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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 4 Hansard (3 April) . . Page.. 1384 ..

Mr Corbell (continuing):


Liaison Worker, a part-time Peer Support Project Officer, and the training and establishment of two peer information and referral Carers.

(4) The amount of funding provided to ACT Carers by the HACC Program for 2002-2003 totals $225,248, and by Mental Health $50,000. In addition to this, as shown in Attachment A, ACT Carers have received an additional $100,000 from the 2002-2003 Budget Initiative. ACT Carers also receive funding from other ACT and Commonwealth agencies. Information on other sources of funding for ACT Carers is not included in this response.

(5) In Canberra in 1998, there were 43,100 people in the ACT who were fulfilling the role of a carer. Of these carers, 53% were females. These figures are from a paper produced in 1999 by the Epidemiology Unit, Population Health, which provides a summary of findings for the ACT from the National Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers, 1998.

(6) A full breakdown of the type of people carers assist in the ACT has not been undertaken. ACT Carers compile data on issues seen by their counsellors. During the months of April 2002 to February 2003 inclusive, the main caring areas were:

Disability

25%

Dementia

23%

Mental illness

21%

Frail aged

14%

Dual diagnosis

13%

Chronic illness

3%

Acquired brain injury

1%

Other issues were addressed by ACT Carers' counsellors, however the above were the main areas. Additionally, there would be people not captured in these figures as all carers would not access services through ACT Carers.

Attachment A

Respite Care Funding - 2002-2003 Budget Initiative

Project description

Cost

Innovative respite care pilots - ACT Health will work with the Departments of Disability, Housing and Community Services, and Education, Youth and Family Services and respite service providers to pilot innovative models of respite care including emergency respite and respite care for carers of people with challenging behaviours using brokerage models across the areas of mental health, aged care, younger children with high medical needs, and disability. The pilot will run over 12 months and a brokerage model will be developed with agencies such as Carers ACT, Community Options and Community Connections and include other respite service providers. The pilot will be monitored to identify usage by clients and areas of need for respite care.

$450,000

Additional family support respite care packages - Existing respite care programs for families at risk and kinship carers at Marymead and Barnardos will be supplemented.

$100,000

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