I WAS concerned to read the article in Monday's Bolton Evening News : Family'splea to Social Services: We need caring for too.

Social Services in Bolton are aware of, and concerned about, the Sutherland Cash family's circumstances. It would not be appropriate to respond in detail in your paper to the issues raised except to say that, at the time of your article, the Department was still in the process of looking, with the family, at the best way to support their needs. We have, in fact, arranged with the family to look with them at their arrangements for caring for their children while Mr Sutherland Cash's health is a problem. We will, therefore, be in a position in the very near future to reach conclusions with the family on the best way to help provide appropriate support overall and to support Mr Sutherland Cash, who is employed as a paid carer for his wife, while she works.

The Department takes the needs of families and carers seriously and has, in recent years, invested considerably in community-based services to help support people at home in a variety of ways. For people with physical disability, the provision of increased levels of home-care services is just one example of Bolton's commitment to develop local flexible services to meet need. Alongside this, we provide a range of Family Support Services to support families at home by responding flexibly to their needs.

While there is always pressure on local resources, it is misleading to describe the Department as "cash strapped". As part of the current Government's modernisation programme, we are now able, locally, to begin to invest further in services, including a new programme aimed specifically at carers.

In line with other authorities, Bolton has received additional funding this year to support carers. This has been focused initially on adults and, over the next two years, we should also be in a better position to increase support to young people.

The Authority is working hard with carers' organisations to put together a three-year plan to make a difference for carers locally, with a focus on improving respite care services.

It is acknowledged that the need for services generally is very significant and that, even with new services developing, there is always the need to rely on the very real contribution of family carers. But we are working to support them wherever we can.

I hope this letter goes some way to put the record straight on the issues raised in the article and to assure the family and other people who may need to use our services, and their carers, that we are working hard to find new ways of providing support, now made more possible by the Government's investment in new services.

Councillor C Morris

Chair, Social Services Committee

Bolton Metro

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