Family carers should feel visible, valued and supported

Ben Budd

June 6, 2022

August 24, 2022

Caring impacts on all aspect of life, from relationships and health to finances and work. As family carers continue to face challenging circumstances this year, it is vital to feel connected and understand the support available.

Carers need to know their rights wherever they are in their caring journey: whether they are in the workplace, in a healthcare setting, when interacting with professionals or at home. 

Dementia Carers Count associate practitioner Jane Stanfield explores the range of carers’ rights and benefits and the types of assessments and support available. Some of those rights are less well-known and might be missed. Here are three she has highlighted:

Carers Credits

Many carers are eligible for Carers Allowance, a benefit intended to mitigate some of the loss of earning power which caring may cause. A recipient of Carers Allowance will automatically be credited with a National Insurance “stamp” so that they continue to build up rights to the state pension even though they are not paying National Insurance.

But not all carers can claim Carers Allowance for various reasons; for example, if the person they are caring for refuses to claim the relevant disability benefit, or if they are caring for 30 hours a week rather than 35.

If they have not already built up a full entitlement to their pension then they will lose out if they are unable to earn enough to pay their National Insurance.

Could Carers Credit work for you?

Carers credits allow pension entitlement to be protected. For more information and to apply for the credits visit the Gov.uk website.

Carers’ Disregard for Council Tax

Council Tax bills are drawn up on the assumption that there are at least two adults living in a property. If there is a single occupant then there is a 25% reduction in the bill. Some adults are ignored for Council Tax purposes, such as students and those with a “severe mental impairment”. Less well known is that in some circumstances carers can also be disregarded for Council Tax.

The carer must be:

• the spouse or partner of the person needing the care
• caring at least 35 hours a week
• living in the same property as the person needing the care (who must be over 18)
• the person needing the care must be in receipt of the appropriate disability benefit (Attendance Allowance, Personal Independence Payment daily living component or Disability Living Allowance middle or high rate care component)

Sometimes both the carer and the person needing the care can be disregarded. If there are no other adults in the property then a 50% reduction is possible.

For more details visit the Carers UK website

Protection from discrimination under the Equality Act

Carers are protected from direct discrimination and harassment in the same way as someone with a disability is protected. Discrimination because of caring for someone with a disability is “discrimination by association” and is considered in the same way as direct discrimination of someone because of a disability. This is worth remembering if, for example, you are passed over for promotion because you are a carer.

Carers UK set out this and other carers rights at work here

Spotlight on carers’ rights and benefits

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Jane Stanfield is Associate Practitioner with Dementia Carers Count and leads our sessions on carers’ rights.

Jane originally trained and practiced as a solicitor before deciding to move into social care. Having worked with adults with learning disabilities and then older people with dementia, she specialised in supporting carers and over the last 25 years has developed and delivered services for carers and raised awareness of carers’ needs in London, Birmingham and Gloucestershire.

https://dementiacarers.org.uk/blog/dementia-and-continence/

https://dementiacarers.org.uk/blog/do-you-have-feelings-of-guilt/

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Family carers should feel visible, valued and supported | Dementia Carers Count

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