How millions of unpaid carers are ‘left to struggle on paltry benefits’
MILLIONS of carers are being left to struggle on without the support they need, a report warned yesterday.
The number of people who care for a sick, disabled or elderly loved one has now reached eight million – a staggering 35 per cent increase since 2001.
This means the unpaid care economy is now equivalent to £139billion, more than seven times the UK’s total annual spend on adult social care of £18billion.
But too many unpaid carers are left in poverty or with health problems after being let down by the Government, it is claimed.
Think tank Demos is now calling for a new Carers’ Covenant between the state and carers who save the taxpayer billions of pounds.
This would include replacing the Carer’s Allowance with a new Universal Carer’s Income, paid at the same rate as Jobseeker’s Allowance, for those who care for more than 35 hours a week.
Such a move would extend financial support to more than two million more carers, with those currently in receipt of CA receiving an extra £442 a year.
The Carer’s Allowance is the main carer’s benefit and works out at £62.10 for a minimum of 35 hours, which is the equivalent of £1.77 per hour – far short of the national minimum wage of £6.70 per hour.
Emily Holzhausen, of Carers UK, said: “We know that caring unpaid for a loved one has significant financial implications for WE welcome Demos’s call for a properly established relationship between unpaid carers and the state.
They, too, have highlighted the urgent need for carers’ incomes to be increased, particularly those in receipt of Carer’s Allowance.
Despite carers having to provide at least 35 hours of care per week to receive it, Carer’s Allowance remains the lowest benefit of its kind.
That’s why, through our Fairer for Carers campaign, we have been consistently calling for it to be increased, as well as better support for those juggling work and care and a right to paid care leave.
We think Government needs to look closely at these proposals, particularly carers’ rights at work and their incomes, within the Green Paper on Social Care.
Around two million carers have been forced to give up work to be able to
many people, with two million giving up work to care, and Carer’s Allowance the lowest benefit of its kind.
“Financial hardship worsens for carers the longer they’re caring and underlines the real need for them to have the right support and information about their rights early on, so they can best support themselves in the long run.”
A new Universal Carer’s Income would cost £10.2billion and could be funded through a one per cent increase in National Insurance contributions for employees and the self-employed, the Demos report said.
Other proposals include a Carer’s Working Credit – a pay top-up for carers that go down to parttime hours – and a year’s paid care leave modelled on maternity pay.
Ben Glover, the Demos report’s author, said: “Unpaid carers prop up our entire social care system but have for decades been taken for granted by policy makers. A Universal Carer’s Income is a first