To think the disgrace that is Carers' Allowance should be a national scandal

[FoxyTheFox]

Carers' Allowance is paid to someone over the age of 16 who provides a minimum of 35hrs p/wk of care to a disabled person who is in receipt of a qualifying benefit.

The current weekly rate of Carers' Allowance is £67.25 p/wk, taken over 35hr this is the equivalent of £1.92 an hour. Over 24hrs, seven a days a week - the reality for many carers - it is only 39p an hour.

You can only claim Carers' Allowance once, meaning if you care for multiple people - e.g., if you have two disabled children - you still only get £67.25 a week.

There is an earnings cap of £128, so working just 15hrs a week at minimum wage is enough to stop your Carers' Allowance.

Carers' Allowance is a taxable benefit so can reduce the amount of other benefits you claim, it can also reduce the amount of benefits claimed by the person you care for. Unlike other state benefits, Carers' Allowance does not entitle you to free prescriptions or help with other healthcare costs such as dentistry or eye tests. Caring has a detrimental effect on physical and mental health but there are no specific support services for carers other than those set up by external agencies (e.g., Carers UK).

When you reach state pension age you are no longer allowed to claim Carers' Allowance even if you are still providing care.

These carers save the government an estimated £132bn each year in health and social care costs - enough to fund a second NHS. If these carers were to suddenly decide to step back and no longer provide the care needed, the social care system would collapse.

Universal Credit was temporarily increased by £20 a week to support people during the increased financial difficulties associated with the pandemic. No such increase was extended to carers in the majority of the UK, however Scotland offered a one off additional payment to carers to recognise the additional work and additional costs borne by them during the pandemic.

I've written to my MP, who does not give a shit and sent me a generic reply about how caring is hard and the government is grateful to those who care but did not actually address any of my questions or my request that he raise the issue in Parliament.

novaramedia.com/2020/11/16/the-government-has-abandoned-carers-during-covid-19-now-its-being-taken-to-court/?fbclid=IwAR2Fs10I04h0fUNMRtDTYf0hs_ieA63dVeb5Hux8Os4IQttTBD95eGemCRA

www.carersuk.org/news-and-campaigns/news/research-the-forgotten-families-in-lockdown-unpaid-carers-close-to-burnout-during-covid-19-crisis

[quote Thelnebriati]You can work and get Carer’s Allowance, as long as you spend at least 35 hours in your caring role.
www.gov.uk/carers-allowance/if-youre-working-[/quote]
You missed (or had no intention of adding)

your earnings are £128 or less a week after tax, National Insurance and expenses

No one will get anywhere until we tackle the belief that disability is a lifestyle choice that our tax, benefits and media systems all think it is.

Yes. This thread (and the one you mentioned in FWR) are upsetting reads.

£128 a week is roughly 15hrs at minimum wage. There aren't many jobs out there restricted to 15hrs that also offer the flexibility needed to meet caring responsibilities.

You can work and get Carer’s Allowance, as long as you spend at least 35 hours in your caring role.

the income limit is less than £130/week. Max you can do are about 16h on NMW. not really an income!

I'm a carer. While I am grateful to get anything, it it's such a pitiful amount. It really needs to be non taxable for those one benefits and the earning limit needs dropped or substantially increased.

"Often when a child gets to 18 there’s no provision for them at all . It’s such a shame that a lot of the day schemes have been cut back as they’re vital for the health of the person and their carers."

Also a lot of day provision has to be paid for and is taken from the disabled persons benefits.

I gave up my career to care for my adopted child with disabilities and will no have no pension except for the state pension.
A decent carers allowance would have allowed me to save something for my old age

Carers allowance is usually (as I understand it) caring for a relative. I think the state expect people to offer some level of care to loved ones. Like many other cultures do.

If it was paid at a minimum wage level, people would take the piss and just agree with a relative to claim this benefit on behalf of caring for them. And not actually care 35 hours for them.

If it was paid at a minimum wage level...

Previous Conservative governments have said outright that CA is not payment for providing care. It is to 'compensate' carers, who 'may' find it difficult to earn a sufficient income. On that basis, there isn't a hope in hell that it would ever be raised to an amount worth having.

@Girlyracer

Carers allowance is usually (as I understand it) caring for a relative. I think the state expect people to offer some level of care to loved ones. Like many other cultures do.

If it was paid at a minimum wage level, people would take the piss and just agree with a relative to claim this benefit on behalf of caring for them. And not actually care 35 hours for them.

I've never subscribed to the idea that you don't give to Peter because of something Paul might do. It's always struck me as a little low quality thinking.

By that logic, none of us should be allowed to drive, because someone will end up speeding.

(I use the word "logic" quite incorrectly, by the way).

@Girlyracer

Carers allowance is usually (as I understand it) caring for a relative. I think the state expect people to offer some level of care to loved ones. Like many other cultures do.

If it was paid at a minimum wage level, people would take the piss and just agree with a relative to claim this benefit on behalf of caring for them. And not actually care 35 hours for them.

For someone to qualify for carers allowance then they have to be registered as a carer for someone in receipt of a high enough level of PIP/DLA for care needs. To get this is often a battle in itself with a system keen to downplay people’s daily struggles.

Therefore if someone is able to claim carers it has already been shown that the person they are caring for needs significant levels of
Care

Carers allowance is usually (as I understand it) caring for a relative. I think the state expect people to offer some level of care to loved ones. Like many other cultures do.

There is "some level of care" such as popping in to check on elderly relatives or helping a family member manage their finances, then there is providing 35+ hours each week of ongoing care where you are wholly (or almost wholly) responsible for that other person.

