Finchley and Golders Green MP RUDI VIS supports a new Government strategy and celebrates Carers Week as an opportunity to thank those people who support relatives and friends.

Carers are Britain's unsung heroes. Dedicated carers around the country and here in Barnet play a vital role in supporting elderly and disabled relatives and friends - but they also need support themselves.

Carers Week, held in June every year, is an opportunity to thank them for the hard work they do and highlight their cause.

But this year Carers Week isn't just about saying thanks. The Government has launched the new Carers Strategy. We want to put carers at the centre of family policy and give them the recognition and status they deserve.

This Government has fought for carers. We introduced the Carers Allowance, every local authority now has an annual Carers Grant, and we gave these unsung heroes the right to request flexible working, making it easier for them to combine paid work with their caring responsibilities. But we need to do more.

With an ageing population, the demand for care will go up. So there will be more people having to balance work, childcare and caring for a parent, more older people caring for their partners while also looking after their grandchildren, more parents caring for disabled children and more children caring for their disabled parents.

I support the Carers Strategy as it sets out action for the carers of today and tomorrow.

There will be more information and services for carers will be expanded. Skills and training opportunities for carers will be increased, and professionals who work with carers will get training too.

The NHS will trial annual health checks for carers and look at ways for GPs to support carers better. And there will be more support for the growing number of young carers, both inside and outside school.

Perhaps the most important new announcement is about breaks. No matter how much you love someone, caring around the clock can be exhausting. It can put real pressure on carers and families and can even affect your health.

A break, where someone else takes over caring for a while and gives carers time off, can make a huge difference. Carers deserve a life of their own, with opportunities to take part in activities separate from their caring role.

Last year, the Government announced a massive expansion of short break services for families with disabled children.

Now short breaks for carers of adults are being expanded too, significantly increasing the funding available from the Government.

These will be tailored to individual carers' needs to help them get time away from caring in the way that will make the most difference to their lives.

It's important that we thank carers for their love and commitment and it is quite apt that one of the Mayor of Barnet's charities this year is Barnet Carers.

It is a shame, though, that they are struggling owing to lack of funding from the borough. The new measures brought in by the Government will help to make a real difference to carers' lives and I will support them. Let's hope that Barnet Council does the same.