How it will meet the specific needs of ethnic minority carers.

The Scottish Government recognises the invaluable contribution which all unpaid carers make to Scottish society and the importance of supporting them in their caring role, including addressing the specific needs of ethnic minority carers.
That support can include carer training, which is valuable in helping carers to cope with their caring role and to protect their health. Last June, I announced funding to develop carer training pilots. This will support a project delivering carer training to black and minority ethnic carers. This project recognises that minority ethnic carers can have specific training needs which may require a more focused approach than can be currently delivered within mainstream provision. It aims to develop and test a range of training opportunities to address the specific needs of minority ethnic carers, so that they can be used in other areas.
In addition, there are specific requirements on NHS boards to address the needs of ethnic minority carers within their NHS Carer Information Strategies. I recently announced funding of £9 million over the next three years to implement these strategies, which are the primary mechanism for each NHS board to identify and support carers. Boards must involve ethnic minority carers in the development and review of their strategies; include strategic proposals to meet the identification and information needs of ethnic minority carers, and monitor their effectiveness.
I will be looking carefully at NHS boards' annual reports on implementation of their Carer Information Strategies to ensure that all requirements are met, including those relating to minority ethnic carers.