Mark Griffin MSP

That the Parliament welcomes Carers Week 2020, which is an annual campaign that, this year, takes place from 8 to 14 June on the theme of “Making Caring Visible” and coming together to recognise the contribution of hundreds of thousands of unpaid carers and young carers in Scotland; acknowledges that it is organised by five charities in Scotland, Carers Scotland, Carers Trust Scotland, MND Scotland, Oxfam Scotland and Age Scotland; understands that there will be hundreds of events held virtually across Scotland, which will reach out to thousands of carers and young carers; recognises the significant and vital contribution of unpaid carers during the COVID-19 pandemic, and considers that the impact of caring on the health and wellbeing of carers, including social isolation, should not be underestimated; understands that the support that carers provide is worth more than £10.8 billion to the economy each year; considers that every effort should be made to ensure that carers receive the support that they need, including support to reduce the impact of the pandemic on their lives and recognise their particular needs as lockdown eases, and wishes Carers Week every success.

That the Parliament welcomes Carers Week 2020, which is an annual campaign that, this year, takes place from 8 to 14 June on the theme of “Making Caring Visible” and coming together to recognise the contribution of hundreds of thousands of unpaid carers and young carers in Scotland; acknowledges that it is organised by five charities in Scotland, Carers Scotland, Carers Trust Scotland, MND Scotland, Oxfam Scotland and Age Scotland; understands that there will be hundreds of events held virtually across Scotland, which will reach out to thousands of carers and young carers; recognises the significant and vital contribution of unpaid carers during the COVID-19 pandemic, and considers that the impact of caring on the health and wellbeing of carers, including social isolation, should not be underestimated; understands that the support that carers provide is worth more than £10.8 billion to the economy each year; considers that every effort should be made to ensure that carers receive the support that they need, including support to reduce the impact of the pandemic on their lives and recognise their particular needs as lockdown eases, and wishes Carers Week every success.

That the Parliament acknowledges Triangle of Care: Making a Difference, an event hosted by Carers Trust Scotland on Carers Rights Day on 21 November 2019 at the Scottish Insight Institute at the University of Strathclyde; welcomes the launch of Triangle of Care Third Edition, a guide by Carers Trust Scotland to highlight the need for better involvement of carers and families in the care planning and treatment of people with mental ill-health; recognises the launch of Triangle of Care for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, a toolkit developed by Carers Trust Scotland to enhance partnership working with unpaid carers in child and adolescent mental health settings; values the important unpaid caring responsibilities that mental health carers have for a family member or friend who has mental ill-health; understands that 1.5 million people care for someone with mental ill-health in the UK; appreciates that it can be difficult and complex to provide unpaid care for someone experiencing mental health problems; further appreciates that mental health carers are not always recognised as providing a caring role by health and social care professionals; acknowledges that carers normally have good knowledge and understanding of how their cared-for person is affected by their mental health problem and understands that it is vital to involve carers in the planning and treatment of their cared-for person; understands that Triangle of Care also provides frontline staff with the tools to better support carers as part of the care team and to work in partnership with organisations supporting carers, and believes that all NHS boards should embed Triangle of Care to ensure that unpaid carers and service users are better supported.

That the Parliament acknowledges Triangle of Care: Making a Difference, an event hosted by Carers Trust Scotland on Carers Rights Day on 21 November 2019 at the Scottish Insight Institute at the University of Strathclyde; welcomes the launch of Triangle of Care Third Edition, a guide by Carers Trust Scotland to highlight the need for better involvement of carers and families in the care planning and treatment of people with mental ill-health; recognises the launch of Triangle of Care for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, a toolkit developed by Carers Trust Scotland to enhance partnership working with unpaid carers in child and adolescent mental health settings; values the important unpaid caring responsibilities that mental health carers have for a family member or friend who has mental ill-health; understands that 1.5 million people care for someone with mental ill-health in the UK; appreciates that it can be difficult and complex to provide unpaid care for someone experiencing mental health problems; further appreciates that mental health carers are not always recognised as providing a caring role by health and social care professionals; acknowledges that carers normally have good knowledge and understanding of how their cared-for person is affected by their mental health problem and understands that it is vital to involve carers in the planning and treatment of their cared-for person; understands that Triangle of Care also provides frontline staff with the tools to better support carers as part of the care team and to work in partnership with organisations supporting carers, and believes that all NHS boards should embed Triangle of Care to ensure that unpaid carers and service users are better supported.

As an amendment to motion S5M-16593 in the name of Christina McKelvie (Progressing Towards a Fairer Scotland for Disabled People), after "disabled people's organisations" insert "; notes that people with physical health problems, long-term conditions or a disability are twice as likely to report severe loneliness than the general population; agrees that this can only be reduced with adequate funding for good social security support, education strategies, employment opportunities and more accessible public spaces and housing".  

As an amendment to motion S5M-16593 in the name of Christina McKelvie (Progressing Towards a Fairer Scotland for Disabled People), after "disabled people's organisations" insert "; notes that people with physical health problems, long-term conditions or a disability are twice as likely to report severe loneliness than the general population; agrees that this can only be reduced with adequate funding for good social security support, education strategies, employment opportunities and more accessible public spaces and housing".  

