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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 14 Hansard (11 December) . . Page.. 5259 ..

MR WOOD (continuing):

Through this policy we will work to achieve more timely and adequate assistance. We will undertake more effective resource planning through data collection and consultation with carers and the agencies that support them. We will work with agencies to develop expertise and knowledge to better identify the carers, assess their needs and assist them.

Our consultations have informed us about the unmet needs for services which assist people who require care to live and participate in the community. We recognise that these services complement the role of the carer and must be affordable and of a high standard.

Through this policy we will work to achieve affordable services of a high standard. We will consider the needs of carers when planning and allocating resources to human services, develop approaches to early intervention, forward planning and flexible support, and work to achieve ongoing reductions in unmet need for human services. We will develop strategies to address poverty among carers and we will work with agencies to engage carers in quality assurance and improvement, and promote access to complaints mechanisms.

Mr Speaker, carers make a substantial contribution to the economic and social welfare of our community. Despite this, the caring role remains largely invisible and unrecognised by the community and sometimes among carers themselves, making it difficult for carers to access support that could sustain the caring relationship. This policy recognises that the public recognition of carers is fundamental to removing the social and attitudinal barriers to accessing support from services and the community.

Through this policy we will be promoting caring as a valued role in the community and recognise the contribution of carers in government policy, publications and events. We will engage with the community, education and business sectors to recognise and support carers to combine work or study with their caring responsibilities.

The government recognises that caring takes place in the context of a complex interdependent relationship, usually between people with an existing relationship such as a partner, parent, sibling or friend. Thus, in protecting and promoting the interests of carers, this policy recognises the need to protect the interests of people receiving care. We need more sophisticated approaches to support all people in the caring relationship, to protect their welfare and maintain family relationships in positive ways that encourage more carers to access support.

Through this policy, we will develop more holistic approaches to service delivery to sustain the caring relationship. We will recognise their welfare in human service legislative and policy frameworks. We will develop better approaches to respond to abuse in care relationships. We will work with services to respond flexibly to the broader needs of those in the caring relationship, provide clear information on service user rights and responsibilities and facilitate mutual agreement between those in a caring relationship.

Often people accessing services would like to have their carer actively involved in decisions. Often decisions made will impact on carers or require their support and

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