carers aged [under] 18 who care for
another family member. There is not a typical carer. Some
carers do not see themselves as carers, but see themselves
primarily as a parent, child, wife or husband, partner, friend or
neighbour. Some carers live in the same house as the person
for whom they care. Others live nearby and visit regularly.
Some live a distance away and visit weekly or monthly. Caring
often impacts on the whole family.
Carers in Ceredigion
The 2001 census gives a total population for Ceredigion of 74,941.
A total of 7,811 people (10.4% of the total population) were shown
as providing unpaid care, of whom 1981 (2.6% of the population)
provided unpaid care of 50 or more hours per week. These figures
are likely to be under-estimates, since many people with caring
responsibilities do not recognise themselves as carers.
Census information also shows that approximately 13% of carers in
Ceredigion are not in good health themselves, and over 20% of
carers providing 50 or more hours of care per week are not in good
health3.
The Ceredigion Young Carers Project estimates that there are some
184 young carers, aged between 5 and 18 years, in the county.
A recent report by Carers UK4 estimated that carers in Ceredigion
provide care which saves the state an estimated £89.2 million per
year.
Caring about Carers: A strategy for Carers in Wales, Implementation Plan,
Welsh Assembly Government, July 2000.
2
3
In Poor Health: The impact of caring on health, Carers UK, 2004.
4
Without Us...?: Calculating the value of carers’ support. Carers UK, 2002
10
Current support to carers
Carers in Ceredigion are supported by a range of services, from the
health service, local authority and a range of voluntary and private
organisations. Appendix 1 shows the range of support services
currently provided specifically to carers and the approximate
numbers supported. In addition to these carer support services,
carers should expect to receive support from GPs, hospitals, nurses,
and a range of local authority services (such as education, housing,
transport).
National priorities
There are a number of national strategies and legislation, which
have a bearing on support for carers in Wales. These are briefly
summarised below.
Carers Strategy in Wales
The Welsh Assembly Government Carers Strategy in Wales5 draws
together, under five key priority headings, various aspects of the
Assembly’s work which have a particular bearing on the lives and
needs of carers. Much of the Implementation Plan is about the
raising awareness of service providers about carers and their needs.
The five priority areas for action are:

Health and Social Care;

Information;

Support;

Young Carers;

Carers and Employment.
Designed for Life6
Designed for Life sets out a vision for high quality health and social
care in Wales by the year 2015. It recognises that carers are a key
partner in the achievement of high quality care and includes a
commitment to greater support for carers. For example, one of the
key milestones is that ‘every hospital will implement its
arrangements to actively involve carers in discharge planning and
provide information about carer support services’.
The Welsh Assembly Government is committed to working with its
Caring about Carers: A strategy for Carers in Wales, Implementation Plan,
Welsh Assembly Government, July 2000.
5
Designed for Life: Creating world class Health and Social Care in Wales in the
21st Century. Welsh Assembly Government, May 2005.
6
11
partners over the coming year to develop a comprehensive social
care and social services framework, which will complement
Designed for Life.
Carers and Disabled Children Act (2000)
The Carers and Disabled Children Act includes the following
provision:

a right for a carer to request an assessment of their needs,
even when the disabled person refuses an assessment;

a right for parents of children with disabilities to request an
assessment;

the power for local authorities to provide carers with services
which help them to care;

the ability for local authorities to provide direct payments i.e.
cash instead of care) to parent carers, carers for their own
services and young disabled people aged 16 or 17;

the ability for local authorities to charge carers for their own
services;

vouchers for breaks services.
Carers (Equal Opportunities) Act 2004
This act:

places a duty on local authorities to tell carers about their
rights;

places a duty on local authorities to consider whether the
carer works or wishes to work, wishes to study or have some
leisure activities, when they are carrying out a carer's
assessment;

gives local authorities strong powers to enlist the help of
health, housing and education authorities in providing support
for carers.
Practice Guide: Implementing the Carers Equal Opportunities Act
2004
The Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) has released detailed
practical guidance on the implementation of the Act7. This provides
a wealth of practical suggestions, in addition to summaries of
7
See www.scie.org.uk/publications/practiceguides/carersguidance
12
relevant research and policy. The practice guide covers the
following areas:
Essential steps, including:

the participation of carers locally;

the lead role of social services departments;

clearly published eligibility criteria;

a multi-agency strategy;

joint working between adults’ and children’s services;

local profiling;

joint commissioning.
The guide then focuses on:
The duty to inform carers of the right to assessment, including:

providing information;

identifying hidden carers;

supporting young carers;
The assessment of carers, including:

outcome-focused assessments;

promoting access to education, training, employment and
leisure;

signposting to other agencies;

developing local resources.
Cooperation between authorities, including:

provision for carers by other agencies;

carer-friendly employment practice.
Disability Discrimination Act 2005
This Act comes into force in 2006 and has potential ramifications for
carers. Part 3 of the Act gives disabled people important rights of
access to everyday services, and this is likely to impact on their
carers. Services might include those provided by local councils,
doctors' surgeries, shops, hotels, banks, pubs, theatres,
hairdressers, places of worship, courts, and voluntary groups such
as play groups. Non-educational activities provided by schools
would also be included.
The Act has implications for the availability and accessibility of
support services for Carers.
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Human Rights Act 1998
The Human Rights Act has implications for the policies and services
of authorities. Challenges are possible under Article 2 (a right to
life), Article 8 (Right to Respect for Private and Family Life), Article
2 of the First Protocol (Right to Education).
Age discrimination legislation 2006
Legislation on age is scheduled to be implemented in October 2006
and it will cover employment and vocational training. It will cover
people of all ages and will have implications for carers, particularly
in respect of working carers.
Other legislation
Under the European rights Act (1996) and the Employment
Relations Act (1999) carers have the right to take time off work
with an emergency involving someone who depends on them. In
particular, the Employment Relations Act gives rights to parental
leave and time off for family emergencies. The Work and Families
Bill extends the right for carers of adult dependents to request
flexible working.
National Service Framework for Older People in Wales
A draft National Service Framework for Older People in Wales was
issued in July 2005 by the Welsh Assembly Government for
consultation. The Framework consists of 9 key standards, which set
out the rationale and evidence base, followed by key actions
required. There are six cross cutting themes, which underpin all of
the standards:






