Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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587. To ask the Minister for Health to provide on update on the Programme for Government commitment to develop and deliver a ‘carers guarantee’ proposal that will provide a core basket of services to carers across the country, regardless of where they live, across each of the CHO areas, since the establishment of the Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2478/24]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The 2020 Programme for Government commits to delivering a ‘Carers Guarantee’ to provide a core basket of services to carers across the country, regardless of where they live. Annually recurring funding of €2 million was provided in Budget 2021 towards delivering the Carers’ Guarantee, providing a more standard package of supports to family carers in every region, in tandem with the community and voluntary sector. €1.9 million of this funding is being channelled through a Service Level Agreement with Family Carers Ireland (FCI), while the remaining €100,000 is supporting the operation of a professionally moderated online Family Carer Support Group through Care Alliance Ireland.

The €1.9m recurring allocation to FCI aims to improve access to carer supports across the country. The funding has enabled FCI to significantly upscale their support provision using a public health approach of universal, targeted and intensive interventions. Under its service level agreement with the HSE, FCI is providing both community and individual supports, with an allocation of €950,000 for each, across five areas of activity: community carer supports, intensive and emergency supports, education and training, FCI’s freephone careline, and psychosocial support. In 2023, FCI engaged directly with an additional approximately 5,000 family carers and engaged with thousands more through their universal self-directed supports and carer identification campaign.

Care Alliance Ireland receive €100,000 in funding as part of the Carers’ Guarantee funding to provide a professionally moderated online support group for Family Carers. This platform is monitored by staff and volunteers and has increased its numbers from 1,850 Carers in 2021 to over 6,420 carers in September 2023, with a 97% retention rate. The service promotes supports to assist family carers in carrying out their caring roles, thus allowing people in receipt of care to be maintained in their own homes and communities.