A new inquiry by a National Assembly committee will look at the support and information available to help carers in Wales.
The Social Services and Wellbeing (Wales) Act, which came into force in April 2016, strengthened social services support for carers, including providing rights to assessment and support for eligible needs.
The Act broadened the definition of carer in earlier legislation to "a person who provides or intends to provide care for an adult or disabled child" so that it is no longer limited to those who provide 'a substantial amount of care on a regular basis'.
Recent evidence submitted to the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee suggested there were around 370,000 carers across the country, but that only 6,200 had been assessed and of those, only 1,200 were offered support.
For the inquiry the Committee will be looking at:
The impact of the Social Services and Wellbeing (Wales) Act 2014 on carers of all ages in Wales, including:
Assessments of need;
Provision of support, including respite care;
Provision of information, advice and assistance;
Information collected by local authorities and local health boards on carers and their needs; and,
Considering broader Welsh Government policy on carers.
"Carers need caring for too. They need to have the right support and information in place so they concentrate on looking after their loved ones'" said Dai Lloyd AM, Chair of the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee.
"The Social Services and Wellbeing Act strengthens the social care support available for carers, broadens the definition of carer and places a duty on local authorities to undertake assessments of the care and needs of people, including carers.
"We want to know how effective this law is, whether the right support is there for carers, including respite when needed, and what information and assistance is available.
"Anyone who is a carer or knows a carer or who is being cared for should have an interest in this inquiry and I urge them to get involved and help to shape our findings."
Anyone wishing to contribute to the inquiry should first visit the Committee's web pages for more information.
The public consultation closes on 20 September 2018.
We want to hear from you
Be a part of the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee’s consultation on the support and information available to help carers in Wales.