equity;
person centred care;
engaging older people and carers;
whole systems working;
promoting well being and independence;
management capacity.
The framework emphasises the crucial role played by carers in
helping people to remain living in their own homes, and
avoiding dependency on formal care services, and stresses the
importance of supporting them to continue with their caring role.
Performance Indicators
The WPI core performance indicators, which relate directly to the
provision of support to carers include the percentages of:
(a) carers identified who were offered an assessment;
(b) carers who were offered an assessment who were assessed;
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(c) carers who were assessed who were provided with a service;
(d) carers identified who were provided with a service.
Local policies
A number of policies in Ceredigion reflect a commitment to provide
high quality support to carers. These are briefly summarised below.
Health, Social Care and Wellbeing Strategy, 2005 – 20088
The Health, Social Care and Wellbeing Strategy was developed
jointly by Ceredigion County Council and Ceredigion Local Health
Board. The strategy recognises the importance of providing firm
support to carers (including young carers) and identifies a range of
priority actions. These are reproduced in Appendix 2. In summary
the Strategy identifies the need to:

develop and implement a joint carers strategy;

ensure that there are clear funding pathways, including joint
funding for carer support services and a rolling three-year
funding regime;

ensure that there are clear protocols and pathways for Carers’
assessments and care planning;

develop a broad range of flexible services for carers;

develop supports for working carers and those seeking to
return to work;

examine and develop an action plan for “carer-proofing” of all
new policies within health and social care. Promote the
economic and business benefits of carer friendly policies to
the wider business community;

ensure that a range of supports are in place for young carers.
Social Care Plan 2002 – 20079
The Social Care Plan includes a key aim ‘to recognise and support
carers of all ages in their role in caring for vulnerable people’ and is
based on the strategic objectives promoted by the Welsh Assembly
Government, which include:

the health and social care of carers;
The Ceredigion Health, Social Care and Wellbeing Strategy and Summary Action
Plan, 2005 – 2008, Ceredigion Local Health Board and Ceredigion County Council,
December 2004.
8
Social Care Plan 2002 – 2007, Ceredigion County Council Social Services
Department.
9
15

information for carers;

support for carers;

young carers – identifying and supporting;

carers and employment.
The Social Care Plan includes a detailed programme of work and
identifies areas for development.
Carers Grant Scheme Plan 2004 – 200510
The Carers’ Support Plan 2004/05 identified ten priority areas for
support with the Carers Grant Scheme:
1.
Provision of information
2.
Awareness/identification of new carers
3.
Involvement of carers
4.
Support to maintain caring
5.
Breaks for carers
6.
Opportunities for carers in employment
7.
Carers assessments
8.
Support to young carers
9.
Provision of a voucher scheme
10.
Developing a Joint Carers’ Strategy
Principles underpinning the strategy
The strategy is based upon the following principles:

the recognition that carers are the primary providers of
community based care and should be seen as “expert and
equal” partners in the provision of care11.

the recognition that carers have a right to a life beyond
their caring role (in line with the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights

the need for effective services to support people cared
for (i.e. effective services for older people, people with
mental health problems, people with learning difficulties,
disabled people, children with disabilities). These are the
Carers Special Grant/Carers Special Grant Scheme Plan, 2004 – 2005.
Ceredigion County Council Social Services Department, March 2004
10
These are central principles in Care 21: The future of unpaid care in Scotland,
launched by the Scottish Executive in September 2005.
11
16
responsibility of the County Council, Health Trusts, the Local
Health Board and voluntary organisations. The job of carers is
made much easier if good basic services are in place to
support the people they care for.

the need for effective carer support services – including
those elements identified in the King’s Fund Carers Compass12
o Recognition
o Information
o Having a voice
o Financial security
o Training to care
o Emotional support
o Time off
o Quality services

putting carers at the centre – it will be important to ensure
that carers are fully consulted and involved in the
implementation of the strategy, and are involved in the
‘proofing’ of policies which affect carers.

effective joint working – it is imperative that services work
together in a ‘joined up’ way to support both carers and the
people they care for. This has implications for everyday
working relationships, communication, sharing information,
etc.

a developmental approach – this strategy recognises that
change takes time and commitment. It sets out an action plan
for change over a five-year period.
12
The Carers Compass: Directions for improving support to carers. King’s Fund,
1998.
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2. The needs of carers
Carers’ Views
Carers’ views are obtained every year in a satisfaction survey
carried out as part of the monitoring of the Carers Grant Scheme.
In addition a number of carers and representatives of carers’
organisations were interviewed in June and July 2005 in order to
inform this strategy.
Satisfaction survey
121 adult and young carers responded to survey questionnaires
sent out in connection with the Carers Grant Scheme 2004 –
200513.
Key issues to emerge from the survey were:

Many carers have been providing care over very long periods
of time (over 40% have been caring for 10 years or more)
and the vast majority say that they care 24 hours per day 7
days per week.

Whilst carers in receipt of support are appreciative of what
they receive, they frequently say that more support would be
helpful.

Carers value being able to take a break from their caring
responsibilities, both to carry out essential tasks (such as
shopping) and to ‘recharge their batteries’ (for example
attending relaxation schemes).

It is important for carers to know that the person they care
for is being well looked after by support services.

Carers value the peace of mind provided by schemes such as
the Emergency Card Scheme.

Carers suggested a wide range of additional supports, which
would help them in their caring role. These included carers’
training, flexible and responsive respite care, enhanced
domestic services (cleaning, laundry, etc.), a carers’
befriending service, a carers’ shopping service, a space for
young carers to study out of the home, transport, gardening
service, sitters for carers’ events, speedy access to overnight
stay in and out of the home, breaks away together with care
Carers’ satisfaction survey: services provided by carers organisations funded by
the Carers Grant Scheme 2004 – 2005. Ceredigion Social Services, March 2005.
(Included in Ceredigion Carers Grant Scheme 2004 – 2005 Carers Support Plan
2005 – 2006)
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support, cared for person taken out, employer support to stay
in work, emergency support when carer can’t leave home.
Interviews
A total of 14 carers responded to requests to speak individually
about their experiences. In addition, representatives of carer
support services were able to pass on the views of many more
people.
Some carers were very appreciative of various aspects of the
support they receive, although many reported negative experiences
or made suggestions for change. Key issues to arise from these
consultations are summarised in Appendix 3.
Needs of young carers
The Young Carers Project Service Manager carried out an analysis of
the needs of young carers in August 2005. This identified needs in
the following areas:

