Hi
Carers UK
I noticed there is a petition to raise carers allowance to the living wage …
But I am rubbish at links.
Can someone at Carers UK or anyone who can do links post it here so people can sign.
This is our chance for us to get this discussed
Has over 10,000 signatures already but needs 100,000 to be discussed in parliament.
Is it this one…
To copy and paste…
right click on the subject line (select copy) - which should colour up usually blue. Go back to the page where you want to put it.
Right click and select paste.
Sunny Disposition
Thank you.
And thank you for posting it.
John
Here is where I posted the petition to increase carers allowance to the national minimum wage.
This response was given on 17 June 2020
We value the support unpaid carers give to caring for family or friends. We will spend around £3bn in 2020-21 on Carer’s Allowance, and by 2024-25, forecast real spend is over £3.6bn.
The Government fully recognises the contribution that unpaid and family carers make in providing significant care and continuity of support to family and friends That is why in June 2018, the Department of Health and Social Care published a Carers Action Plan ‘Supporting carers today’, which set out a two-year programme of targeted work to support unpaid carers. It focuses on practical actions that are being undertaken to support carers, working across and beyond government.
It is important to understand that paying a wage to an unpaid carer would change their status and it has never been the role of the Government to pay people for the tasks they undertake in the way that an employer would. This has been the approach of successive Governments and reflects wider social policy aims as well as issues of affordability.
Depending on their individual circumstances, unpaid carers can access the full range of social security benefits. For example, we expect to spend around £3bn this year on Carer’s Allowance, and by 2024-25, forecast real spend is over £3.6bn.
However, the support unpaid carers need extends far beyond financial help and can’t just come from Government. We also need businesses, local communities, the voluntary sector and individuals to play their part.
Our Carers Action Plan has delivered several actions aimed to help and support unpaid carers remain in work for as long as they wish by promoting the value of attracting and retaining carers by offering flexible working and additional support in the workplace. In doing so remaining in employment carers will stay financially stable and they will no longer need to cut back on essentials like food and heating; as well as gaining the intrinsic sense of value associated with work and contributing to the wider economy. Some of the key projects that offer support to unpaid carers have included the following:
The Carer Confident benchmarking scheme (EFC) seeking to encourage workplaces to have policies in place and a culture which enables unpaid carers to stay in employment.
The Timewise flexible jobs (ADVICE FOR CARERS articles and careers information on Timewise Jobs) hub to support unpaid carers to stay in employment and to break down barriers for carers getting the flexible jobs they reported they need that could fit around their caring responsibilities. The Hub offers a job search by flexibility as well as advice on finding a suitable job and case studies of those who have done this.
We also committed £5m to support ‘returners’, who are people who have taken time out of employment for caring responsibilities and want to return to paid work. In 2018, the Government Equalities Office launched a private sector grant fund, which has now awarded in the region of £1.5m to 16 organisations supporting returners. The funding was awarded to projects that created new job opportunities, address specific barriers to returners and increased the understanding of how best to support people to gain paid employment.
But we recognise there is still more to do. That is why we are also consulting on a proposal for unpaid carers of one week leave per year alongside existing employment rights. A consultation (Carer’s leave - GOV.UK) was launched on the 16th March and will run until the 3rd August.
More broadly, we know there is a need for a long-term action plan for social care. Putting social care on a sustainable footing, where everyone is treated with dignity and respect, is one of the biggest challenges that we face as a society. There are complex questions to address, which is why we have invited cross-party talks. These will take place at the earliest opportunity considering the current coronavirus circumstances. The government will then bring forward a plan for social care for the longer term.
Department of Health and Social Care
At 100,000 signatures…
At 100,000 signatures, this petition will be considered for debate in Parliament
You recently signed the petition “Pay Carers an allowance equivalent to a fulltime job at the National Living wage”:
The Petitions Committee (the group of MPs who oversee the petitions system) have considered the Government’s response to this petition. They felt that the response did not directly address the request of petition and have therefore written back to the Government to ask them to provide a revised response.
When the Committee have received a revised response from the Government, this will be published on the website and you will receive an email. If you would not like to receive further updates about this petition, you can unsubscribe below.
Thanks,
The Petitions team
UK Government and Parliament
thanks for posting liondog.
I am sure the government will concoct another excuse not to pay our worth!
signed
Of that I have no doubt whatsoever!
Updated response from the government. Basically a re-worded version of the original response.
The Government has responded to the petition you signed – “Pay Carers an allowance equivalent to a fulltime job at the National Living wage”.
Government responded:
We value the varied levels of support that unpaid carers provide. Those providing significant levels of care receive the Carer’s Allowance, on which the Government will spend £3 billion this year.
The Government fully recognises the contribution that unpaid and family carers make in providing significant care and continuity of support to family and friends.
However, it has never been the role of the Government to pay people for the tasks they undertake, voluntarily, in the way that an employer would. Instead successive Governments have supported carers through allowances and benefits as well as wider cross-government actions.
This year the Government will pay £3 billion in carer’s allowance and by 2024-25 this will rise to £3.6 billion in real terms, almost doubling from £1.8 billion in 2010/11.
The amount of caring unpaid carers undertake, and its intensity, will differ from carer to carer, as will their reasons and motivation for accepting caring responsibilities. Many are able to successfully combine caring with some employment, so will continue to have income from paid employment. Those unpaid carers who do need financial support may be able to get help from the benefit system – and not only from Carer’s Allowance but from a range of means tested benefits as well.
However, the support that carers need extends far beyond financial help and can’t just come from Government. We also need businesses to support carers and local communities, the voluntary sector and individuals to play their part.
In June 2018, the Department of Health and Social Care published a Carers Action Plan ‘Supporting carers today’, which set out a two-year programme of targeted work to support unpaid carers. It focuses on practical actions that are being undertaken to support carers, working across and beyond government.
