£48m of funding was announced in Wales on Tuesday to support the social care sector meet the ongoing challenges caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
£40m of the funding, which was announced by Deputy Minister for Social Services Julie Morgan, has been allocated to local authorities to support the social care sector. A further £8m will fund more specific priorities, such as extending the carers support fund and tackling loneliness in older people.
Groups supporting older people to engage with their communities will receive a share of £220,000, while £2.8 million will go towards the Family Invention Fund to support child and family wellbeing and safely divert cases from child protection registration.
Speaking about the funding, Julie Morgan said;
“We place huge value on social care in Wales and we ask a lot of the sector. It is facing significant pressures as a result of the pandemic and – just like our NHS staff – the workforce is exhausted from working so hard for so long.
“This new funding recognises the challenges the sector is facing and will help to address some of the financial pressures it faces. It also includes new funding to invest in priority areas to improve services, in line with our ambitions and commitments.
“We will continue supporting social care in Wales and, as we recover from the pandemic, will build a strong and resilient social care sector.”