Physical activity

Wellbeing development

Education

Skills and achievement
Proposed service activities to meet these needs are shown in
Appendix 4.
It is clear that carers are appreciative of good support and that this
can make a significant contribution to their caring effort. However,
there are many areas where there is scope for improvement, and
this strategy sets out to address these, as well as maintaining the
effective services currently available.
Issues for Ceredigion
There are issues, which relate specifically to Ceredigion as a rural
community. In summary these are:
Rural and dispersed population
Because carers in Ceredigion are widely dispersed around the
County, transport becomes a major issue. It is costly in time and
money to deliver services to people in their own homes and to bring
people together to receive support.
Significant retirement population
Significant numbers of people move to Ceredigion to retire. One
result of this is that many people have limited local family support
19
systems and are more likely to rely on the provision of services.
24% of the population of Ceredigion is aged 60 years or over, as
compared with 22.6% across Wales. 6,800 people in Ceredigion are
aged 75 years and over. They form 9% of the total population and
are the people most likely to require health and social care support.
Draft information from the Social Services Inspectorate for Wales14
predicts major increases in the population of older people in
Ceredigion, particularly among dependent older people. For
example by 2030 the numbers of people aged 65 and over in
Ceredigion is set to rise from 14,000 in 2001 to nearly 20,000 in
2030, an increase of 39.7%. Over the same period the numbers of
dependent older people is predicted to rise by 52.8%; the numbers
of older people in the community receiving assessments by
105.5%; the numbers in residential homes by 61.9% and in nursing
homes by 71.1%. These figures suggest that there will be a
significant increase in demand for support services for older people.
Investment in carer support services will play a vital role in the
County’s efforts to meet this demand and minimise admissions to
residential and nursing care.
Gaps in data availability to support future commissioning
National population data and census data for Ceredigion provide
useful estimates of the numbers of carers within the county and a
broad picture of levels of need.
Core Unified Assessment Process data will give information relating
to carers and carers’ assessments, and the outcomes of carers’
assessments. However data relating to carers who directly access
carer support services (not part of a social services care plan) will
be more difficult to obtain on a routine basis. Some of this
information will become available through service level agreements.
The Health, Social Care and Wellbeing Strategy for Ceredigion
makes arrangements for the collection of performance management
data, which will include the development of carer support services.
There will be a need in Ceredigion to ensure that data relating to
carers from these sources is collated, supplemented where
necessary, and used to support future commissioning.
14
SSI for Wales (May 2005) Commissioning Information for Older People
20
3. Strategy objectives: Support to carers in 2011
The following objectives have been identified and the organisations
supporting this strategy are committed to achieving them by the
year 2011. These reflect the views of carers in Ceredigion and most
are taken from the suggestions made in the King’s Fund document
‘How Good is Your Service to Carers?’15, which is based on the
nationally agreed ‘Quality Standards for Local Carer Support
Services’16. They also reflect guidance contained within the Beacon
Councils’ Self-assessment Tool17 and the Practice Guide for
Implementing the Carers Equal Opportunities Act from the Social
Care Institute of Excellence. The key policy drivers for each
objective are also identified.
Whilst the local authority social services department has a
responsibility for achieving each of these objectives, they will also
be dependent on contributions from a range of other agencies –
other parts of the local authority and other agencies. Key partners
in the achievement of each objective have been identified below.
More detailed outcomes are specified in the action plan contained in
Appendix 5.
How Good is Your Service to Carers?: a guide to checking quality standards for
local carer support services. King’s Fund 2002
15
The standards can be downloaded from the Carers’ website
www.carers.gov.uk/qualitystan.htm
16
See Supporting Carers Beacon Self Assessment Tool available for download
from www.idea-knowledge.gov.uk/idk/aio/1211149
17
21
Objective 1: Recognition of carers
Policy drivers: Carers (Equal Opportunities) Act, Disability
Discrimination Act, Carers Strategy in Wales, National Standards for
Carer Support Services, Census data showing number of carers in
the population, Health Social Care and Wellbeing Strategy, Redesign of Social Care in Wales.
Key partners: Ceredigion County Council, Local Health Board,
Primary Care Services, Acute Trusts, Voluntary Organisations,
Education, Adult Education, ELWA.

All health and social services will have records systems in place,
which enable someone’s status as a carer to be recorded, if they
so wish.

Systems will be in place to coordinate information about carers
and share this between agencies (with appropriate safeguards on
confidentiality).
Arrangements will be in place across agencies to identify ‘hidden
carers’ (those carers who either do not recognise their role or
who are not known to services).

Objective 2: Information to carers
Policy drivers: Carers (Equal Opportunities) Act, Disability
Discrimination Act, Carers Strategy in Wales, National Standards for
Carer Support Services.
Key Partners: Ceredigion County Council, Local Health Board,
Primary Care Services, Acute Trusts, Voluntary Organisations,
Education, Adult Education, ELWA

There will be comprehensive sources of information to carers
and former carers, including an information pack outlining what
support is available and how to access it. This information will be
up-to-date, accurate and available in an accessible form to all
members of the community.

Carers will be clear about their eligibility for services in line with
the unified assessment process.
22
Objective 3: Ensuring carers have a voice
Policy drivers: Carers (Equal Opportunities) Act, Carers Strategy
in Wales, National Standards for Carer Support Services,
Government policies across the board stressing the need for a
strong voice for users and carers.
Key Partners: Ceredigion County Council, Carers and their
organisations have a key role to play in speaking up. All other
organisations have a major responsibility to ensure that carers’
views are sought and acted upon.

Arrangements will be in place to ensure that carers have a strong
voice, individually and collectively.

Advocacy will be available to carers and there will be regular
consultations and opportunities for carers to be listened to by
both carer support services and services, which support cared for
people.

Training and capacity building will be given to carers to ensure
they can make an effective contribution to consultation and the
planning and monitoring of services.
Objective 4: Financial security for carers
Policy drivers: Carers (Equal Opportunities) Act, Social Inclusion
Agenda, research18 which indicates that almost £95,000 is
unclaimed by carers in Ceredigion in Pension Credit and the Carer
Addition.
Key Partners: Ceredigion County Council, Department for Work
and Pensions, Citizens Advice Bureau, Primary Care Services,
Welfare Rights Advisors

Arrangements will be in place to ensure that carers receive upto-date and accurate advice on the financial support available
and how to access this.

Out of pocket expenses will be paid to carers who are involved in
consultation and service reviews.
18
See annex to Caring and Pensioner Poverty: A report on older carers,
employment and benefits. Carers Wales, 2005
23
Objective 5: Training and support to care
Policy drivers: Research indicates that carers who are given the
information and advice they need to care will cope better with their
role. In addition physical damage to carers is a common result of
lack of knowledge about moving and handling safely.
Key Partners: Ceredigion County Council, Health Trusts, Local
Health Board, Primary Care Services, ELWA, Voluntary
organisations, other training organisations.

