Real change not short change : time to deliver for carers

Based on a survey of nearly 3,000 carers, it finds that they face a severe financial penalty as soon as they start caring, unpaid, for a disabled or chronically ill relative or friend.  The survey shows that carers are having to sell their homes, cut back on food, heating and clothes, give up their jobs, and sacrifice their pensions - leaving many deeply anxious about their financial future.

It reveals very clearly that the current benefits system does not allow carers an acceptable standard of living and neither recognises nor values them for the contribution they make to the national economy. 

The survey finds that:

• 72% are worse off since they started caring
• 65% are not in paid work
• 54% give up work to care
• 53% say that financial worries are affecting their health
• 33% are in debt
• 30% are cutting back on food or heating
• 10% cannot afford to pay their rent or mortgage
  

The survey also looked into the obstacles that carers face to remain in work. Nearly half (45%) of respondents said they would like to work. But six in ten working age carers say that the reason they cannot work is due to the level and complexity of the care they provide. 

According to the report, caring hits hard in the first year with carers struggling to cope with the changes in their personal situation and their finances. They find they have to give up work at the same time as they have to bear the extra costs of disability.  After that, there is a steady decline in their financial situation over time.  

Parents of disabled children under the age of 18 and those caring for adult disabled children struggle the most on the financial front. Similarly those carers under 60 years old are severely affected, suffering greater debt, have difficulty in paying bills and having to borrow from friends and family.

Key recommendations

• A radical overhaul of carers benefits