THE Welsh Government is providing £48 million to support social care.

Most of the money (£40 million) will go to local authorities so they can allocate funds to help the care sector after it was hit by the pandemic.

£8 million will be distributed to more specific endeavours, such as in alleviating loneliness in older people, in the social care workforce’s wellbeing and in residential services for care-experienced children.

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Julie Morgan, deputy minister for social services, 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."

Minister for finance and local government Rebecca Evans said: "We are fully committed to supporting health and social services to recover from the pandemic and move beyond it.

"The funding we are announcing today is part of a broader package that will help services like these manage the ongoing effects of Covid and deliver high-quality care for people."

Where the money will be going:

  • £40 million to local authorities
  • £2.8 million to the Family Intervention Fund -this is to support child and family wellbeing and to safely divert cases from child protection registration
  • £2.8 million to for regional residential services for care-experienced children and young people with complex needs
  • £1 million to the Carers Support Fund
  • £600,000 for learning disability health checks
  • £220,000 to support for older people to re-engage with their communities
  • £190,000 to improve the wellbeing offer for the social care workforce
  • £150,000 to support the Hillside Secure Children’s Home
  • £140,000 for ADSS Cymru to support delivery of the recovery framework
  • £100,000 to promote a rights-based approach for older people

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