Arrangements will be in place to ensure that carers are able to
access appropriate and relevant training, information and
support to enable them to carry out their caring and consultative
roles.

Carers will be supported to make their own informal
arrangements for support with family members, neighbours,
other carers, etc.
Objective 6: Emergency support and contingency planning
Policy drivers: Children Act and Carers Legislation and Practice
Guidance; Carers UK – Back Me Up Campaign, Human Rights Act,
Unified Assessment Process guidance, Care Programme Approach in
mental health services.
Key partners: Ceredigion County Council, All operational staff,
especially staff assessing carers, Carers’ Organisations (especially
any running emergency schemes), Emergency Duty Teams, Call
Centres, GP practices.

Arrangements will be in place to ensure that support is available
to the carer and cared for person in the event of an emergency.

Carers will be supported to make contingency plans for
emergency situations in accordance with the Unified Assessment
Process and Ceredigion’s Outcome-focused Assessment, Care
Planning and Review policies and procedures.
24
Objective 7: Emotional support
Policy drivers: Evidence that breakdown of caring role is often
because emotional issues have not been properly dealt with; Health
Promotion and Prevention Agendas.
Emotional support may best be met by family and friends, or in
more organised ways such as through support groups. Skilled help
at particular times – for example near the start of caring or if the
condition of the person being cared for changes – can be of
considerable assistance to the carer. Recent research suggests that
it may result in an increased ability to continue to care.19
Key partners: Ceredigion County Council, Voluntary organisations,
especially counselling services, Samaritans, social care and health
staff, psychology services, primary care counselling services,
advocacy services.

Carers and former carers will have access to emotional support
(either one-to-one or in groups), which is sensitive to their
individual needs.
Objective 8: Time off
Policy drivers: Carers Legislation; Carers Grant and monitoring;
Employment Relations Act; Work and Families Bill.
All carers have a right to a life outside their caring role.
Key partners: Ceredigion County Council, Adult education,
voluntary organisations, arts, leisure education services in statutory
and voluntary organisations.

Arrangements will be in place to ensure that carers are able to
take a break, either through support provided in the home, or
through residential or day care, which is acceptable to them and
the person they care for.

This support will be available in a flexible way and at short notice
to those requiring it in emergencies (see Objective 6).

Such support should be available and appropriate to all client
groups (including, for example younger disabled people and
deaf/blind people).

Carers will be supported to have a life outside caring, through
the provision of opportunities for personal development and
lifelong learning.
19
National Strategy for Carers, 1999.
25
Objective 9: Ensuring the quality of services
Policy drivers: Carers’ Legislation and Practice Guidance, WPI core
performance indicators.
The quality of care provided to the cared for person is also a vital
ingredient in the quality of support to carers.
Key partners: Carers and all services and service commissioners.

Arrangements will be in place to ensure that services are of a
consistently high quality and meet the objectives set out in this
strategy.

Carers will be offered opportunities to give feedback on the
support they receive, both routinely and when they wish to make
a complaint, offer suggestions or praise service provision.

Arrangements will be in place to ensure that carers’ comments
are taken seriously and that the quality of services continues to
improve as a result of these.
26
Objective 10: Support to young carers (aged 7 – 18 years)
Policy drivers: Children Act and Carers’ Legislation.
Key partners: Education department, children’s and family
services, youth services, specialist young carer support services.

Each of the other outcomes will apply to young carers, where
appropriate.

Opportunities will be available through schools, youth services
and health and social services for young carers to identify
themselves.

Arrangements will be in place in schools to recognise and support
young carers.

Arrangements will be in place to support young carers when they
move from children’s to adult services.

Arrangements will be in place to enable young carers to be in
contact with other young people who take on a caring role, if
they so wish.

Services will be in place to ensure that young carers have access
to:
- Physical activity
- Wellbeing development
- Education
- Skills and achievement
27
Objective 11: Working carers
Policy drivers: Carers (Equal Opportunities) Act, Social Inclusion
Agenda, Employment Relations Act, Work and Families Bill, Age
Discrimination Act (2006).
Key partners: Jobcentre Plus, County Council and all strategy
partners, University, other local employers; domiciliary care service
providers

We will aim to develop and commission reliable and flexible
alternative care services.

Arrangements will be in place to enable working carers to obtain
recognition and support in the workplace to enable them to
continue with their caring role, and or carers to return to work
when they are able to.

Health and Local Authority services will commit to taking a lead
in recognising and supporting working carers, both within their
own workforces and those using services.

Arrangements will be in place to promote the needs of working
carers amongst all employers (including educational
establishments) in Ceredigion.
Objective 12: Promoting the independence of the cared for
person and the carer
Policy drivers: All carer and community care legislation and
guidance emphasises the importance of promoting independence. In
particular the Accommodation, Care and Support Strategy for Older
People in Ceredigion places a major emphasis on maintaining older
people in the community wherever possible, as an alternative to
residential and nursing care.
Key partners: Ceredigion County Council, Health Trusts, Local
Health Board, Housing Associations, Care and Repair service, other
statutory and voluntary organisations.

Priority will be given to the development of services which
promote independence including, for example extra care,
assistive technology, re-enablement services, housing
maintenance and adaptation.
28
4. Identification of gaps in service to meet need
Ceredigion has made substantial progress in recent years in
developing support to carers. However a great deal remains to be
done to ensure that this support is widely available and accessible
to all eligible to receive it.
The principal gaps under each of the 12 strategy objectives are as
follows:
Objective 1. Recognition of carers

records across agencies which record a person’s status as a
carer;

arrangements to share information between agencies;

arrangements across agencies to identify ‘hidden carers’.
Objective 2. Information to carers

arrangements to ensure that information on available support
is updated and widely distributed;

arrangements to ensure all partners see provision of
information to carers as essential.
Objective 3. Ensuring carers have a voice

arrangements for carers to have a collective voice on the
development of services in Ceredigion, including capacity
building to ensure they can be effective.

