People who care for an elderly or disabled relative or friend will get equivalent rights to the people they care for, in new plans to be announced by the Welsh Government.
The proposals will be set out in a new Bill early next year.
Under the proposals, carers will have a right to an assessment of their needs for support, with local authorities required to assess if the carer has particular needs as part of their caring role. The local authority will also be required to put in place a plan of support which they must regularly review.
A 12-week consultation on a refreshed Carers Strategy also started this week.
The strategy looks at how support for carers needs to adapt to meet the demands of an ageing population, which has increased the pressure on unpaid carers and the agencies that support them.
There are over 350,000 carers in Wales, 90,000 of whom look after family or friends for at least 50 hours a week. It is important to consider the needs of all carers and this is reflected in the strategy.
Gwenda Thomas, Deputy Minister for Children and Social Services, said: “As a society we owe a huge debt to the large number of people who provide unpaid care and support to relatives, friends or neighbours who are disabled, frail or otherwise vulnerable. It is vitally important that these many unpaid carers are themselves supported and are not disadvantaged as a result of their caring role. This is especially important for young carers.
“This strategy seeks to provide a framework for that support, which is delivered by many different agencies including social and health services, third sector organisations, education and training providers, and employers.
“Carers are central to our work transforming the social care agenda as part of the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Bill.”