To want more benefits?

[CheeseAndSprinkles]

I care for 2 of my children but I'm only able to claim one amount of carers allowance. I save the country a lot of money by caring for my children, I wouldn't have it any other way, but the extra money would be extremely helpful. It's a pittance anyway. So am I BU?

You're right Sock, that was sloppy of me. I had to commit to working at least 23 hours for professional continuity (nursing). I had considered getting a 10 hour contract to keep me under the limit (and be less exhausted) but my hospital does 12.5 hr shifts, so unsurprisingly, they weren't willing to have me work less than 1 shift per week.

I get what you mean lougle and if it makes a difference I understand what your tying to say and think you have been given a little bit of a tough time on this thread and I don't think it was warranted.

Tiss a shame everybody on these threads seam to just ignore the total cunt posters because most of us have become Immune to their vile rancid festering nonsense opinions so let them slide and I think it makes it easyier to misunderstand posters who are not saying outrageous vile things.

I thought lougle had been given a hard time too fwiw but I think (and lougle will know this herself) carers feel particularly 'got at' atm and when you are tired, exhausted even, it's quite easy to just see something and think the worst or get on the defensive.

I have to say though, I've not used mn that regularly for years and can still spot who people are and one in particular shouldn't be responded to, mainly because it's upsetting for the person involved and ignored

I know that. I'm a carer as well.

I just get the grief because apparently paying professional carers so I can work a couple of days a week and so I can sleep makes me a cow who abandons the poor little disabled kiddies (I've actually had that said to me)
Or one whose not a real carer because everybody knows having money means you can't possibly struggle at all in life (again that's an actual statement or heard)

I guess we all feel got at in our own little ways in our own little worlds but the source is still the same

being a carer is bloody hard work. whether you work or don't. the caring is still hard.

Lougle, I never said you got an easy ride.

Well done for managing to juggle it all. I absolutely can't (schools 20 miles apart, still very appt heavy for ds, just to name 2 reasons), and I am, quite frankly, trapped by my situation. Of course it isn't all bad - it isn't daily gloom and doom at all (although the last year really hasn't been easy at all with dd1), but really, no need for a unless it wasn't directed at me.

I have been assessed for a care package. Amongst other reasons, the fact that I am sahm was cited as a reason for me not needing extra help - no timings to juggle, you see. Utter crap. Oh, and the fact that I have managed so well for the last 11 years. If it wasn't so bloody awful, I'd have laughed at the fact that apparently, it is ok for me not to count at all in an assessment of my needs!

Still, we are gathering evidence and will get it reassessed. Sadly, it will not be until dd2 or ds are hurt that anything will happen (see above re: me not counting), and of course, I am going to put my life and soul into ensuring that doesn't happen.

Oh, and I agree with the posters bringing up the comparison with foster carers.

A good friend of mine is a foster mum for a child with severe needs. Whilst I am not claiming she has it easy either, she certainly gets a far better package than I do, both in terms of financial input and respite care. Not to mention support to access services. A world of difference.

Watch this and tell me that this is the same as "looking after your kids at home anyway"

Watch all the videos on this page - and all the photos/comments

Then come back

www.facebook.com/Notanurse_but-1519227948369657/videos

I do think carer's allowance should be per carer not per child because it's too difficult to discern how hard/how many hours people are doing - one extremely challenging or very severely disabled person could require more/harder care than 3 or even 3 less affected individuals.

BUT I think carer's allowance is an absolute joke. If it's intended to compensate for not being able to work then carer's should get the national average salary.

Yes, that would mean that some carer's would 'win' by being a carer rather than their previous minimum wage job but so what? Why shouldn't there be one thing that improves their quality of life rather than makes it harder. And plenty of people would still be taking a huge pay cut.

I wish we could claim for every person we care for whom we receive dla. I get it for 3 of my kids

So when you apply for CA you shoukd be caring for 35 + hours a week. If that was paid at a minimum wage rate it'd be triple the current rate.

I wish I could claim carers allowance for looking after my mum who is 92 and my mother in law who is 98. But I cant claim a penny. Ill just keep using my own petrol to visit them everyday and do their shopping, washing etc Social Services keep saying they can put a plan in place but in 2 years they have done sweet FA Its easier to just get on with it.

Why can you claim I love is it because you work as well?

cheese, given the age of her mum, I suspect ilove may be in receipt of the state pension (which then means you cannot get CA as well).

AutumnLeaves - I know I'm taking a wild guess here but, you're not a Carer are you?

A person who cannot work as they need to be at home 24/7 to care for a disabled relative isn't saving the government money on residential care costs?

£62.10 per week is adequate compensation for not being free to earn a FT wage is it? Really?

No-one is saying that Carers Allowance is supposed to cover the "costs" of the disabled person!

OP here, I'm on my laptop and forgot my login details, then deregistered, now back, anyway....what is CA for then? It obviously doesnt cover a wage, if we divide £62.10 by the current national minimum wage of £6.70, we get paid for 9.2 hours. Flip that and multiply £6.70 by the 35 hours they say the minimum we should care for the qualify for CA, and that equates to £234.50 per week. Double that for me, triple for others on here....

By the way, if two people in one family are caring for two people that require said care, they don't get two lots of Carer's allowance. They get just over one and a half times the amount. EG. Husband and wife, looking after two children with additional needs: approx £97.00

and for all the amazing carers on here. CA should definitely be higher and there should definitely be more understanding and better respite care for parents of disabled children. Have read the whole thread and all the arguments for / against extra CA if caring for more than one disabled person, and on balance think that yes there should be an increase (maybe not same again but maybe in the way CB pays x amount for first child and y amount for each subsequent child?) as most likely caring for more than one individual probably diminishes the chance of having even a part time job?

Yanbu

its not just about "children" your child will become and adult and nothing will change....except no school and all the links from that.
yt still 24/7 care

Ha ha cheese .... You should get some more rest!!!! Ba ha ha !!!!
2:30 am is my DC morning !!!!! Rest is for the wicked so I'm an angel !!!! Lol

Cheese what's really worrying is if we divide the money for the hours we really work, many of us do at least an 18 hour day.
So 126 hours a week and we're earning .49pence an hour.
Some people think that's reasonable.
Then of course, for the six hours we may or may not get each night (I don't, and I know I'm not the only one), we aren't getting a night shift allowance, or an on call allowance, a waking night allowance etc.
Dh isn't well at the moment, but dd had an exam today. I was up most of the night with dh. Showered, dressed, out the door by 7.30 to get dd to college. Tried to snatch an hour in the car whilst waiting for dd (not supposed to leave in case of problems, read on!) but got a call from dh's nurse saying she'd had a call he was on the floor. Drive the 45 minutes home, sort him out, leave ds here because he fortunately has a day off, and then dash back to pick up dd who has walked out of the exam because they've fucked it up. Rearrange exam to be taken properly another time. 45 minutes home. Will have to cook, clean and get washing on in a bit and dh's nurse due any minute...

Very true, Dawn.
Me and DH average 18-20 hour days.
One child is up late, another wakes early and the third has CFS which leads to unpredictable disrupted sleep patterns.