availability of advocacy support to carers.
Objective 4. Financial security for carers

arrangements to ensure that all carers have access to up-todate and accurate advice on the financial support available
and how to access this.
Objective 5. Training and support to care

training, health promotion and personal development
opportunities available to all carers;

timely and flexible support available to all eligible carers;

high quality support available to all cared for people.
Objective 6. Emergency support and contingency planning

arrangements for emergency support and contingency
planning available throughout the county to those carers who
wish to access it.
29
Objective 7. Emotional support

appropriate emotional support available throughout the
county to those carers who wish to access it.
Objective 8. Time off

flexible short term break services, including emergency
breaks at short notice, available to all eligible carers;

there are particular gaps in emergency care for younger
disabled people and those with sight/hearing impairments.
Objective 9. Ensuring the quality of services

quality assurance arrangements in place for all carer support
services, together with opportunities for services to learn
service development lessons from these.
Objective 10. Support to young carers

arrangements in all schools, youth services and health and
social services to identify young carers;

arrangements in place in all schools to identify and support
young carers;

arrangements in place to support all young carers when
moving from children’s to adult services;

arrangements in place to enable young carers to be in contact
with others, if they so wish;

young carer support services providing physical activity,
wellbeing development, education and skills and achievement
available to all eligible young carers.
Objective 11. Working carers

reliable, flexible care services available to enable working
carers to meet ordinary working conditions (including early
morning and evening cover);

carer-friendly employment policies adopted by Ceredigion
Council and its partner agencies;

active work with local employers to encourage carer-friendly
employment policies and practice.
Objective 12. Promoting the independence of the cared for
person and the carer

further development of a range of community-based services
to promote independence.
30
5. Costs of services
A total Carers Grant of £149,641 was allocated to Ceredigion by the
Welsh Assembly Government for the year 2005/06. This grant is
used to support a range of carer support services (see appendix 1).
Ceredigion Council has agreed to ringfence this money in future
years, when the Carers Grant becomes incorporated into the
Council’s Revenue Support Grant.
Various other sources of funding are applied:

The Carers Fieldworker Project is funded by the County
Council on a temporary basis.

The Carers Equal Opportunities Officer has been jointly funded
on a temporary basis by the Local Health Board and Social
Services.

The costs of the Carers Development Officer in Ceredigion is
met through the assessment component of the Carers Special
Grant.

Young carers services in Ceredigion are jointly funded by the
Carers Special Grant and Cymorth.

Respite services in Ceredigion receive funding from both the
County Council and the Local Health Board. These provide
support to both carers and the cared for person.
Carer support has significant financial implications beyond the
services provided through the Carers Grant. Carers provide unpaid
support to people who would otherwise make major demands on
health and social care services and there is a strong case that
investment in carer support will produce significant savings in these
services.
The current support to carers in Ceredigion relies considerably on
the Carers Fieldworker Project and the Carers Equal Opportunities
Officer.
31
6. Contracting/Partnership arrangements
Existing contract/service level agreement arrangements
These are set out under the terms of the Carers’ Grant 2005
Scheme plan and involve the organisations identified in Appendix 1.
In addition, Ceredigion Council has an interagency agreement with
neighbouring authorities setting out a protocol for caring at a
distance and caring across boundaries. This has been adopted by
Ceredigion in relation to carers from neighbouring authorities, but
reciprocal agreements have not yet been made by these authorities.
The Red Cross have a contract with Social Services to develop
services linked to the Equal Opportunities Act. There is also a
contract between the Red Cross and the Local Health Board for one
year to develop primary care services for carers.
Existing joint budget/partnership arrangements
These are limited at present to the Carers Fieldworker project (Red
Cross, County Council and Local Health Board), the development of
services linked to the Equal Opportunities Act (Red Cross and the
County Council) and the development of Primary Care services (Red
Cross and the Local Health Board).
Contracting/partnership options, advantages and
disadvantages
There is a case to be made for bringing carer support services
together under the umbrella of one organisation (in the voluntary
sector) and developing a Ceredigion Carers’ Service for adult and
young carers under a single management structure.
There may still be opportunities in Ceredigion to develop additional
sources of funding for carer support services, for example through
the European Structural Funds.
The implications for other services
Effective support to carers has implications for a wide range of
other services, for example housing, leisure, transport, general
practice, employment, education and further education.
The SCIE practice guide for implementing the Carers (Equal
Opportunities) Act 2004 includes a number of relevant good practice
points:

Through the multi-agency strategy, involve local partners health, housing and education - in strategic planning;
32

Ensure that the multi-agency strategy addresses the need for
staff training and awareness across all the authorities
concerned;

Ensure that the carers' lead contacts other departments and
authorities to find out what they can provide for carers (e.g.
'freedom passes', parking permits for those visiting the caredfor person during the day, carer ID cards for access to
discounts, concessionary fees);

Identify a senior contact point for carers' issues in each public
authority;

Encourage health partners to introduce carer-friendly policies
- for example, hospital discharge procedures that take
account of carers' employment needs, policies that avoid the
cancellation of appointments involving carers, and flexible
appointment times.
33
7. Changing the focus of services
There are a number of significant developments, which may
influence the focus of carer support services in Ceredigion.
There is an increasing emphasis at both national and local levels on
citizenship, a rights agenda for carers, inclusion and prevention.
Services are setting out to work with citizens and communities to
ensure that disadvantaged people are supported to be full members
of their communities. It is recognised that allocating resources to
prevention can significantly reduce the demand on more resourceintensive services. Investment in support to carers has the potential
to significantly reduce demand for long-term residential care and
other intensive support services.
Work in Ceredigion on the development of an Accommodation, Care
and Support Strategy for Older People20 promotes the adoption of a
whole systems approach involving the following levels of planning:
Level 1 – citizenship, inclusion and engagement
Level 2 – prevention and minimum intervention
Level 3 – intensive time limited interventions
Level 4 – community based ongoing health and social care support
Level 5 – hospital, residential and nursing home care.
The agreed goal of the strategy is to shift the culture and resources
from levels 4 and 5, and into levels 1, 2, and 3. Support to carers
forms an important part of level 1, 2 and 3 interventions.
Other current and recent developments in Ceredigion will have an
impact on the role of carers in helping to prevent or delay level 4
and 5 interventions. These include:

telemedicine – whereby specialised medical guidance can be
obtained by GPs, avoiding delays and long journeys for
patients and their carers;

assistive technology – whereby people can be maintained
at home with the support of simple and sophisticated
monitoring equipment. This service provides monitoring and
response 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Quality of life
assessments are conducted by the Carers Fieldworkers before
installation of equipment and three months afterwards to
assess if outcomes have been achieved for both the carer and
the cared for person
Development of an Accommodation, Care and Support Strategy for Older
People in Ceredigion, approved by Ceredigion County Council Cabinet at its
meeting on 25th March 2003.
20
34

direct payments – voucher schemes and other ways of
enabling people to manage their own budgets will significantly
affect the capacity of carers to play a major role in the
support of the person they care for.

re-enablement service – based in home care working in the
community to ensure that service users and carers are able to
function at an optimal level of independence.

