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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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Carer break or carer-blind?
— policies for informal carers in the UK | | Author(s) | Linda Pickard |
| Journal title | Social Policy & Administration, vol 35, no 4, September 2001 |
| Pages | pp 441-458 |
| Keywords | Informal care ; Social policy. |
| Annotation | Three policy statements on informal carers published in the UK in 1999 are examined: the National Strategy for Carers; the report of the Royal Commission on Long Term Care; and the note of dissent by two members of the Royal Commission. These documents contain two rather different approaches to policy for carers. The National Strategy and note of dissent emphasize respite care or short-term breaks for carers, and are concerned with sustaining carers' well-being, as well as ensuring the continuation of caring itself. The Royal Commission emphasizes support for those being cared for, as a means of supporting carers; it advocates "carer blind" services. It is argued that this policy contains within it the potential to substitute for or replace the carer, and that this represents a radical new departure for social policy for carers in the UK. The advantages and disadvantages of the two policy approaches are explored. It is argued that policies for carers should include both services specifically for carers (e.g. breaks from caring), and services provided for the cared-for person (e.g. domestic and personal care services). Wider issues about the proper boundary between family and state care are explored. (KJ/RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-010911216 A |
| Classmark | P6: TM2 |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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