Carers Allowance should be increased

[Noras]

Recent events on Mumsnet has made me even more upset about continuing to be a carer for my adult son. There are many carers out there doing the job voluntarily. Their kids are adult and there is no duty of care owned by adults. Moreover there is no asset against which the state can claim against for social care. The decision to care for our off spring is a fervent belief this is best for the time being.

Whilst my son lives at home I get £81 carers allowance a week. If my son lived in supported living I would

Be able to charge £15 per hour carers rate (including holiday and pension).

Be free to choose my hours and never have to worry about cover to go out - that is the States duty of care

Can opt never to have to complete a pip form or universal credit form again - leave it to another carer!

So the push is for me to want my son either on social housing or supported living

Caring duties include

Sourcing and recruiting PA / interview / draft advert and check applicants etc

Send out contracts to PA’s

Chase and send in timesheets

Train PA on how to deal with DS

Draft comments and arrange attendance at EHCP reviews. Chase updated EHCP and check it for amendments and liaise with council etc

Apply for transport for college - if needs be advocate. Liaise college and transport and taxi driver for changes of which there are many
Weekly exchanges of chase up and changes

apply for Pip - complete lengthy form. Be available for interview and conduct interview - DS clearly can’t

Universal credit - apply - argue legal points if necessary - administer funds - set up bank account for DS and administer it via a monintjon or poa

Care

Take for hairdressing appointments
Cut finger and toe nails
Hold tissue and encourage to blow nose as required
prompt shaving and if needs be husband shaves him
grapple with him and insist clothes are changed
laundry
take to dentist and keep eye on teeth cleaning
laundry
clear blocked toilet
prompt meds when constipated or asthmatic and hands on care with cold as he can’t blow nose

Supervision

Stop overeating and monitor diet
Stop crazy eating eg microwaved salad or eating microwaved tuna and sweetcorn at midnight
check his desire to experiment in kitchen
discuss and practice food cookery and what he will do at residential
Ensure healthy diet because that would not otherwise occur
Stop him cutting bread rolls whilst in hand
shopping/ clothing

do all clothes shopping
check wardrobe periodically to ensure shoes js clothes all fit still - he cannot seem to vocalise that need well

Toileting

Be on hand to unblock toilet and clean mess

Activities

Organise all his activities to encourage socialisation eg disabled group or drama group - this includes research for holiday activities

Get debrief form Pa re activity

Liaise with social groups eg one council one needs to know if taxi required weekly etc

Receive feedback form groups re how he is doing/ accessing community

Help with social disabled group so organise an event or two ( to make these things happen)

Take to the gym to swimming to maintain health - this involves micromanagement in say swimming pool

Take out on bus to train and persevere with this
Make him experience busy bus times

Train how to do shopping and wait for change

math skills - ongoing - mental maths an issue due to lack of working memory on 2 and 4 percentile - yet he can do algebra and has a gcse!

Try to train to use Apple Watch as he won’t wear a tracker ( we bought it for him with our own money!)

training - social interaction eg on dog walk or in shops etc

Also keep up to date on all learning activity opportunities and be excellent welfare / eduction lawyers advocates

Finally be there every evening and night due to his anxieties and vulnerabilities unless relieved by PA or activities so I CAN HAVE A GLASS OF WINE

Pay rate £81 per week

as opposed to several hundred for fewer hours work and shared load in supported living / social housing

For Just under a year. He’s home once a month to 6 weeks or so for a week so it was still used for his benefit and he has to get a ferry which we pay for, we also pay for two carers to bring him back and pick him up. We also buy all his clothes, toiletries etc because social care take most of his money towards his care package leaving him £30 a week. So as you can see to enable him to live a full life we still support him . He never lost out. Not that any of this is any of your business anyway but it’s very clear to see you have zero clue about what it’s like caring for an adult with very severe and complex needs.

I'm sorry I don't understand. My point stands. For some CA is all they are eligible for.

The 35 billion lost to tax evasion etc
would be a start.

My point still stands too - it is not the beginning and end of the benefits available to the household or carer. It is disingenuous to make it sounds like that is all they have to live off.

So you don't agree carers save our society an absolute fortune?