Adre’n Saff (going home safely) scheme – this reenablement hospital discharge scheme in the North of the
county is available up to 6 weeks post after discharge to
ensure that risks to independence are minimised and
appropriate support provided.
It is clear that all these developments will have major implications
for carer support in Ceredigion, and there should be a review of
resource allocation in each client group to establish the potential
benefits of reinvestment in carer support.
35
8. Recommendations
Appendix 5 identifies priorities and milestones for each objective in
this strategy.
The following recommendations are made:

Each agency issues a formal statement of commitment to the
strategy as the basis for the development of carer support in
Ceredigion from 2006 to 2011.

Each agency should identify a Carers’ Champion at a senior
level to take the lead in implementing the strategy.

A Joint Agency Strategy Executive Group should be
established to oversee the implementation of the strategy,
ensuring that there is a good level of communication and
information sharing between agencies and that the agreed
outcomes are met by the year 2011. The Executive Group
should include senior representatives from all partner
agencies (including relevant County Council departments) and
should include member and carer representation. The
Executive Group should meet at least twice per year and
report to the Ceredigion Health, Social Care and Wellbeing
Partnership Group. The Group should develop a detailed
implementation strategy, with clear responsibilities and time
frames, in line with the priorities and milestones in Appendix
5.

A Joint Agency Strategy Implementation Group should be
responsible for the detailed implementation of the strategy.
The Implementation Group should include Carers’ Champions
from statutory and voluntary organisations, and carer
representatives elected from carer forums.

The work of the existing Carers Alliance Task Groups should
be extended to carry out work on specific aspects of the
strategy.

Joint agency monitoring of the implementation of the strategy
should take place on a regular basis, with regular reporting of
progress to the partner organisations against the priorities
and milestones.
An outline of the proposed structure for implementing the strategy
is shown in the diagram below.
36
37
APPENDIX 1: Current support to carers in Ceredigion
The table below summarises the support provided specifically to
carers in Ceredigion through the Carers’ Grant Scheme21.
Service
Brief description
Age Concern
Carers Project
British Red Cross
Carers Fieldworker
Project
British Red Cross
Young Carers
Project (in
conjunction with
LINCS)
Carers’ Emergency
Card Services
Domestic services (home
cleaning, gardening, etc.)
Support to adult carers
Carers’ events and
training
Carers
Opportunities
Fund
Ceredigion Council
Day Centres
Ceredigion
Crossroads Caring
for Carers
DASH
Flexible Support
Fund
Hafal Ceredigion
Mencap Cymru
Approximate
numbers
supported
10
60
Range of supports to young
carers
30 minimum
Card which identifies holder as
a carer in the event of an
accident or emergency
8 training days or half days and
two events
250
Financial support towards
replacement care hours to
attend Carers Alliance events
Respite care
30 – 40 adult
and young
carers
30 – 40 adult
and young
carers
Support to carers caring for
elderly frail and elderly
mentally ill
Occasional weekend respite for
carers of disabled children
Funding for equipment/services
50
Support to carers of people
with mental health problems
Access to transport to enable
adults with a learning difficulty
to attend Gateway Clubs and
long weekend breaks
60
26 - 28
6
46
Further information is contained in the booklet Carers’ Grant Scheme: Breaks
and Support Services for Carers 2005/06
21
38
Other services providing support to carers in Ceredigion are shown
below.
Service
Brief description
Ceredigion
Council, Visual
Arts Department
Carers UK
Ceredigion
Beacon of Hope
Facilities for carers to take part
in art activities
MIND
Age Concern
Equal
Opportunities for
Carers
Primary Care
services to carers
Approximate
numbers
supported
Support to carers
Support to people with lifelimiting or terminal illness
Support to carers of people
with mental health problems
Support to carers of elderly
people
British Red Cross working with
Social Services to develop
services linked to the Equal
Opportunities Act
British Red Cross working with
Local Health Board to develop
primary care services to carers
20
In addition, a range of services which support carers are provided
through core funding from both the County Council and the Local
Health Board. These include:

Respite care, in residential and day settings;

Adre’n Saff re-enablement scheme;

Age Concern;

Ceredigion Crossroads;

Hafal;

DASH.
39
APPENDIX 2: Priorities identified in the Health, Social
Care and Wellbeing Strategy
The Strategy states that there is a need to:

Establish a Joint Ceredigion Carers Strategy, with the setting
up of a Project Management Group to oversee the
development and publication of the Strategic Plan and the
implementation of an Action Plan. To be in line with the
Carers Strategy for Wales, the Carers and Disabled Children’s
Act 2000 and the future Carers (Equal Opportunities) Bill, in
order to counter isolation caused by rurality, geography and
lack of transport.

Establish clear funding pathways with the Carers Grant
Scheme transfer into mainstream revenue funding post
2005/06 in order to retain in Carers’ services.

To enhance funding opportunities through joint funding
partnerships that will enable the establishment of permanent
Carers Fieldworker posts across Ceredigion to support Carers
Support Groups, to develop partnerships with statutory and
voluntary agencies, promote the identification of the “hidden”
carers in the communities and assist in the implementation of
the strategic action plan.

Establish funding pathways to enhance and develop the
opportunities presented by the Direct Payments, Voucher
Schemes and Equal Opportunities initiatives.

Implement a rolling three- year funding regime for relevant
voluntary sector bodies.

Establish clear protocols and pathways for the assessment of
Carers, outcome focused care planning and review procedures
within the Unified Assessment, and Fair Access to Care
Legislation for local carers and those caring at a distance and
across boundaries through the development of Case Coordinators.

Develop a broad range of flexible carer respite/short break
services across all ages and groups.

Develop flexible, accessible standby or quick response
services for carers to cover emergency situations, or to
prevent unnecessary admissions or delayed transfers.

Develop the provision on a group and one to one basis, of
care related training and job skills training, to support and
retain carers within the workforce and to facilitate
opportunities for carers to return to paid employment.
40

Examine and develop an action plan to offer flexible day care
services to facilitate carers in employment.

Examine and develop an action plan for “care proofing” of all
new policies within health and social care. Promoting the
economic and business benefits of carer friendly policies to
the wider business community.

Ensure that the Joint Carers Strategy has, as a significant
element, detailed strategic objectives and action plan for the
inclusion of Young Carers.

Develop respite provision for children and young people who
are Carers.

Ensure that Young People with a caring role for a family
member with a physical, learning or mental disability achieve
their full potential and have access to inclusive services.

