New Carers UK report on juggling work and care

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Report published ?

Completely ignores what OUR findings clearly show.

So much so that it evades the answers to the real problems.

We know the real problems , far too many carers are faced with them daily !

EARNINGS LIMIT TO LOW … NEEDS TO BE DOUBLED TO ENSURE CARERS RISE TOWARDS THE OFFICIAL POVERTY LINE *
CARERS ALLOWANCE … NO TAPER , JUST THAT CLIFF EDGE
FOR EVERY £ 1 EARNED , DEDUCTION FROM OTHER INCOME BENEFITS
ELIGIBILTY REMAINS UNCHANGED

*> The new research suggests the minimum household budget necessary for :
An average couple with two young children (excluding rent and childcare) is £> 480 a week.
For a single parent with two young children it is > £490 a week.
A single person is deemed to need > £214 a week > and a pensioner couple > £302 a week.

https://www.carersuk.org/forum/news-and-campaigns/latest-caring-news/poorest-and-most-vunerable-the-hardest-hit-especially-those-not-able-to-work-31618

No mention of any of those.

Support mentioned … what support … and , at what price ???

Carers Strategy coming up … just one part to be on the table … if not , expect the worst !

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Worked example just posted on another thread :
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Some out there have gone from £ 50K + per annum to Carers Allowance plus change virtually overnight.

Spend the next 20 years caring … allow for modest pay increases … said carer kisses goodbye to £ 1 million +
in earnings.

Even on that scale of salary , the cost to replace him / herself as a carer ???

Especially if the job plus travelling takes 12 - 14 hours out of the day … for five days every week … and not
allowing for any train delays ?

( Say 12 hours x 5 = 60 … £ 15 per hour minimum … 2 carers in shifts ( Working time directive ) … £ 900 per week
… 46 weeks allowing for holidays … £ 41,400 per annum ! )

Hiring a couple of carers direct would cut the cost but … their holidays or illness … a third in reserve ?

AFFORDABLE support ???

In isolation , fix the affordable care problem … leaving all those who CANNOT juggle work with caring swinging in the wind ???

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A tad more … part of the much bigger picture.

Last post … £ 50k+ individual becomes a carer overnight.

What if said individual was a pioneering scientist in the field of potential cancer cures … so specialised that his / her work
could not be easily continued … perhaps 2 / 3 years to replicate and for the work to progress ?

As a society , can WE afford the loss of such an individual ?

Assuming employed by the Government , would " Special arrangements " be made to keep him / her at their post ?

How many others with similar jobs now and in the past , vital to society as a whole , have faced this conundrum ?

If your answer is NO , think ahead a little … are some " Carers " more valuable than others ?

Are society’s needs greater than the individuals ?

Valid scenario … and a whole forest full of hornets’ nests to boot !

Just one aspect of the whole picture which will constitute the forthcoming Green Paper on Social Care … not forgetting
our role in all of this.

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20 years ago, I had to turn down a £40,000 pa job because I couldn’t get respite in holiday periods. I had already complained all the way to the Ombudsman, who said that whilst he agreed I should have respite, he couldn’t force the LA to provide it.

Whilst there are many after school clubs for normal children, the situation is very different for those with special needs, especially if the school is some distance away and the school transport is needed.

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Another factor to throw into the mix … child care costs :

https://www.carersuk.org/forum/news-and-campaigns/latest-caring-news/smoke-mirrors-a-government-speciality-promise-one-thing-deliver-another-brexit-30882?p=402640#p402640

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Parents face shock rise in childcare costs as government cuts bite.

Up to half of nurseries set to close or reduce services they offer, survey warns.

If any are encouraged to juggle work with caring , wouldn’t it be simple IF work actually paid ???

Time for Carers UK to have a real , long , hard look at their present policies … after all , WE know the pitfalls out there … why
do CUK continue to turn a blind eye to them ???

26

Quiet on most fronts … time for a little more digging.

Irish carers.

Weekly limit before their carers allowance drops of a cliff … EUR 332.50 … GBP 282.98 as I type.

https://familycarers.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/CC7-Financial-Support-for-Carers.pdf

( Bottom line ? Less Irish carers … as a percentage … needing a food bank whilst juggling work with caring !!! )

Whilst Irish carers appear to have a much better deal than us ( Some parts are worse ! ) , that one statistic is worth noting.

Perhaps Carers UK will reflect on that … in line with their notorious own goal in the " Fairer For Carers " campaign … in advance
of their c.e.o.'s scheduled appearance on this forum later this month ???
https://www.carersuk.org/forum/social-area/members-corner/fairer-for-carers-34307?hilit=fairer%20for%20carers

If they are to reconnect with the carer army , time to listen to us ( Green Paper ??? ) … after all , we know what’s going on … judging by their own policies , it is quite clear that they need a little re-educating … to say the very least ???