It makes no sense whatsoever economic or otherwise to run them into the ground so that ultimately the state has to step in at a far higher cost.

I'm my husbands carer, I worked in adult care. You are glossing over your son losing his higher rate mobility payment. As I said at the start of this I've seen parents driving around in a mobility car that is being paid for by their child's mobility payment. You have proved I was right.

It's disingenuous for you to not accept it is all some people/households are entitled to. I'm not sure what's so difficult to understand.

Imagine the bill if my husband and I said to social services that he is the responsibility of adult services and they had to suitably house and support him for life.

Someone I know more or less did that when her son was about 14. He was autistic, non-verbal and had violent meltdowns. Her husband was quite disabled by RA, so not able to intervene when their son became violent (he was the size of a fully grown adult, approx 5'10" and very strong). He was at a residential school Mon-Fri and home at weekends and in school holidays.

One weekend, he got violent during a meltdown and broke her arm so badly that she needed surgery. Social services took him in for respite while she was in hospital and she refused to have him back. It broke her heart, but caring for him was breaking her mentally anyway.

Carers not only save the state a fortune, they often do so at considerable risk to their own health and wellbeing and at the expense of any career, which means they will never be able to enjoy a decent income in old age. If they proposed increasing carer's allowance to £1,000 pw, I wouldn't begrudge it.

I’m not glossing over anything. The car was used for his benefit when hime. We more than made up for anything he lost. He’s a very well cared for young man with a loving family who adore him so stop making it sound like I was taking his money. I’ve spent 25 years caring for him, giving up my job and pretty much my own life to do so.

My biggest gripe is unpaid child carers. Those children who have to get a disabled / sick parent washed, dressed and fed before they go to school and again at night plus shopping and housework. These children have no childhood, they are basically fulfilling the role of a parent to their parent. Sometimes this country is an utter disgrace.

That’s really sad. My son has very challenging behaviour. My husband is a big man but even at 15 my son had the strength of 10 men. It’s so hard, I really feel for your friend.

Very much with you there.

I have made it clear I do accept that.

My point, which remains is that those people NOT entitled to other benefits are NOT entitled because their household has sufficient income to meet their needs. Those are means tested.

So unless you’re suggesting that you become a carer for the financial benefit the point remains that carers will continue to care and that it’s not the financial aspect that stops people caring.

You’ve alluded to the fact that you won’t be a FT carer for much longer - thats not because of CA.

So the point is that from an economical
View point it won’t “save money” to pay carers like they are employed.

It ruined her life and broke her heart. Her marriage broke down not long after her son went into care and she died just a few years later, her husband only a couple of years after that.

It is unlikely your son would be entitled to supported living. Much more likely is that some of the care you provide simply would not happen.

You either aren't thinking this through.or aren't aware of the criteria

I was a carer who at one point was not entitled to anything else other than CA. I had no other income let alone sufficient income. If I was in this position I'm certain others are/were.

I don't understand why you say I've alluded to the fact I won't be for much longer. I've never said anything of the sort and precious little detail about my personal situation.

It’s absolutely abhorrent that those children are even allowed to be in that situation. No amount of pay can make up for a lost childhood.

So help me understand. Surely your household had other income?

Apologies re the last comment - I have confused you with the OP, or someone else, who said their adult child will be going into a care facility soon.

It didn't no. There was nothing. I did try.

Increase Carer’s Allowance to equal 35 hours at 50% of the living wage. - Petitions (parliament.uk)

^This one?

Review and reform Carer's Allowance to increase support and reduce overpayments - Petitions (parliament.uk)

signed

PIP and Attendance Allowance is supposed to pay for care.
Carers allowance is a small payment in recognition of peoples role. It is not supposed to be pay. And anyone on a very low income will get other benefits on top of carers allowance.

It’s disingenuous to imply that all carers are living on ample benefits- plenty are not getting any others. Unpaid carers save the state a fortune, they don’t cost it a fortune.

Yes, but the carer has to do those pesky things like eat, and wear clothes so they do in fact require money to live on.

@VerasChips Carers allowance is not means tested. So you can have a household income of half a million a year and still get carers allowance.
Other benefits you could get as a carer are means tested. If all you get is carers allowance it means your household income is too high for means tested benefits.