Develop inter-agency working (Statutory and Voluntary) at
county and local levels in order to increase awareness of
Young Carers needs and improve their identification.

Ensure the retention and enhancement of funding streams for
the ongoing funding of the services and overarching strategic
plan for Young Carers.
41
APPENDIX 3: Views expressed by carers
A total of 14 carers responded to requests to speak individually
about their experiences. In addition, representatives of carer
support services were able to pass on the views of many more
people.
Positive experiences
Some carers were very appreciative of the support they receive,
including:

carers’ meetings;

respite care;

flexible arrangements;

supportive staff, willing to ‘go the extra mile’ to help out;

knowing there is someone to contact if necessary;

good support from community nurses;

some people said that their GP had been very helpful and
supportive (others reported the opposite).
Negative experiences/issues for change
Many of the people spoken to reported negative experiences or
made suggestions for change:

vouchers for leisure activities would be appreciated;

carers’ lives would be substantially improved by better mental
health services and better services for people with dementia;

many carers are not aware of the support available and feel
that better and more accessible information is needed;

some carers would appreciate an informal support network of
local people who could ‘pop in’;

several people mentioned the need for home-based respite
and emergency respite; several people said that respite care
has to be booked well in advance and there is no flexibility;

lack of accessible financial advice and support;

home care workers who are not able to carry out personal
care for health and safety reasons;

several people reported negative experiences with social
workers, who they found to be difficult to contact and
unhelpful;

lack of respite care for people aged under 65;
42

finding it difficult to know where to turn when emergencies
arise (and not having the energy to ‘battle through the
system’);

would appreciate someone to keep in touch and check up
occasionally that things are ok;

concern about the future when older carers are no longer able
to cope;

lack of support from employers of working carers;

health problems for carers (particularly older carers) and
difficulties getting doctors’ appointments at times which fit
with caring responsibilities;

the need for practical help (e.g. cleaning services) and
personal care (e.g. giving a bath);

difficulties obtaining suitable equipment (e.g. wheelchairs,
aids and adaptations) promptly;

lack of suitable transport;

the need for independent advocacy to assist carers to speak
up and, where necessary, follow through complaints;
43
APPENDIX 4: Identified needs of young carers
Physical Activity

Monthly fun evening activities.
X 14 per Annum

Day out fun activities
X 5 per Annum

Over night fun activities
X 3 per Annum
Well-being Development

Personal Carers Profile / Needs
assessment
Estimated 20 per annum
As referrals received or review and
closure takes place.

One to one mentoring sessions
As required, estimated 60 + per
annum

Personal Development/Identity
Sessions
X 10 per annum
(5 sessions repeated for two age
groups)
Education

Care/medical Support Sessions

First Aid certificate Sessions
X 8 per annum
X 4 per annum
Skills and Achievement


Ongoing programme of specific
skilled, challenging activity (approx
15 hrs total)
X 2 programmes Per annum
= 15 hrs per programme split
Approx into 5 sessions.
Opportunity to gain Youth
Achievement award/ cert.
44
APPENDIX 5: Priorities and milestones
Objective 1: Recognition of carers
Outcomes by 2011
All health and social services will have records systems in
place which enable someone’s status as a carer to be
recorded, if they so wish.
Carers will be able to report that their status as a carer
has been acknowledged and that they have been
offered appropriate information about the help
available.
Systems will be in place to coordinate information about
carers and share this between agencies (with appropriate
safeguards on confidentiality).
Arrangements will be in place across agencies to identify
‘hidden carers’ (those carers who either do not recognise
their role or who are not known to services).
Carers will be able to report that services are ‘carerfriendly’, in the sense of offering flexible arrangements,
such as appointments and home visits.
Young carers will be able to report that schools
recognise their role as a young carer and offer
appropriate support.
Carers will be able to report that information has been
shared appropriately between agencies.
Priority for Objective 1

Records systems will be in place to enable reporting of Welsh Assembly Government performance indicators
and data sets.
Milestones for 2008

A lead officer will be identified for each agency

Records systems in place

Information exchange between agencies

Single health record in place
1
Milestone for 2011

Case finding systems for hidden carers in place
Objective 2: Information to carers
Outcomes by 2011
There will be comprehensive sources of information to
carers and former carers, including an information pack
outlining what support is available and how to access it.
This information will be up-to-date, accurate and
available in an accessible form to all members of the
community.
Carers will be able to report that they are able to access
up-to-date and accurate information and that this has
been helpful to them.
Carers know what services are available to them, their
eligibility for these services.
Carers will be clear about their eligibility for services in
line with the unified assessment process.
Priority for Objective 2

Eligibility Criteria for carers and cared for will be promoted widely
Milestone for 2008

A range of information sources for carers (paper-based, internet, etc.) will be in place.
Milestone for 2011

Information options will be further developed in line with developments in information technology
2
Objective 3: Ensuring carers have a voice
Outcomes by 2011
Arrangements will be in place to ensure that carers have
a strong voice, individually and collectively.
Carers will be able to report that they can raise
concerns and that these are taken seriously.
Advocacy will be available to carers and there will be
regular consultations and opportunities for carers to be
listened to by both carer support services and services,
which support cared for people.
Carers will be able to report that they have the
opportunity to express their views through meetings,
questionnaires and other means, and that they are
confident that their views are listened to and taken
seriously.
Training and capacity building will be given to carers to
ensure they can make an effective contribution to
consultation and the planning and monitoring of services.
Carers will be able to report that they have received
support to attend meetings, for example help with
transport and alternative care, if required, training and
capacity building, and support to express their views.
Priorities for Objective 3

Carers Forums meet on a regular basis

Carers’ representatives play an active role in the Carers Alliance and Strategy Implementation Group

Advocacy for carers is available on a sustainable basis
Milestone for 2008

Carers are empowered to play a full role on the Carers Alliance, carers’ forums and the Strategy
Implementation Group
Milestone for 2011

Advocacy for carers is available on a sustainable basis
3
Objective 4: Financial security for carers
Outcomes by 2011
Arrangements will be in place to ensure that carers
receive up-to-date and accurate advice on the financial
support available and how to access this.
Carers will be able to report that they have received
financial advice, which has been helpful to them.
Expenses will be paid to carers who are involved in
consultation and service reviews, and there will be a
dedicated budget for this.
Carers who are involved in consultation and service
reviews will receive expenses for their contributions.
Priority for Objective 4

The sound relationships with Job Centre Plus, the Department of Work and Pensions and other advice
agencies will continue to develop
Milestone for 2008