27

Quite by chance , came across this post on the forum … 2008 ! … Matt Hill , CUK :
https://www.carersuk.org/forum/news-and-campaigns/latest-caring-news/usdaw-union-carers-allowance-campaign-2872

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Shop workers’ union Usdaw says this is a “disincentive” for those who want to work. It wants a higher allowance and for the earnings limit to be tapered. Ministers says they are committed to reviewing support for carers as part of their longer term welfare reform plans.

Increase in the weekly earnings limit … and a taper on the Carers Allowance element.

( Did CUK publically support this at the time ? Not another trawl through that Select Committee report , please ! )

https://www.carersuk.org/forum/support-and-advice/all-about-caring/select-committee-on-work-and-pensions-fourth-report-2008-our-bible-also-our-jailer-time-for-a-jailbreak-36397?hilit=select%20committee

Specific section … makes VERY interesting reading :

https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200708/cmselect/cmworpen/485/48506.htm#a40

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**_174. > Despite recent increases to the earnings limit, its level still represents a major barrier for carers to combine work and care, and/or progress in employment. We recommend that the Department urgently commissions and publishes a thorough analysis of the costs and benefits of increasing the earnings limit and introducing a taper.
\

  1. The different timetable for Carer’s Allowance earnings limit uprating and the uprating of the National Minimum Wage is still a cause of great anxiety for claimants and causes problems for employers. We recommend that the Department finds ways of synchronising the increases in the level of the Carer’s Allowance earnings limit with increases in the National Minimum Wage._**

History DOES have a habit of repeating itself ???

Diarise forward until … 2030 ?

( Logical question … why was this one left to rot … like most other recommendations produced by the same Report ??? )

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( ALSO POSTED ON THE MAIN CARERS STRATEGY THREAD )

If the forthcoming Carers Strategy was a horse race , how about this outsider at 33-1 ?

Carers Allowance raised to £ 189.15 per week.

( Weekly earnings limit + Carers Allowance. )

For all those in work to encourage them to quit , and take on more caring duties.

Hang on a mo ! … I can hear you saying !!!

From the Government’s perspective , monies currently paid over to the LAs … containing a large percentage for social care … would fall … assuming they cannot find other
services to replace the pressure on current levels of income … thus relieving pressure on the LAs … and … the real clincher … carers will be paid an additional £ 3.51 per hour
( £ 123 divided by 35 ) as opposed to the current cost based on the minimum wage at least … which is more than double that £ 3.51.

( Say 1 million carers did this … 1 Million x £ 4 less per hour = … over a year … saving of £ 7.2 odd BILLION ! … based on a 35 hour week period.)

( Assuming replacement care … at a cost … is provided by the LAs. )

As posted elsewhere , staff shortages are projected nationwide in the social care sector … one thread even suggested that
family / kinship carers would need to fill the gap … whether we liked it or not … as if we are ever consulted on anything ???

In turn , projected rises in Council Tax would ease back … in theory … thus keeping the general public a little more contented.

A little marshalling would also be needed within UC to ensure no adverse effect on any other benefits.

Plenty of pros and cons with this one but … it does have it’s merits ?

( A two tiered CA for one ! If so , every incentitive for our supporting organisations to lobby for just one rate … the higher
of the two ? )

Even if , in reality , carers will be getting a very raw deal !

Needless to add , it will take a seismic shift in current thinking to even explore this further … especially for our two
supporting organisations to get their heads around this one ???

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From the DWP PURGE thread … and the House response … a VERY interesting snippet that repeats what I have posted
earlier in this thread … the pitfalls of the current benefit system when taking on work leads to one LOSING monies … in
particular , CHILDCARE COSTS and WORKING TAX CREDITS !

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66.The Committee maintains its view that as long as the threshold for removing or reducing Carer’s Allowance is below 16 hours at the National Living Wage, carers receiving Working Tax Credit will face disincentives to work.

A similar 16 hour rule remains in eligibility for free childcare, which means parents who both work and care could lose their entitlement to free child care if they reduce their hours to ensure they fall below the CA earnings threshold.
While we acknowledge the Department’s argument that some carers may be able to work for 16 hours and retain their benefit because they have allowable expenses, the Government should seek to remove barriers to work for all carers.

67.We recommend that the Government links the CA earnings threshold with the National Living Wage. For as long as 16-hour rules exist in the benefits system, the CA earnings threshold should be equivalent to no less than 16 hours at the National Living Wage … £ 131.36 per week … STILL A POVERTY WAGE EVEN WITH CA TACKED ON !!!

