§ Lord Astor of Heverasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the practice guide will be ready in time for the implementation of the Carers (Equal Opportunities) Act 2004 in April 2005; and, if not, whether they will take steps to ensure that it is; and [HL4849]
What advice they will give to local authorities in the event that the practice guide for the Carers (Equal Opportunities) Act 2004 is not available before the implementation of that Act. [HL4850]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Warner)The Department of Health will issue policy guidance to accompany the Carers (Equal Opportunities) Act 2004 to local authorities by April 2005. The department plans to begin consultation on the content of this guidance in December 2004. The guidance will provide councils with a good indication of their responsibilities under the new Act. The final version of the policy guidance will be sufficient for councils to understand their obligations and the systems they need to have in place to implement the Act.
It is the department's role to set the strategic direction of policy and outline the requirements placed by new legislation on councils. It is councils' role to decide how to implement the policy in the light of local circumstances.
We understand that the Social Care Institute for Excellence will use the evidence from its current knowledge review, on the participation of carers in changing and improving social care, to produce a practice guide for local authorities. The practice guide will include advice on how to implement the Carers (Equal Opportunities) Act 2004 and will be developed in consultation with key stakeholders. It is likely to be published in summer 2005.