Press Release

The Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) has today added its support to this year’s Carers Week, ‘My Life As a Carer’

13 June

Paul Snell, CSCI’s Chief Inspector, said:

"We welcome this very important initiative. The aims of 'My Life as a Carer' are to be commended, and we look forward to a successful week of events to raise the profile of carers, and the challenges they face in providing such essential support for those who receive care.  

"In our first annual State of Social Care report to Parliament in 2005, we stated that better support for unpaid carers should be one of the biggest priorities for policy-makers at national and local level. A year on, in our second report at the end of 2006, we said this was still one of the major public policy challenges. We found that services for carers remain patchy and limited, and that in many areas they do not have the same opportunities as other people. Ever-tightening eligibility critieria for access to social care services from councils increases the burden on carers.

"Carers tell us that they receive support only when they reach crisis point, and that what they need most is flexible respite care and sustained support. Initiatives such as Carers Week help to give these issues a high profile."