Written question WQ100796

Unpaid carers tell me that often there are not suitable respite opportunities available when needed. The recent Health and Social Care Committee inquiry on unpaid carers recognised the importance of respite and we have accepted the recommendation to develop a national action plan to expand and improve respite provision for unpaid carers. Respite is a priority area in our new National Strategy on Unpaid Carers, which we will publish in November.

We provide £360,000 annually to the Family Fund's Take a Break Wales programme, which supports families of disabled children to access short break opportunities. In 2025-26, the programme supported more than 1,000 parent carers of disabled children.

Our Welsh Government Short Breaks Scheme is delivered by Carers Trust Wales and Regional Partnership Boards, with annual funding of £3.5 million. The scheme provides short break opportunities for unpaid carers, additional to local authority duties with regards to respite provision. The scheme supports creative and personalised approaches; including grants for hobby equipment, leisure memberships, activity sessions and outings. Over 19,000 carers were supported by the scheme in 2025-26.

We know that in some areas, demand for short breaks exceeds the capacity of this scheme, which relates to larger need for sufficient respite provision across Wales. It is not our understanding that access to the Welsh Government Short Breaks scheme should be restricted to those unpaid carers who have been deemed eligible for social care support.