Mental Health Awareness Week: supporting the social care workforce

That this House notes the findings published by Hft as part of its annual Sector Pulse Check research that 62 per cent of social care providers have seen an increase in absence relating to mental health among their workforce over the past year; encourages the Government to recognise the efforts of social care staff through specific funding to provide mental health support for that group, not only in response to the pressures of working during the covid-19 outbreak, but as a long-term commitment to meet their needs; considers it vital that in order to achieve this, the social care sector urgently needs a fair and long-term funding settlement; urges the Government to set out clear actions that it will take in response to this; and commends the work of Hft and others in highlighting this issue.