That the Parliament acknowledges Young Carers Awareness Day on 31 January 2019; notes the extensive survey work by young carer services and Carers Trust Scotland, which shows that at least one in ten in every class has a caring role; recognises the immense contribution that young carers make to a family member or friend with an illness, disability, mental illness and/or addiction problems; supports #CareForMeToo, a campaign run by Carers Trust Scotland to raise awareness and improve the support for young carers’ mental health and wellbeing; welcomes the new YouGov research, commissioned by Carers Trust, which reveals that over a third of young carers in the UK aged 11 to 18 are experiencing widespread problems with their mental wellbeing, that 37% said they felt “stressed”, that almost a quarter of young carers felt their caring role had, on at least one occasion, stopped them making friends, and that less than half of young carers felt that that they got enough help with their emotions and feelings; considers that young carers can greatly benefit if education, health and social care professionals received mandatory training pre-registration so that they are more aware of young carers’ needs and better able to identify them, and believes that appropriate services and support should be provided to ensure that young carers’ mental wellbeing is maintained so that they can achieve their true potential in all aspects of their lives.

That the Parliament acknowledges Young Carers Awareness Day on 31 January 2019; notes the extensive survey work by young carer services and Carers Trust Scotland, which shows that at least one in ten in every class has a caring role; recognises the immense contribution that young carers make to a family member or friend with an illness, disability, mental illness and/or addiction problems; supports #CareForMeToo, a campaign run by Carers Trust Scotland to raise awareness and improve the support for young carers’ mental health and wellbeing; welcomes the new YouGov research, commissioned by Carers Trust, which reveals that over a third of young carers in the UK aged 11 to 18 are experiencing widespread problems with their mental wellbeing, that 37% said they felt “stressed”, that almost a quarter of young carers felt their caring role had, on at least one occasion, stopped them making friends, and that less than half of young carers felt that that they got enough help with their emotions and feelings; considers that young carers can greatly benefit if education, health and social care professionals received mandatory training pre-registration so that they are more aware of young carers’ needs and better able to identify them, and believes that appropriate services and support should be provided to ensure that young carers’ mental wellbeing is maintained so that they can achieve their true potential in all aspects of their lives.

That the Parliament welcomes the new report by Marie Curie and Macmillan Cancer Support, Getting it right for carers supporting someone at the end of life; notes that the report found that too many people caring for someone at the end of life are going unidentified and unsupported, carers supporting someone at the end of life without support are at risk of falling into crisis and a breakdown of care, the decline towards end of life and death can often be rapid, sometimes quicker than expected, and that the support needs of carers can be very high at this time; further notes that the report sets out that carers need to be identified early, need good care co-ordination and information to support them in their caring role, need respite and/or replacement care to give them a break, and that more needs to be done to identify those in caring roles, especially those caring for someone at the end of life and particularly by those in primary care roles, such as GPs and district nurses, and recognises the report’s recommendation that all those caring for someone at end of life, including those in Central Scotland, should have their needs assessed quickly and a plan put in place to support them.

That the Parliament welcomes the new report by Marie Curie and Macmillan Cancer Support, Getting it right for carers supporting someone at the end of life; notes that the report found that too many people caring for someone at the end of life are going unidentified and unsupported, carers supporting someone at the end of life without support are at risk of falling into crisis and a breakdown of care, the decline towards end of life and death can often be rapid, sometimes quicker than expected, and that the support needs of carers can be very high at this time; further notes that the report sets out that carers need to be identified early, need good care co-ordination and information to support them in their caring role, need respite and/or replacement care to give them a break, and that more needs to be done to identify those in caring roles, especially those caring for someone at the end of life and particularly by those in primary care roles, such as GPs and district nurses, and recognises the report’s recommendation that all those caring for someone at end of life, including those in Central Scotland, should have their needs assessed quickly and a plan put in place to support them.

To ask the Scottish Government how many Momentum Scotland staff are being consulted for redundancy in each Fair Start Scotland lot.

To ask the Scottish Government how many Momentum Scotland staff are being consulted for redundancy in each Fair Start Scotland lot.

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the use by HM Courts and Tribunal Service of (a) paper-based and (b) telephone hearings for personal independence payment appeals during the COVID-19 crisis, and whether it has raised with that department any concerns that it has regarding this process.

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the use by HM Courts and Tribunal Service of (a) paper-based and (b) telephone hearings for personal independence payment appeals during the COVID-19 crisis, and whether it has raised with that department any concerns that it has regarding this process.

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on introducing a catch-up pupil equity fund for vulnerable and disadvantaged children and young people after the COVID-19 pandemic.

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on introducing a catch-up pupil equity fund for vulnerable and disadvantaged children and young people after the COVID-19 pandemic.

To ask the Scottish Government on what date it was advised by Momentum Scotland that the service was considering potential redundancies, and what action it has taken to prevent any job losses.

To ask the Scottish Government on what date it was advised by Momentum Scotland that the service was considering potential redundancies, and what action it has taken to prevent any job losses.

To ask the Scottish Government what the estimated cost is of meeting its duties to communicate in an inclusive way as set out in section (a) 6 of the Coronavirus (Scotland) (No.2) Act 2020, (b) 6 (7)(b) of the Consumer Scotland Act 2020 and (c) 4(2) of the Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018, and what budget it has allocated to ensure compliance with each of these duties.

To ask the Scottish Government what the estimated cost is of meeting its duties to communicate in an inclusive way as set out in section (a) 6 of the Coronavirus (Scotland) (No.2) Act 2020, (b) 6 (7)(b) of the Consumer Scotland Act 2020 and (c) 4(2) of the Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018, and what budget it has allocated to ensure compliance with each of these duties.