Press release
Minister Humphreys announces almost €700,000 to support Family Carers
From Department of Social Protection
Published on
Last updated on
Minister for Social Protection, Heather Humphreys, has today announced funding of almost €700,000 to support Family Carers across the country.
The initiative, under the Dormant Accounts Fund, will place a special focus on empowering Carers to avail of training and education opportunities.
There has been a positive response from Carers organisations to the initiative, following its announcement by Minister Humphreys in September.
Former carers will also be supported under the initiative, which is being rolled out by the Department of Social Protection in conjunction with Pobal.
Today, the Minister is outlining the organisations across the country who will receive financial support to empower thousands of Family Carers across the country.
Announcing the successful projects today, Minister Humphreys said:
“As Minister for Social Protection, supporting our family carers has always been a key priority of mine.
“And so today, I am announcing over €700,000 to fund projects the length and breadth of the country that are designed to support family carers and the people they care for.
“I hope that these projects will provide the opportunity to family carers to engage in educational opportunities and training opportunities – further recognising and building on the unique skills they have.”
Some of the activities that will be funded under the initiative include:
- working with employers to introduce the Caring Employers programme including to create carer friendly work practices and policies
- a Career skills development programme delivering training in confidence building, career exploration, transferrable skills, online job search and education courses, CV preparation, Interview skills
- the promotion of well-being promotion and self-care strategies which have the potential to bring about positive change in carer’s lives
Minister Humphreys continued:
“I am delighted that my department is working with our carers’ organisations to ensure this funding has a really positive impact.
“We need to make every effort to support family carers where they wish to manage both work and caring responsibilities.
“Our carers play such a vital role in society. They perform a job that so many of us simply could not do. And so, it’s vital that we support them in every way we can – that’s what this initiative is all about.”
The successful initiatives are due to commence in January 2023 and will run until June 2024. Pobal is managing the measure on behalf of the Department of Social Protection.
Pobal is a not-for-profit intermediary organisation that manages various funding programmes on behalf of the Irish Government and the EU.
The Dormant Accounts Acts 2001-2012, together with the Unclaimed Life Assurance Policies Act 2003, provide a framework for the administration of unclaimed accounts in credit institutions (that is, banks, building societies and An Post) and unclaimed life assurance policies in insurance undertakings.
The main purpose of the legislation is to reunite account or policy holders with their funds in credit institutions or insurance undertakings and in this regard, these bodies are required to take steps to identify and contact the owners of dormant accounts and unclaimed life assurance policies.
In order to utilise the unused funds in dormant accounts and unclaimed policies to best use, the legislation also introduced a scheme for the disbursement of funds that are unlikely to be reclaimed from dormant accounts and unclaimed policies for the purposes of measures to assist:
- the personal and social development of people who are economically or socially disadvantaged
- the educational development of people who are educationally disadvantaged; or
- people with a disability
Care Alliance Ireland is a network of 95 not-for-profit organisations supporting family carers. It is currently delivering a range of online supports to family carers including an online family carer support group involving nearly 4,000 family carers and an IT focussed project, Return Ready. For further details contact Liam O’Sullivan, Executive Director on 087 207 3265 info@carealliance.ie www.carealliance.ie