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- Care for carers 00:00
This article written by Helen Nugent was first published in The Pensioner
You might want to sit down for this. Every day, 12,000 people in the UK become unpaid carers for a partner, family member or friend. Many don’t see themselves as carers, even though the challenges of looking after a loved one can be overwhelming. But they are not alone. Estimates suggest there are between five and 10 million unpaid carers across Britain.
Accurate statistics are, unsurprisingly, hard to come by, Even a conservative calculation f the value of unpaid care is equivalent to more than £150 billion a year in England alone.
If you’re a carer, or know someone who is, you’ll understand the focus is on the person receiving help. But carters need help too. They rarely put themselves first, and the benefits system is geared towards the individual being cared for, with less thought given to their carer.
Wellbeing payment
Some forms of financial benefits are well known and often in the news. The recent carer’s allowance scandal is a prime example. But there’s a more obscure payment that’s worth considering – the carer’s personal budget, sometimes known as carer’s direct payment. This is not a benefit – at least, not in legislative terms. It is an annual sum of money paid by a local council to help a carer pay for things that help them in their caring role. This may sound vague, but it’s a few hundred pounds that carers must spend on themselves. In essence, it’s a wellbeing payment that acknowledges that carers need to look after their own physical and mental health. Emily Holzhausen, director of policy
And public affairs at Carers UK says: ‘Carers tend to put themselves at the back of the queue,. The carer’s [personal budget is a way of supporting unpaid carers that can be highly tailored to a person’s needs. It is really, really valuable,. Carers quite often feel guilty asking for help, and it’s important that they can take time to focus on their health and wellbeing.’
What you get
While it varies from council to council, the carer’s personal budget is paid on a yearly basis following a carer’s assessment. If you qualify for help and the council will pay for some or all of your support, then you are entitled to a personal budget. There is no cap, but amounts range from £50 to £1,500. About £300 to £500 is the norm, depending on your situation. Some local authorities pay directly into a carer’s account, others provide a prepaid card.
Approved spending activities include gym membership, haircuts, gardeners, travel expenses, driving lessons, massages, cleaners, mobile phone bills, education, laptops and short holidays. In most instances, councils will ask recipients to demonstrate how they have spent their budget, and some will require receipts.
Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, says: “If you’re a carer, you may wish to approach your local authority for a carer’s assessment. This looks at your support needs – for example, the help you need to maintain your caring role and how being a carer impacts on your day-to-day life.
“The local authority may not agree that your support needs meet the eligibility criteria or, if they do, that your support needs require a direct payment. In some parts of the country, there may also be a long wait for an assessment.”
Case study
Minreet Kaur is a journalist who lives with her two elderly parents. Her mother has a rare blood cancer. “I have to do a lot on my own as a sole carer,” she says. “I have no support, no partner and I’m 44 and it’s really tough. I’ve had to scale back on work.
“I was told about the carer’s personal budget by [cancer support charity] The Mulberry Centre and Macmillan… Navigating anything like this is hard when you have no support.” She adds: “It’s good that the money is there, but to be honest, it’s not much at all. I feel that it should be much more than it is.”
