It's the start of May, and like the re-set of the Tax year in April, there have been some changes too in the Unpaid Carer's world, but what would this mean practically for Carers and specifically the Unpaid Parent Carer?
Carer's allowance is going up
Perfectly detailed on Lottie's website it's an increase from £76.75 to £81.90 per week a £5.15 change or 6.7% increase. While certainly welcomed, we must bear in mind that the Carer's allowance has never been awarded incrementally on the number of individuals you care for, that could be possible via Universal Credit though, but Universal Credit does require a rock bottom situation to sign up for. As an Unpaid Parent carer to just one individual, it has always been an unbalanced sum so I do welcome comments from those who care for more than one individual, as I certainly feel that the now new monthly amount of £327.60 hardly meets up to expected expenses for one individual let alone stretched further. My POV continues to remain that this multifaceted, unscripted, forcible recruited position needs a rethink by an All-party parliamentary group APPG to start a base that reflects the value that the role fulfils which is comparable to a second NHS as seen in the Key facts and Figures researched and published by Carers UK https://www.carersuk.org/policy-and-research/key-facts-and-figures/
I hope in the coming months to write about what that base could look like and how the government could spearhead a revolution in care that might begin to fill some of the massive gaps currently in place.
The new weekly net amount that you can earn and still receive your carer's allowance has also increased from £139 a week to £152 (to find out more about how net earner's income is calculated please read this) but apart from gruelling zero hour contracts and or unpredictable self-employment activities there is very little incentive to take up work, and especially when from the get-go you find that the quality of life for the person you care for and care that you provide drastically begins to dwindle.
This brings us nicely to the two most talked about changes in the Upaid Parent Carer's world with regards to employment.
Flex Appeal
Championed by Anna Whitehouse aka Mother Pukka, employment policy officially changed this April which entitles an employee from day one (not 26 weeks later) to make requests for reasonable adjustment to working structure/hours to help with parental and or caring needs while remaining economically active. I had followed this campaign for years and was just as excited to see it come into effect, but it now remains to be seen if this will be yet another huddle to getting work in the first place as an Unpaid Parent Carer. Despite the Equal opportunities caveats, there is this sub-clause more prevalent in positions encouraging persons with disabilities to apply that hints at "if the minimum requirements are met".
If you are employed or do get employed making a request for reasonable adjustment does not mean that it will be granted, in writing you should be provided the reason(s) why by your employer, at the moment there is no suggestion that Flex Appeal can be appealed (no pun intended) with an employer that does not grant one.
Unpaid Carer's Leave
In line with the launch of Flex Appeal, the Government introduced Unpaid Carer's leave that can also be requested from day one in employment read all about it here https://www.gov.uk/carers-leave. However Unpaid Carer leave versus Sick leave paid leave (yes I said it) versus applying for Flex Appeal, you decided, it seems the Sick leave might be the better option even in an emergency. The key thing is the loss of income and this is so crucial to anyone caring, while most families might splash out on a football kit, or the latest Bike for a child, the Unpaid Parent Carer is more likely to spend hundreds more on necessary equipment because of the child(ren) needs, as well as on utilities especially if there is specialist medical equipment involved (Do read Samantha's story and watch her on the BBC as she shares her experience). Also in a household, it is more likely that the Unpaid Parent Carer is not working / unemployed or trying desperately to kick off a form of self-employment (Cleaning, Bank staff etc) so the only income earner would benefit very little from the new Unpaid Carer's leave especially if such requested is also not guaranteed.
In terms of April changes, there you have it, it's nothing new and perhaps you have heard it or read about all this on other channels but in my post, you get a clear Carer's perspective on the changes so hopefully this was insightful.
Before I wrap up with some things to reflect on or try, there is an issue in the Carer's world that you can help with. Once upon a time, I worked in the public services sector with HMRC and I have to say it was the most fulfilling 2 years of my professional career. Everything I did helped make an individual's journey or experience interacting with HMRC more informed, and safer, and with the awesome teams I had the privilege to work alongside with government policy can be applied with respect, and supportive purpose, so I would like to bring to your attention the issue of Overpayments in the Unpaid Carer's allowance setup from a Consumer perspective and share what is the change needed, so if you are out there DWP Product Owners, User Researchers, and UX Folks please try to prioritise or champion this need where possible.
The Need
To continue to remain eligible for Carer's allowance from a financial perspective, you should not earn over the Net weekly income of £152, however because most Unpaid Parent Carers work Zero hour contracts, are on a Freelance basis, or might be self-employed their income could be irregular with some weeks going higher, just as much as it goes lower in earnings, however if you are even a £1 over the limit, overpayments begin to pile up that could trigger repayments that are most times higher than the allowance that your receive. This if not monitored by the Carer, and averages presented, or the allowance cancelled by the recipient on time could end up costing thousands more. Enrico La Rocca a civil servant with DWP in the Carer's department exposed this as far back as 2019 with very challenging consequences to his heroic act but little has been done since. This would be a sincere knock on the teeth for a person who already sacrifices so much in the Carer's role, remember eligibility for the Carer's allowance is quite tight trust me I know it took me two years of careful processes to get there and I was rejected once so benefits fraud through this avenue is not the issue here. The issue here is the need to better monitor payments made and offer Carer's avenues to keep a record of earnings with a decision to issue an overpayment only utilised if there is a clear pattern of misuse. I am more than confident that the talented heads who continue to pursue appropriate content, and technical solutions, and capture the user's perspective are also in DWP and can make this service function respectfully and adequately. Currently, there are 15,000 known to face unprecedented fines for overstepping the earnings limit https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/apr/25/sunak-under-pressure-to-grant-amnesty-to-unpaid-carers-fined-for-benefit-breaches
If you are not yet a Carer what can you do today?
Sign the Petition to get Carer's overpayment monitoring systems revamped https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/660485
Elections might be just around the corner, read the National Autistic Campaigner's toolkit, you might be just as helpful having prepared questions at the door about Autism and Mental health, Education, and Jobs https://nas.chorus.thirdlight.com/file/24/CK10heiCKb1Hm_vCK3.vCKhgbzR/NAS_Change%20the%20Conversation_Toolkit_Online.pdf
In case you missed the helpful Links
Calculating Carer's earnings if you are planning on working and keeping the allowance
All about Flex Appeal
Unpaid Carer's Leave the GOV.UK Page
Samantha's story and the heavy financial burden of paying for energy to provide use life saving equipment
Bedtime read, key facts and figures of Carer's in the UK
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