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If anyone is interested , 8 page article … in .pdf format … over on the CUK site :

http://www.carersuk.org/images/publications/Supporting_Working_Carers_a_growing_challenge_2019.pdf

In essence , a plea to employers nationwide to take on carers … able to juggle work with carers … listing all the perceived
advantages … complete with graphs and tables.

From our perspective , all well and good for the dwindling number able to do just that … balance work with caring.

To retain Carers Allowance , the £ 123 weekly earnings limit must be respected … thus producing a farcical situation of working
and caring … and still be some 40% SHORT of the official poverty line.

For those claiming any income related benefits , be VARY wary … for every £ 1 earned , just how much do you lose from those
benefits ???

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A fifth of older workers are set to quit jobs to look after family members - with many trying to cut stiff care bills
**_Some 2.6million over-45s could leave work due to caring pressures.

Concern is mounting about care funding crisis, and people fear facing huge bills.

Government has delayed publication of plans to overhaul the care system.

But there are hopes a bill will be announced in next Monday’s Queen’s Speech._**

A fifth of older workers may quit jobs to care for family members | Daily Mail Online

Another nail in the coffin of the conception of juggling work with caring ???

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CUK’s response to the Aviva report :

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Carers UK responds to Aviva research on mid-life workers expecting to leave their jobs to care
09 October 2019

New research launched today by Aviva suggests an estimated 2.6 million people in the UK aged 45 and above expect to give up work to care for older or disabled relatives. The research shows the impact is likely to be greater for women than for men, with 20% of women believing they would need to give up work to care compared with 17% of men.

Yet the research found that only 6% of employers were treating this as a critical issue.

Responding to the research Helen Walker, Chief Executive at Carers UK, said:

“Juggling work and care is becoming one of the most pressing employment issues of our time. Aviva’s research sends a strong message to both Government and employers that we need to do more to support unpaid carers to stay in work.

“Carers UK’s own research shows that 2.6 million people have already given up work to care – more than 600 people a day - with devastating impacts on their finances in the short and longer term.

“Flexible working, supportive practices and five to ten days of paid care leave can make all the difference to carers in the workforce, whilst also saving on business recruitment and retention costs.

“As well as this, a properly funded social care system with quality, affordable care services is a key condition for people to remain in work. The Prime Minister has said he will make social care a priority and we urge him to bring forward proposals for reform that have unpaid carers at the heart.”

Carers UK is already working with leading employers like Aviva and Centrica through our Employers for Carers forum and it is vital that other employers follow suit.

Centrica has estimated that their policies for carers have contributed to a combined saving of £2.1 million on the bottom line by improving carers’ health and wellbeing at work, their ability to manage care and work, and reducing the number who leave as a result of caring.

Both Aviva and Centrica have policies which give carers within their workforce paid care leave, something we would like to see more employers adopt.


I often wonder what REAL world CUK see out of their ivory towers ???

There is very likelyhood that the trend to quit paid work for more caring will INCREASE … and at a steeper rate.

WHERE IS THE AFFORDABLE SUPPORT TO REPLACE US IN OUR ROLE AS FAMILY / KINSHIP CARERS ???

WHERE IS THE INCENTITVE TO TRY BALANCING PAID WORK WITH CARING IF THAT ABHORRENT WEEKLY EARNINGS LIMIT
REMAINS IN PLACE … AND WITH NO TAPER !

EVEN THEN , WORK LONGER AND LOSE UPTO 60% IN OTHER INCOME RELATED BENEFITS ???

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**" Half of women will be carers by the age of 46. "

Women can expect to take on caring responsibilities for an older, sick or disabled relative more than a decade earlier than men, a report concludes.**


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Research by Sheffield and Birmingham universities shows half of women will care by the age of 46, compared with half of men, for whom the age is 57.

The research suggests two-thirds of UK adults can expect to become an unpaid carer during their lifetimes.

The charity Carers UK says carers need five-to-10 days of paid care leave.

For the charity’s report - Will I Care? - the academics analysed data from individuals who had participated in both the British Household Panel Survey and Understanding Society social and economic study for more than 15 years between 1991 and 2018.

Their findings showed 65% of adults had provided unpaid care for a loved one.

Women had a 70% chance of becoming a carer and men 60%.

By the time they were 46, half of women had been a carer, the researchers found, while with men, it was not until they reached the age of 57 that they had the same 50-50 chance of being a carer.

Most carers were middle-aged - almost half (46%) aged 46 to 65 - and the average person has a 50-50 chance of becoming a carer by the age of 50, according to the researchers’ data.

Ravi’s story

Ravi has cared for her elderly father on and off for 26 years since her mother died.

But the responsibility intensified 12 years ago when her father, who’s in his 80s, underwent open-heart surgery - and the past year and a half has been particularly taxing, after he suffered a stroke in 2018.

