Agenda

Proposer: Ida Linfield

Seconder: Trudy Dean

Background information

According to Kent Carers Matter, 1 in 9 adults in Kent are carers for people of all ages at any one time. This equates to over 151,000 people. 3 in 5 people in Kent will become a carer at some point in their life. A quarter of carers have reported not having had a day off for 5 years. 

There are currently over 200 registered providers of respite care and short breaks across Kent. Many of these are community services available to everyone without assessment, and for those with more specialist needs, there are a range of targeted options.

Motion

This Council notes the many benefits to health and wellbeing that respite services and short breaks provide to carers. However, it is clear that even before the current pandemic many carers in the county were not accessing any support. These numbers are likely to have increased markedly, and stress levels amongst carers are known to be very high. 

The Council commits to actively promoting respite breaks for all carers across Kent by launching a new publicity campaign to raise awareness to those carers who have yet to take advantage of the short break and respite services to which they are entitled.