AIBU to think carer's allowance is abysmal!!

[Fizzielove]

Simply that!!

All the work, save the government thousands and the carer's allowance is shit!!

In an ideal world you would have a proper carers assessment, the cared for person would have needs identified and the carer would be supported to look at whether you could be work or whether it was a choice to stay home and the carers money would be adequate to avoid that awful trap of staying at home to care and never having any money.

I gave up work when ds was little and have only in the last few years gone back part time because dm can help.

even if you have the assessment, getting the help is so hard. I got 25 hr week DP during college holidays.....couldn't get a carer.... so not much good

Someone at the kids' school added it up the other day. Buying in the help we used to get from statutory services is costing us over £2500 a year which is coming from our carers allowance and income support as the kids' DLA is already committed to meeting their needs in other ways.

I was wondering why the budget felt tighter this year...

I had a carer's assessment. They gave me some money so that I could go swimming once a week for about ten weeks. It costs more to get a carer in that it does to go swimming...

ive used mine up on a day centre. I dread when they leave college. no doubt 6 hr at a day centre will be it

It's shit isn't it.
Dh has been up all night throwing up with worry about today. I'm only allowing the cricket on the telly, I'll keep a look out on the computer for budget stuff. (Dh doesn't do computer stuff often).

Threads about CA always go the same way, with some know-all gobshite posting that you shouldn't be financially rewarded for caring for family.

Obviously they feel that duty will pay the bills, keep you fed and keep the heating on.

I dont get CA any more, but we did get a carer's assessment which was about as good as useless. They offered us 80 hours a year which is 6 hours a month. Then we couldn't find anybody who wanted to be a PA so it never got off the ground. We used an outsourced agency and out of three occasions we tried, someone turned up once but had to leave after 45 minutes. We gave up.

thats why I didn't want a carer, I couldn't be dong with it all. at least at a day centre I know the staff are trained and caring and there's a good mix of ages.

Dawndonna I will keep the news off. I know disabled people will be hit again, I am just going to be an ostrich

I think it's a travesty and would willing pay more tax to increase it.

I'm a carer but not in reciept of CA. I work 3 days a week I'm pretty certain those 3 days away keep me alive

The thing that really pisses me off, Sock, is that you are still a carer despite working three days (and I bet you're caring for a damn sight more than 35 hrs a week, even working).

IME, it's the total lack of recognition of the impact that caring has on the carer once they magically earn over the threshold. My DH is still caring for me, he can't receive carers allowance as he earns over £100 a week, but he is still caring and its extra exhausting precisely because he is working over £100 a week.

I really think if a requirement for carers allowance, is that you have to care for more than 35 hours a week, you should be compensated for this number of hours (in fact as a lot of us know it's more 24/7). If your time is taken up by caring, you cannot be employed elsewhere within these hours, and despite what some dicks are saying on here if you weren't undertaking this caring responsibility, social services or similar would simply have to put measures in place.

This is a subject close to my heart today as my DH hasn't been able to go to work as I just can't get up unaided. He won't be paid for today. If he is off again tomorrow, it's another days wages lost. I know he's worried about losing two days pays, he is also worried I will fall trying to get to the bathroom if he goes in. He is under incredible strain at the moment, he looks ill himself, and this is the reality for many other carers every single day.

Caring responsibilities mean carers cannot earn elsewhere but still need an income to live. Why can't the government realise this? Well they realise it don't they, but they don't give a fuck, basically.

Well that was incoherent...apologies!

Well you can pretty much deduct 36 hours from the entire week and the rest of the time I'm caring or having to fork out huge sums of money for someone else.

If I go out for a meal say 3 hours it costs me £300 just for carers

Alice Im in same position as you, no one helps me with caring for DC and Im disabled myself.

(I havent watched the news yet and Im dreading the outcome.

G.O. wants to be famous, not just the next PM and the only way hell do that is by endearing himself to the surrey stockbroker belt and the like. theyre the ones who vote tory. and all the other posh places in uk.

the poor and disabled are nothing to them.)

i bet NOTHING has been given more to carers and siabled, i bet they STILL wont take off the bedroom tax, for diasabled at least for the rooms adapted for disabilities/equipment, just taking more and more.

nothing to help lifelong carars and lifelong disabled who can never afford a mortgage for a house of their own or choice.

It's very depressing. I used to work and earn and pay taxes and swim and go running and even just be able to walk to the corner shop for milk without even a second thought. Now I'm just a burden and I know that I'm a burden. It feels terrible.

