need to be available to people in the community, including people with disability. People living with a disability or mental health issue are a part of the community, so general/universal services should be available to all, including those living with a disability or mental health issue—this is not an (Australian Social Inclusion Board, 2008). ‘extra’ Women with disabilities who are parents or seeking to become parents experience discriminatory attitudes and widely held prejudicial assumptions which question their ability and indeed, their right to experience parenthood. They experience significant difficulty in accessing appropriate parenting information, services and support in a host of areas (Women With Disabilities, , 2009). Policy Direction 4 The role of families and carers is acknowledged and supported. The relationship between people with disability, families and carers is often one of mutual support. Better outcomes for people with disability will also mean better and more sustainable outcomes for carers and families. Universal access to goods, services, spaces and places helps to create a sustainable world for carers too, especially for long-term carers and those at crisis point. There are sound reasons for doing more—over the next fifty years there will be an increase in the number of people needing care and support, but a decrease in ratio of carers. perform the majority of care work in , with 71 per cent of primary carers being women, doing most of the caring for children with disability. Men mostly care for spouses. Supporting carers is an important step to supporting equality of economic outcomes between women and men generally. It is therefore in the best interests of all concerned carers, care – receivers, governments and society—to share the responsibility of providing care more evenly. If realised, this will allow carers and their families to participate more fully in society through engagement with (House of Representatives, education, employment and social activities 2009). Almost half (48 per cent) of primary carers of children with a disability reported needing more support (AIHW, 2006). In Aboriginal communities in particular, family members take on caring responsibilities because of kinship responsibilities (Australian Social Inclusion Board, 2008). The caretaker ratio at the start of the millennium stood around 2.5 people most likely to care (women aged 50-64) to people most likely to need care (people over 80). There will also be a steady fall in Australia’s ratio’, over the next 50 years the caretaker ratio ‘caretaker
need to be available to people in the community, including people with disability. People living with a disability or mental health issue are a part of the community, so general/universal services should be available to all, including those living with a disability or mental health issue—this is not an ‘extra’ (Australian Social Inclusion Board, 2008). Women with disabilities who are parents or seeking to become parents experience discriminatory attitudes and widely held prejudicial assumptions which question their ability and indeed, their right to experience parenthood. They experience significant difficulty in accessing appropriate parenting information, services and support in a host of areas (Women With Disabilities, , 2009). Policy Direction 4 The role of families and carers is acknowledged and supported. The relationship between people with disability, families and carers is often one of mutual support. Better outcomes for people with disability will also mean better and more sustainable outcomes for carers and families. Universal access to goods, services, spaces and places helps to create a sustainable world for carers too, especially for long-term carers and those at crisis point. There are sound reasons for doing more—over the next fifty years there will be an increase in the number of people needing care and support, but a decrease in ratio of carers. perform the majority of care work in , with 71 per cent of primary carers being women, doing most of the caring for children with disability. Men mostly care for spouses. Supporting carers is an important step to supporting equality of economic outcomes between women and men generally. It is therefore in the best interests of all concerned – carers, care receivers, governments and society—to share the responsibility of providing care more evenly. If realised, this will allow carers and their families to participate more fully in society through engagement with education, employment and social activities (House of Representatives, 2009). Almost half (48 per cent) of primary carers of children with a disability reported needing more support (AIHW, 2006). In Aboriginal communities in particular, family members take on caring responsibilities because of kinship responsibilities (Australian Social Inclusion Board, 2008). The caretaker ratio at the start of the millennium stood around 2.5 people most likely to care (women aged 50-64) to people most likely to need care (people over 80). There will also be a steady fall in Australia’s ‘caretaker ratio’, over the next 50 years the caretaker ratio