If it was paid at a minimum wage level, people would take the piss and just agree with a relative to claim this benefit on behalf of caring for them. And not actually care 35 hours for them.

Regardless of what rate Carers Allowance is paid at, in order to claim it you must be caring for someone in receipt of a qualifying benefit. The person claiming that benefit has already proven that they need 35+ hrs of care via their own disability benefit application so it would quickly become evident if they were not receiving that care. As discussed up thread, only around 3% of Carers Allowance claims are found to be fraudulent which means an overwhelming majority of 97% are not. Why should the unfounded fear of "people taking the piss" mean that all carers should be paid punitively small amounts?

Given your horrifically ableist comments on the masks thread earlier this week, do you think this is the discussion for you?

There's some level of care and then heres being awake trying to stop your 6 year old killing themselves for 18 hours in one day. The other 6 hours are 2 asleep and 4 at school. On a good night we get 5 hours sleep and 4 hours at school.

We don't qualify for respite as school hours are expected to be adequate hours. During the holidays I do the entire thing alone practically housebound with 2 additional needs children and a 20 minute phonecard check in as my only adult contact and support. Its bonkers that if I were to refuse both kids would need full time carers.

Given your horrifically ableist comments on the masks thread earlier this week, do you think this is the discussion for you?

The majority of society - certain more than 52% - is able. So really those in the minority really need to get over it.

Not the sort of society I would have chosen to live in, admittedly. But then in the same way we don't get a choice over being disabled, we don't get a choice over how the disabled and their carers are treated either.

@Girlyracer

Carers allowance is usually (as I understand it) caring for a relative. I think the state expect people to offer some level of care to loved ones. Like many other cultures do.

If it was paid at a minimum wage level, people would take the piss and just agree with a relative to claim this benefit on behalf of caring for them. And not actually care 35 hours for them.

So because very small number of people take the piss anyone who cares for a disabled relative should be viewed as a piss-taker and isn't even worthy of minimum wage?

Should we just tax everyone as if they were a high earner because some people undeclare their income?

Should we just tax everyone as if they were a high earner because some people undeclare their income?

The last few years of political discourse have shown that it's very unwise to respond to an idiotic suggestion with an even more idiotic one. You might just get elected.

@SerendipityJane

Should we just tax everyone as if they were a high earner because some people undeclare their income?

The last few years of political discourse have shown that it's very unwise to respond to an idiotic suggestion with an even more idiotic one. You might just get elected.

That would be my kind of luck. Certainly where I live I'd be more likely to get elected for my sarcastic suggestions than my actual ones.

As a carer I know of many who have started petitions and got enough signatures to have it raised in parliament. Nothing ever happens. Most of us have given up hope.

@cookiemonster5

As a carer I know of many who have started petitions and got enough signatures to have it raised in parliament. Nothing ever happens. Most of us have given up hope.

If they've got enough time to waste with petitions, they clearly aren't caring hard enough.

Hope ? It's the hope that kills you.

The majority of society - certain more than 52% - is able. So really those in the minority really need to get over it.

What the actual fuck did I just read?!
You should be ashamed of yourself.

I have saved parts of this thread, as Ds’ DLA is due for reapplication in just over a year’s time. He will be 10yo. He has ASD and learning difficulties.

I have lost my perception of what a neurological child is like at that age, despite having an older child of my own! Our normality is so skewed. I am not aware of so much of what we do day in day out, that wouldn’t be needed for another child of the same age. Monitoring and supervising all social interactions, prepping dinner to free myself up for when he comes home from school (doing reduced hours and will not allow himself to be taken or picked up by anyone but me and our paid nanny), staying with him in the bath so that he doesn’t put things in his mouth - all of these things have been mentioned in this thread and have just become completely normalised for us.

I would add - sourcing the foods that he is willing to eat, so going round the supermarkets to get the specific brands; he won’t go to sleep until either DH or I am home so we can’t go out of an evening; cutting labels out of clothes and searing down seams; bedtime routine is set in stone due to so many years of godawful sleep so it takes a while; heavily supervising and helping dressing, cleaning teeth, washing and brushing hair; encouraging eating and keeping him on track at mealtimes; helping him find everything he can’t lay his hands on that he’s decided he needs right then and there; prepping a lunch box every time we leave the house and may be out for lunch as there is nothing he will eat when we are out at a mealtime except for very thin crust margarita pizza.

I could go on.

I have been in receipt of CA for two years now. I clung onto my job for 10 years until I got bullied out. It was a relief - the discrimination was killing me just as much as the workload. I kept expecting to see myself coming round the next bloody corner!

Now I am self employed. I can earn the maximum amount of two fifths of sod all and keep my carers allowance. I am starting to do some advocacy work for Carers UK as I am strong enough now to want to speak out and be heard.

I would really, really like extra contributions to be paid into my state pension. I always paid into a pension (25 years) and it pains me not to be able to save for my retirement and be reliant on dh for a reasonable retirement fund.

@Mumofsend

@FestiveFruitloop

The majority of society - certain more than 52% - is able. So really those in the minority really need to get over it.

What the actual fuck did I just read?!
You should be ashamed of yourself.

You may not have understood ...

But either way, my J'accuse is that society should be ashamed of itself long before I should

Yanbu.

I don't expect to be paid 24/7, but I'm a fulltime carer.

that's 168 hours a week=24/7.

It would be at leat decent to get the minimum wage for a normal working week?

They bang on about slave labour/zero hours....what about US?

And YY we save the governemt billions, yet when they raise taxes, we get the raised taxes too.

Its disgusting the way disabled and their carers are treasted. What about DLM?

Disabled lives matter? CLM? CARERS lives matter.