To share some better news, did you all hear about the Supreme Court ruling about it being unlawful to suspend DLA for children in hospital? I can't link as I'm on my tablet, sorry, but it was on my local news this morning. I have so much admiration and gratitude for the family who had the strength to challenge this.

So today has been utterly JOYFUL.

Not only are we over the new tax credits threshold (because we get carers allowance x 2) so stand to lose £24 a week, we've also been called in for a WORK FOCUSED INTERVIEW!

Yeah, like we can work. Righto.

Funny how 2 x carers allowance isn't considered enough to live on by law yet it's enough to drop tax credits on.

If it wasn't for the kids I'd top myself.

Oh Bishop

Can you take the DC with you to the interview? It tends to illustrate the issues nicely, I find. When DH went for one, I sat outside the building in my wheelchair as I couldn't get in (I know) and DH pointed out he couldn't stop for long as he couldn't really leave me...the guy had the grace to look embarrassed. It's utterly shit isn't it.

I don't know what I can say to give you any hope, it's facile to think you would be cheered up by words on a screen (as Scottishmummy would say) but for all the cocks, there are people out there who appreciate carers for what they do. I would stay away from fucking stupid Tory posters and threads if I were you though

We got yelled at last time and told not to ever do it again.

Well yeah, cos you know cutting any payment to the ill and disabled will make them think and take responsibility next time they decide to get a life changing condition.
bishop Depending on the condition if it's one where anyone with half a brain would know work just isn't an option then contact your mp, they're often quite good at pulling dwp on their most ridiculous bullshitting careers advice. Although of course depends on both the condition and your mp.
And certainly in the case of adults requiring complex expensive care, contacting adult social services and demanding they're taken into care because you can't cope usually gets the wheels turning to get a social worker on side to help you negotiate the joke that is dwp. Because the alternative is it costing them a fortune to take on the care burden of an adult with expensive care needs. I'm not sure how helpful that is for children though because there's a good chance having childrens services on your case would be yet another stress, so I'm not sure I'd recommend it unless you're close to breaking point. And apologies if I'm teaching my granny to suck eggs

Fucking hell. Well where do you start with that?! How rude, and who the fuck do they expect to look after them?

I've had so much morphine today my tongue is numb' but that made me so angry it made me dribble down my chin. I think it was because my mouth opened too wide

Seriously though, I wish I could think of something to say to make you feel better.

Just read that back and realises it could be read as implying i am doubting whether the condition is worthy of not working, and that's not what I meant. I mean if it's a condition that clearly indicates work isn't compatible, rather than say a condition that covers a whole range of needs from mild to complex

Lurked- we're carers. Our 3 kids are disabled. I've just about managed to find childcare for 2 but not the most severe. People won't do it.

So it's not our disability preventing work, it's caring for 3. They're kids as in primary age.

Sorry bishop I didnt explain it well. I didn't mean whether you yourself were fit for work, but whether the condition of the person you care for is compatible with work. Eg if it's a condition like downs that covers a wide range of care needs, then even the most helpful mp is unlikely to be able to tell dwp not to be so stupid and do one, because in some cases caring for someone with downs maybe compatible with work. Whereas if the condition is one that in any level of severity is incompatible with work, your mp may well be able to get them to back off permanently. Instead of you having to go to some pointless interview at intervals.
Also please don't feel you owe me or anyone else an explanation as to why you can't work, you don't need to validate yourself to anyone, least of all random people on a forum. I wasn't for a minute questioning whether you could be working, just trying to be realistic about which circumstances an mp is likely to be able to get them to back off in.

I took both my dcs (one disabled, one with SNs) in for two separate meetings at the Job Centre. Both times they moved the meeting to a wheelchair accessible area (instead of upstairs) as my ds1 was in his wheelchair. Both times they were very loud and getting more and more agitated, but Job Centre personnel were fine with them being there. In fact, they were actually quite understanding.

Now that I'm listed as a carer, they have told me I only have to go in every couple years to basically confirm my situation hasn't changed and to review the situation. Other than that, unless there are any changes, they'e said to carry on with what I'm doing... which is caring for the dcs.

Both appointments I did ring ahead of time to the JC and tell them that I had to bring both dcs with me as I had no childcare due to their disabilities/SNs and told them that ds1 would be coming along in his wheelchair. Both times, the person I spoke to on the phone was fine with it, stating that they understood and that they would make sure the meeting was accessible.

They also relaxed their "must only be in the lobby for 5 minutes" rule and let us go in a bit early and sit in their waiting area while the dcs played/read with the things I brought along to keep them occupied. While I don't like dealing with the JC, I can't fault them for how they treated us, as they were considerate.