Chamber and committees

The Scottish Executive issued guidance (CCD 2/2003) in March 2003 to local authorities,NHSScotland and the voluntary sector advising on new legislative measures tosupport unpaid carers contained in the Community Care and Health (Scotland)Act 2002. A fundamental principle underpinning the act and promoted in theguidance is that carers, as key partners in the provision of care, needresources to help them in their caring role. Resources can include practicalsupport or training. It is up to authorities and health boards, working inpartnership with local carers and service users, to agree the provision ofsupport for carers, both at a strategic and an individual level.

The Scottish Executive is committed to reforming family law for all of Scotland’speople. Building on our 2000 White Paper, Parents and Children. We arein the process of finalising a consultation paper, which will be published inthe near future.

The Executive shares theinterest of the UK Government in promoting agreements by separating parents inrelation to contact and residence matters affecting children, without the needfor court intervention.

To this end, we providegrant aid to Family Mediation Scotland and ten local mediation services toassist separating parents reach anegotiated settlement for their children. Whilstwe have no immediate plans to pilotearly intervention schemes on the lines proposed by the UK Government, we willconsider their outcomes with interest.

The Children (Scotland)Act 1995 requires parents to consider the best interests of children in allmatters affecting them, including contact and residence arrangements uponseparation. Children have an opportunity to contribute their views which aretaken into account in court proceedings.

There are no such plans.

I was delighted toparticipate in the formal launch of the Year in Scotland on 10 February andwe will take every opportunity to promote the aims and objectives of the Yearand the projects that will be supported through European Commission funding.

The Short Life Working Groupon Dementia expect to report in mid 2004. To date they have met on 12 November 2003and 16 January this year. Their next meeting will be on 2 April and there maybe further meetings thereafter.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-6777 on 18 March 2004.All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-6777 on 18 March 2004. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility forwhich can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.

No specified guidelines arein place. However I expect all staff and all agencies to consider the wholeperson needs in designing care and support that, wherever possible, respectsand responds to cultural and religious beliefs.

Under the Executive's CarersStrategy, which was launched in November 1999, resources to local authoritiesto support carers have risen from £5 million a year in 1999-2000 to £21 milliona year in 2003-04. The Carers Strategy specifically states that localauthorities should consult local carers and key stakeholders on spendingdecisions for these resources. The strategy also goes on to state that inproviding services authorities must take into account the needs and prioritiesof carers from black and minority ethnic groups, in accordance with theirstatutory obligations under the Race Relations Act 1976.

The Executive has alsofunded the Minority Ethnic Carers of Older People Project, based in Edinburgh,to develop a culturally sensitive assessment instrument for users and carers.This instrument is now available and the Executive is currently funding the instrument’spromotion at a national level. Training of key staff in statutory agencies isalready underway.