Ravi, from Hounslow in west London, is now in her 50s. She told the BBC she spent about six hours a day caring for her father - she cooks for him, checks his blood sugars, administers medicine, acts as his advocate, as the stroke has led to impaired speech, and deals with correspondence.

She also works full-time as a residential social worker and says her caring responsibilities have had a major impact on her health.

"You get to a point where you think, ‘I can’t take it any more’, and you have to step back and get yourself into a good place before you can go on.

"Sometimes I say things I shouldn’t say, but as my manager said to me, ‘You’re only human’.

“I’ve got a lot of patience and understanding but when I’m not feeling 100%, or if I’m tired, then it’s hard to keep my composure.”

The emotional fallout from her father also takes its toll.

“I’m having to deal with his frustrations and emotion - I get the brunt of that frustration. He gets a lot more agitated than he used to.”

Ravi says more support for people like herself - including paid carer’s leave - would be welcome.

“As a wider society, I think people see you and think you’re fine and you look OK on the surface, but it’s really stressful and draining.”

" A heavy price "

Lead report author and head of the Sustainable Care programme at Sheffield, Prof Sue Yeandle, said: "Caring is vital for us all and a precious support for those we love at critical times.

“Provided by millions of women, care also features strongly in the lives of men. Yet too often carers pay a heavy price for the support they give - financial strain, poorer health, social isolation.”

Helen Walker, chief executive of Carers UK, said: "Many of us don’t expect to become an unpaid carer but the reality is two in three of us will do it in our lifetimes.

“Our research shows women are disproportionately affected, facing difficult decisions about their loved ones’ health, family finances and how best to combine paid work, and care more than a decade earlier than men.”
The charity is calling on the next government to commit to delivering long-term investment in social care and give carers a right to five-to-10 days of paid care leave.

The carer’s allowance has not been subject to the benefits freeze.

In November, the Department for Work and Pensions said it would rise by 1.7% from April 2020.

Labour’s social-care and mental-health spokeswoman Barbara Keeley said: "Nine years of failure to fund social care properly means that carers are picking up the pieces of a broken system.

“A Labour government will help carers by introducing free personal care for older people and we will raise the carer’s allowance for full-time unpaid carers in line with job-seeker’s allowance, and deliver an updated national carers strategy.”

Liberal Democrat health spokeswoman Luciana Berger said carers were “unsung heroes”.

"In government, Lib Dems will introduce a statutory guarantee of regular respite breaks for unpaid carers and require councils to make regular contact with carers to offer support and signpost services.

“We will also provide a package of carer benefits, such as free leisure centre access, free bus travel for young carers and self-referral to socially prescribed activities and courses.”

She said Lib Dems would also raise the amount people can earn before losing their carer’s allowance from £123 to £150 a week, and reduce the number of hours’ care per week required to qualify for it.

The Conservative Party has not yet responded to requests for a comment. >


Just love the proposed policies of the political parties as so citied.

Reminded me of that infamous Friday a week or so ago.

River Ryton flowing past my abode … upto 2 feet deep … someone throws a sandbag in … " That will stop the flow ! "

Dream on …

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TAPERS … and … how much you could lose for every extra £ 1 earned :


**Bonus blow for Greggs staff prompts call for benefit and tax rethink.

Some workers who are on universal credit could keep just £75 of the £300 payout.**

Morgan calculated that under current tax and benefit rules, a worker earning less than the tax and NI thresholds of £8,632 a year would typically be left with £111 of the £300 bonus. One earning more than that but less than the upper threshold of £12,500 a year would get just £97.68 while a worker on more than £12,500 a year would end up with £75.48.

Universal credit originally aimed to incentivise claimants to earn more by introducing a work allowance allowing them to keep hold of more of their benefits as their income rose. However, this was cut in 2015, and only partly restored. > Claimants’ earnings over and above this allowance are in effect reclaimed at a 63% taper rate.

Torsten Bell, the chief executive of the Resolution Foundation thinktank, said: “While workers on universal credit could lose up to £225 of their £300 cash bonus, that is an argument for the government to lower the taper rate in universal credit, rather than for employers to stop paying their staff more.”



The rise of in-work poverty has become a salient feature of the UK economy in recent years. JRF estimates that stagnant wages and welfare cuts mean about 4 million people are living below the breadline despite being in a job, meaning about one in eight people in the economy were now classified as working poor.


Fine for CUK to follow the DWP’s lead for eveyone to find work as a way out of " Poverty " but …

The odds are heavily stacked up against you doing so … even a few more hours … with effective rates of loss of other benefits entered into the equation.

For carers … even more … that £ 123 weekly limit and still claim Carers Allowance … being the most notorious.

Time for CUK to spell out the REAL reality of " Juggling caring with work " … !!!