Your Say: Long-term Conditions
Are you affected by welfare reform? The Welfare Reform Committee would like to hear from people with, or caring for those with, long-term conditions and get their thoughts about how welfare reform is impacting on them.
About a year ago, the Welfare Reform Committee began an initiative, ‘Your Say’, to hear directly from those who have been directly affected by welfare reform. Over the last year the Committee has heard the stories of people from Glasgow, Annan, Kirkcaldy, Dunoon, Stirling, Coatbridge, Hamilton, Dundee, Edinburgh, Biggar… the list goes on.
The Scottish government wants to hear from the country’s unpaid carers on how they can be better supported.
First Minister Alex Salmond told a meeting of carers at Holyrood that a public consultation would take place on the issue before the end of the year.
Legislation is currently being drafted to improve the well-being of carers.
Scotland has about 657,000 unpaid adult carers, up to 100,000 young carers and many who provide care but who do not identify themselves as carers.
The government said it was keen to improve the lot of carers so they could continue their caring duties while remaining in work and having a life of their own.
It also wanted to prevent or delay hospital or residential care admissions for cared-for people.
The 72-year-old from Glasgow, who has looked after her granddaughter for 16 years, said: “If I hadn’t stepped in she would have gone into the system and been pushed from pillar to post.”
She said she believes the work of kinship carers across the country is undervalued and not recognised by the authorities, who would otherwise have to pick up the bill for looking after vulnerable children.
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