Our Carers Action Plan has delivered several actions aimed to help and support carers remain in work for as long as they wish by promoting the value of attracting and retaining carers by offering flexible working and additional support in the workplace. Remaining in employment, where possible, will help carers will stay financially stable, as well as gaining the intrinsic sense of value associated with work and contributing to the wider economy. Key projects that offer support to carers have included:
• The Carer Confident benchmarking scheme seeking to encourage workplaces to have policies in place and a culture which enables carers to stay in employment.
• The Timewise flexible jobs hub to support carers to stay in employment and to break down barriers for carers getting the flexible jobs they reported they need that could fit around their caring responsibilities.
We also committed £5m to support ‘returners’, who are people who have taken time out of employment for caring responsibilities and want to return to paid work.
In 2018, the Government Equalities Office launched a private sector grant fund, which has now awarded in the region of £1.5m to 16 organisations supporting returners. The funding was awarded to projects that created new job opportunities, address specific barriers to returners and increased the understanding of how best to support people to gain paid employment.
But we recognise there is still more to do. That is why we are also consulting on a proposal for unpaid carers of one week leave per year alongside existing employment rights. A consultation was launched on the 16th March and will run until the 3rd August.
More broadly, we know there is a need for a long-term action plan for social care, and that that action plan should recognise the key role that unpaid carers play in the wider care pathway. Putting social care on a sustainable footing, where everyone is treated with dignity and respect, is one of the biggest challenges that we face as a society. There are complex questions to address, which is why we have invited cross-party talks. These will take place at the earliest opportunity considering the current coronavirus circumstances. The government will then bring forward a plan for social care for the longer term.
Department of Health and Social Care
This is a revised response. The Petitions Committee requested a response which more directly addressed the request of the petition. You can find the original response towards the bottom of the petition page (Pay Carers an allowance equivalent to a fulltime job at the National Living wage - Petitions)
The Petitions Committee will take a look at this petition and its response. They can press the government for action and gather evidence. If this petition reaches 100,000 signatures, the Committee will consider it for a debate.
The Committee is made up of 11 MPs, from political parties in government and in opposition. It is entirely independent of the Government. Find out more about the Committee: How petitions work
Thanks,
The Petitions team
UK Government and Parliament
Liondog
Just seen this today also…
The bit that really gets me is
"It has never been the role of government to pay people for the tasks they undertake, voluntarily…
How many of US are doing this as volunteers?
I for one had no choice when my sons placements broke down one by one
Know the feeling. I may have chosen to take on a caring role, but I certainly didn’t volunteer for all the extra duties I’ve had to take on since the start of the Covid pandemic. Those were basically forced on me due to a lack of services and support.
I signed this petition, and whilst I can see the need for it, it doesn’t give any help to us oldies who no longer work.
I stopped working in 2015 when I turned 65, I’d already been caring to some extent for a couple of years prior to that, but everything went downhill quite quickly for my wife in 2014/15 and my caring responsibilities increased accordingly.
I’ve not had a day off since I retired. This can’t be right.
I could probably wangle a couple of hours a week respite care if I could bother to go through all the hoops but a couple of hours a week is pointless. There’s no problem leaving my wife to her own devices for a couple of hours and so I already take a couple of hours each afternoon.
I need a couple of weeks break, not a couple of hours, and I don’t understand why I can’t get access to something like that without dipping deeply into my pocket.
Once you take your pension, there’s no more Carers Allowance, if fact, if you’ve been careful with your money during your earlier years, there’s nothing at all.
I’ll say it again: this can’t be right!
AJAY
It isn’t right.
If you get to aged 70 and you can’t have a couple of weeks break without dipping into your own pocket to fund care for your wife there is something VERY WRONG.
I am the same as you I get the odd hour or two off, but what I really need is regular breaks of a week or two.
There is just no sign of that.
If I get to pension age and have my two sons sorted in supported living - if my hubby suddenly needed care there’s only one thing to do…
Run!
I could not face looking after anyone else
Hi everyone. I’ve just signed the petition - it’s really easy and is done in under a minute or so. They just ask for your name and email address. They then send you an email and you then click on the link.
Please sign this petition. So far there are less than 20,000 signatures so we have a very long way to go to reach 100,000 +.
When 100,000 people have signed the petition then the government will discuss raising Carers allowance for us.
Carers Uk
Many more signatures are needed for this petition.
I am guessing its not reaching everybody…
Will you promote this petition nationally please?
To be honest I think this post regarding the petition for ‘Carers allowance’ is hidden here and is not being read. In my opinion it should be at the top of the forum. After all this is something that affects thousands of Carers. We need more signatures.
£67.25 per week for working 35 + hours as a carer is appalling.
There is a total of 26,506 members of this forum, (info is at bottom of index page) many of those are not active, many others have signed up, asked one question and disappeared again. As I write this, there are just six registered users on-line. I understand your fervour, but the signatures need to come from some of the other 7,000,000 carers in the country.
If you google “carers petition” and do a bit of digging into the past you will find several that have been started, most of them have not received the requisite number of signatures: it’s a sad state of affairs, but there it is.
There has been as of now 1006 view of this thread.
Even if everyone of those signed it would be a small contribution. Individuals need to read and forward to friends and family to support it.
in my case , friends and family dont care .
and because i am in scotland , it is usually seen as carers should be paid LESS or none at all. than we already get.
I have been blamed for the unemployed not getting more money than they deserve ,
i have family who think i am free loading scum , and to lazy to work a real job .
so i just wanted to be a carer for a free ride and easy way out …
and many people i have spoken to , think the same , carers get to much money …
even if you include the little “” top up “” carers in scotland get , i have been told its to much already and should not get any .