Benefits issues will be routinely raised in the assessment of carers and young carers
Milestone for 2011

Mechanisms will be in place to evaluate the effectiveness of financial advice to carers
4
Objective 5: Training and support to care
Outcomes by 2011
Arrangements will be in place to ensure that carers are
Carers will be able to report that they have access to
able to access appropriate and relevant training,
appropriate and useful training, information and
information and support to enable them to carry out their support.
caring and consultative roles.
Carers will be able to report that they make their own
Carers will be supported to make their own informal
informal support arrangements, where appropriate.
arrangements for support with family members,
neighbours, other carers, etc.
Priority for Objective 5

Developing a range of training opportunities in all partner agencies
Milestone for 2008

An audit will be completed of the training received by carers in all agencies
Milestone for 2011

A further audit of training opportunities will be completed
5
Objective 6: Emergency support and
contingency planning
Outcomes by 2011
Arrangements will be in place to ensure that support is
available to the carer and cared for person in the event
of an emergency.
Carers will be able to report that they have peace of
mind around emergency arrangements and contingency
plans.
Carers will be supported to make contingency plans for
emergency situations in accordance with the Unified
Assessment Process and Ceredigion’s Outcome-focused
Assessment, Care Planning and Review policies and
procedures.
Priority for Objective 6

The need for contingency planning for carers will be identified.
Milestone for 2008

Contingency planning will be embedded as routine custom and practice in all assessments of users and
carers.
Milestone for 2011

There will be greater flexibility in emergency support and contingency planning, using users’ and carers’
preferred options.
6
Objective 7 : Emotional support
Carers and former carers will have access to emotional
support (either one-to-one or in groups), which is
sensitive to their individual needs.
Outcomes by 2011
Carers will be able to report that sensitive, effective
emotional support is readily available when required.
Priority for Objective 7

A range of emotional support arrangements will be developed.
Milestone for 2008

Plans will be in place for developing emotional support services
Milestone for 2011

Emotional support will be available to carers
7
Objective 8: Time off
Arrangements will be in place to ensure that carers are
able to take a break, either through support provided in
the home, or through residential or day care, which is
acceptable to them and the person they care for.
Outcomes by 2011
Carers will be able to report that they are able to take a
break and have opportunities to develop their lives
outside caring.
This support will be available in a flexible way and at
short notice to those requiring it in emergencies (see
Objective 6).
Such support should be available and appropriate to all
client groups (including, for example younger disabled
people and deaf/blind people).
Carers will be supported to have a life outside caring,
through the provision of opportunities for personal
development and lifelong learning.
Priority for Objective 8

More flexible arrangements will be in place for carers to take a break and develop their lives beyond their
caring role.
Milestone for 2008

An action plan will be developed for supporting carers to take a break.
Milestone for 2011

The action plan will have been implemented
8
Objective 9: Ensuring the quality of services Outcomes by 2011
Arrangements will be in place to ensure that services are
of a consistently high quality and meet the objectives set
out in this strategy.
Carers will be able to report that they can comment on
the quality of services and, if necessary, make
complaints.
Carers will be offered opportunities to give feedback on
the support they receive, both routinely and when they
wish to make a complaint, offer suggestions or praise
service provision.
Carers will be able to report that their comments and
complaints are taken seriously and that they are kept
informed about the outcome of these.
Arrangements will be in place to ensure that carers
comments are taken seriously and that the quality of
services improves as a result of these.
Carers will be able to report that the services they
receive are of a consistently high quality.
Priority for Objective 9

The development of services, which are responsive to the experiences of and feedback from carers.
Milestone for 2008

All services will meet agreed quality standards, including those relating to the support of carers.
Milestone for 2011

Quality systems will be fully developed and training and development needs identified and implemented.
9
Objective 10: Support to young carers
(aged 7 – 18 years)


Outcomes by 2011
Each of the other outcomes will apply to young carers, Young carers will be able to report that each of the 10
where appropriate.
outcomes applies to them.
Opportunities will be available through schools, youth Young carers will be able to report that their caring role
services and health and social services for young
has been recognised and that they receive effective
carers to identify themselves.
support.

Arrangements will be in place in schools to recognise
and support young carers.

Arrangements will be in place to support young carers
when they move from children’s to adult services.

Arrangements will be in place to enable young carers
to be in contact with other young people who take on
a caring role, if they so wish.

Services will be in place to ensure that young carers
have access to:
Young carers will be able to report that they have
access to physical activity, wellbeing development,
education, skills and achievement.
Young carers will be able to report that they are
supported effectively when they move from children’s to
adult services.
- Physical activity
- Wellbeing development
- Education
- Skills and achievement
Priority for Objective 10

Young carers in Ceredigion will be identified and their support needs assessed.
10
Milestone for 2008

Arrangements will be in place in schools, youth services and social services to enable young carers to identify
themselves.
Milestone for 2011

A range of supports for all young carers will be available.
11
Objective 11: Working carers
Outcomes by 2011
Reliable and flexible alternative care services will be
developed and commissioned that meet the needs of
working carers.
Working carers will be able to report that they are
recognised and supported appropriately by their
employers.
Arrangements will be in place to enable working carers to Carers who wish to return to work will be able to report
obtain recognition and support in the workplace to
that they can access appropriate training and support to
enable them to continue with their caring role, and or
enable them to do so.
carers to return to work when they are able to.
Health and Local Authority services will commit to taking
a lead in recognising and supporting working carers, both
within their own workforces and those using services.
Arrangements will be in place to promote the needs of
working carers amongst all employers (including
educational establishments) in Ceredigion.
Priority for Objective 11

Working carers will receive recognition and support from the County Council and other major employers in
Ceredigion.
Milestones for 2008

There will be a voluntary register of carer employees within the County Council and other statutory
organisations.

Flexible policies will be in place to support working carers in the County Council and other statutory
organisations.
Milestones for 2011

An audit of working carers in Ceredigion and their support needs will have been completed.
12

All employers in Ceredigion will be actively encouraged to support working carers.
Objective 12: Promoting the independence
of the cared for person and the carer
Outcomes by 2011
Priority will be given to the development of services
which promote independence including, for example
extra care, assistive technology, re-enablement services,
housing maintenance and adaptation.
Carers will be able to report that both they and the
person they care for have been supported to maintain
their independence
Priority for Objective 12

Re-ablement services will be available across the county.
Milestone for 2008

An evaluation of the assisted technology project will have been completed and acted upon.
Milestone for 2011

Carers will have access to a full range of options to promote their independence and that of the person they
care for.
13