http://www.carersuk.org/Information/Financialhelp/CarersAllowance
http://www.ageconcern.org.uk/AgeConcern/is15.asp.
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/carersallowance/ (this option is the online service)
http://www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk/JCP/Customers/WorkingAgeBenefits/Dev_007...
http://www.macmillan.org.uk/Get_Support/Financial_help/Help_for_carers/H...
http://www.helptheaged.org.uk/en-gb/AdviceSupport/BeingACarer/FinancialH...
http://www.saga.co.uk/money/taxandbenefits/carersallowance.asp
http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/portal/page/portal/Website/For%20lone%20pa...
http://www.nidirect.gov.uk/index/caring-for-someone/money-matters/carers... (this option is for those in Northern Ireland)
http://www.rethink.org/living_with_mental_illness/money_debt_mental_heal...
PDF version Carers find it hard to claim the benefits they deserve because payments are unnecessarily complex say MPs.
A report published today by the Public Accounts Committee found that around one in five carers who get benefits find it difficult to make the claims because the system is too confusing.
The Committee chairman Edward Leigh, said:
"Millions of people devote a large part of their time, often for many years, to caring for family or friends who are ill or disabled.
"But the value of the service that these unpaid carers provide to society is not reflected in the quality of the Department of Work and Pensions' (DWP) arrangements for providing them with financial and other support.
"Carers who apply for benefits should not have to wade through official written guidance and communications which can range from the hard-to-understand to the downright incomprehensible. And they should not have to be jumping through unnecessary hoops to apply for benefits and allowances."
The report, Supporting Carers to Care, also warns that pressure to meet targets means JobCentre advisers don't have enough incentive to help carers find appropriate part-time work.
The Committee's key recommendations include:
1. Underlying entitlements: the DWP should make it possible for carers only eligible for top up payments such as Carer’s Premium or the Additional Amount to apply directly for those benefits, rather than first having to apply for Carer’s Allowance which they cannot receive.
2. The DWP should assess how well it promotes Carer’s Allowance to particular groups such as ethnic minorities, different age groups or people in different regions of the country
3. Jobcentre Plus should improve information about flexible job vacancies
4. Jobcentre Plus should incentivise Personal Advisers to find employment for carers by including all jobs in personal performance targets. Currently, only jobs with a salary in excess of income tax threshold count.
The Committee noted that only £25million of the £38million allotted last year for Employment Support for carers has so far been committed. The DWP pays out around £2bn a year in benefits to 900,000 carers.
Chief Executive of The Princess Royal Trust for Carers, Carole Cochrane, argues: "Carers are the backbone of our community - we need to ensure accesible systems support them.
"Taking a decision to care can be made in an instant. Why should it take so long to sort out the finances to help this happen?"
The report was informed by and uses evidence given in the National Audit Office (NAO) report also entitled Supporting Carers to Care published in February 2009. Both reports focus on DWP support for carers through benefits and employment support.
Download the Public Accounts Committee report
Published: 8 September 2009
http://www.carers.org/news/carers-benefits-too-complex-say-mps,5022,NW.html
This section is aimed at health and social care professionals in the statutory and independent sectors who work with carers. It contains information on Government guidance and regulations affecting carers, details of the current carers grant and other relevant information on carers’ policy.
Information for carers
Carers Direct
Carers Direct provides information advice and support for carers with a comprehensive online resource including: guidance on the different stages of caring, information for claiming benefits, advice for young carers, contact details for local authorities and support groups, news articles, and case studies with videos. In April, a telephone advice line will launch to complement the website.
Directgov
Carers looking after someone, or people considering becoming a carer, will find information at:
Carers’ Strategy Demonstrator Sites
Updated: 13 August 2009
In the Carers' Strategy we recognised that supporting carers is everybody's business. Central Government therefore committed to setting up demonstrator sites for carers to undertake the following:
Carers' strategy
Published: 10 June 2008
Sets out the Government's short-term agenda and long-term vision for the future care and support of carers
Regional events
Carers' Grant
The Government introduced the Carers' Grant in 1999 to help councils to provide breaks and services for carers in England.
Key legislation related to carers
The Department has supported legislation which has given carers new and improved rights.
Discussion forum for carers
An opportunity for information sharing and a way for councils to adopt new approaches to supporting carers.
Carers of people with dementia
Booklet for carers about dementia, caring for someone with dementia and the help available.
Standing Commission on Carers
The Standing Commission on Carers provides independent expert advice to Government on the development and delivery of the national strategy Carers at the heart of 21st century families and communities. It was established by the Prime Minister in 2007 and gives carers a voice at the heart of developing Government strategy. The Commission plays a key role in scrutinising progress in delivering the national Carers' Strategy and provide independent advice to Ministers on the crucial issues that affect the lives of carers and the people they support.
Caring with Confidence (formerly known as the Expert Carers' Programme)
To support carers to undertake their vital responsibilities, Government has established Caring with Confidence. This programme will provide training to carers, empowering and enabling them. It will inform them of their rights; the services available to them; develop their advocacy skills and their ability to network with other carers to support their needs. The first training to carers took place in August 2008 and is expected to reach full capacity by June 2009. Government is making £4.7 million a year available to fund Caring with Confidence.
http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/SocialCare/Carers/index.htm