Who else is struggling on Carer’s allowance of £76.75 a week (works out at £2.19 hour based on 35 hours care expected)?
Yet living wage is currently £12 an hour people are struggling to live on that! Would it be better for @carersuk to push government for an uplift to follow as a minimum to 50% of the living wage and follow this so currently £6 an hour x 35 = £210 a week?
Which would lift myself and other Carer’s out of a financial black hole. As we were completely forgotten in any cost of living payments
everyone struggles on that rate, especially as you can’t get anything for free if you’re on it unlike jobseeker’s allowance.
The government don’t see you as doing a job, they see you as someone who is now on the benefits system and and are treated like any other benefits claimant, and be treated accordingly.
The defence of the DWP is that it’s a stepping stone to give you eligibility to apply fo other payments like universal credit.
In truth there’s no real benefit to claiming carers allowance other than not having someone rattling your cage every two weeks to ask if you’ve found meaningful employment, and that’s if they want to pay you.
I haven’t been paid any carers allowance since dec 2021, all I get is forms sent to me asking me to clarify points on my financial position. The DWP have made it untenable for me to care for my partner.
She’ll have to become social services problem as soon as I get a job, as I’ve burnt through all my savings to get this far.
We as carers don’t really exist nor are we recognised over and above lip service in the eyes of the DWP or government both local and national. We’re seen as an unproductive annoyance, nothing more.
Imagine how the system would melt down if everyone whoc ared for someone one day rang their social services departmetn and said “come and thake them away, they’re your problem as I need to just be at work, and don’t want the effort anymore as it’s not worth my while”.
But they know we won’t do that, and so we can happily keep receiving a nice kicking and being overlooked.
In answer tyo your question, yes, beyond struggle.
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Sorry to hear your situation. Good luck with the council social care as there is operators dropping out, a huge lack of staff and council’s cutting back on the amount of/ or if they provide any care at all… In April 24 there cutting back on the number of care staff that are coming from overseas so it’s only going to get worse.
Yet it’s ok we can afford to give £300m to Rwanda for signing abit of paper.
Hello Austin - thanks for starting this topic.
Carers UK’s current calls on Government include the following:
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Reform the benefits system to better support unpaid carers to maintain their financial stability whilst they perform their caring role, including an increase in means tested benefits associated with caring.
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Reform Carer’s Allowance to ensure it works at supporting carers in a variety of different situations.
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Raise the level of Carer’s Allowance and increasing the earnings limit, benefitting at least 175,000 unpaid carers.
You can read more about our current cost of living campaign (including our ‘Under Pressure: Caring and the cost of living crisis’ report) here:
Cost of living crisis | Carers UK
With good wishes
Michael
I agree that the current rate is gravely inadequate. We are now in a time where there is minimal medical support for our elderly & disabled. Additional pressure is being put on us. As Carers we are expected to diagnose our loved ones, know what medicines/treatment they need and care for them, Care Home places are scarse; even those who want to go into a Home are not automatically allowed. If we are expected to dedicate our lives 24/7 to caring I think we should be adequatelty paid. Personally I do not think it should be means tested. Salaried roles are not means tested; a person is paid what they’re worth. We are worth our weight in GOLD!!
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I have started a government petition on this idea please sign this so the government will consider it seriously.
Why HALF the rate of the Minimum wage when we may be doing 168 hours a week? ,
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I agree BB - if we feel we are worth paying properly then it should be at LEAST the minimum wage rate. Are we not “normal workers” - OK most Carers are Super-Workers, but this would be just devaluing ourselves like the Government is doing now.
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Have to agree - very undervalued. I would LOVE part time job and one came up in the library. But husband so difficult and at times feel ‘on call’ 24/7. He cannot be trusted to stay awake for deliveries of medication so this means I need to stay in the whole day - ditto phone calls from GP Surgery. I also feel I cannot leave the house for long periods as he may leave the electric hob on. So although I am not ‘working’ as such I do feel ‘on call’ and can never really relax. No holiday pay - no weekends or time off. No wonder we sound and feel bitter at times.
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