FAMILY CARERS - SOME IMPEDIMENTS TO EFFECTIVE POLICY AND SERVICE DEVELOPMENT

The shift to community care for people with disabilities in Australia has given rise to some recognition and acknowledgement, in both academ ic research and policy development, of the importance of their carers. However; information about government policy and services for carers is fragmented and limited. Our knowledge about the prevalence of careg iving and the socio-demographic characteristics of carers and their se rvice needs, is inadequate. Studies in relation to carer use of and sa tisfaction with services tend to be small scale and focussed on a spec ific service or carer group. Carer views on broader mainstream service provision have received little attention. This paper identifies gaps in our knowledge as well as the practical and conceptual difficulties iii documenting tire range of services available and the relevant soci al policy. These difficulties are likely to reflect barriers to broad and effective policy and service development.