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£1.54m for 'short break' carers in Wales |
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Children's Minister Jane Hutt has announced £1.54m to help volunteers to care for children with a disability.
The money will go towards recruiting 'short break' carers - people able to give some time on a regular basis to look after a disabled child.
The idea is to ease strain on parents and families and enable the child to develop new skills and confidence.
More than 40 disabled children, their families and carers gathered in the Senedd to listen to the announcement.
"This new £1.54m funding will help provide more short breaks, enabling disabled children and their families to live more normal and more rewarding lives," Ms Hutt said.
Pippa Boss, Development Officer for Shared Care Network Cymru, which promotes the short break scheme said the funding will enable local authorities to offer the short break scheme to 70 more families in Wales.
"Short breaks are one of the most frequently requested services by the families of disabled children, and many families are still waiting," she said.
Shared care Network's latest national survey, published in March 2007 revealed that throughout the UK, 3,500 disabled children are still waiting for a short break carer.
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