REPLY FROM D.W.P. ANNE MCGUIRE (GONE)

[g.herschel]

But first the questions i asked .
1. how will someone like me who is in receipt of the carers allowance and no other benefit due to my private ocupational pension be affected when the green paper on welfare reform becomes law will i remain on some kind of carers allowance if so at what rate if i remain on the present level and not the new J.S.A. i will lose out by £15 per week

2.carers in receipt of carers allowance and income support how will they benefit by moving on to J.S.A. - J.S.A. is about £65 per week carers alowance is £50 their income support will no doubt be more than £15 per week so will they be worse off or better off after the move onto J.S.A.

3. do you personally think it is possible for someone to work for 40 hours per week and still be available to work as a carer when at home

reply some 4 weeks later.

I can assure you the government does value the role of carers and it appreciates the efforts they are making. The intention of the suggested change is to ensure that carers are not excluded from the opportunities that are available to others. It would not be right to consign carers to a life on benefits if. given the right support, they may be able to move into work.

Income support is a largely passive benefit.it does little to prepare for the future.It is only right that everyone within the benefit system should be given the same opportunities to develop their potential.

Under the governments proposals,those currently claiming income support would not be expected to be "imediately"available for work, or actively seeking it, this acknowledges that they have other responsibilities, such as caring.

As the govrnment works towards a simplified benefits system, it needs to consider how it can best support carers. The government wants to make it easier for carers to both work and care-or prepare for work- and reflect the diversity of carers circumstances and caring responsabilities.
Carers make an extremely valuable contribution to society. In recognition of this . the government will not compel carers to undertake work related activity. as it does with other groups, however , many carers have told the government that they want to work at the same time as caring or at some point in the future. the goverment therefore , want to ensure that it supports carers to acheive this, and give them access to the support available to to other receipients.The government could do this by moving carers currently receiving income support onto a "modified" version of J.S.A. . This along with the measures the government announced in the carers strategy, would help it provide more support for carers who want to both work and care - or prepare for work whilst caring.


GEORGE=====

[MaryB]

I'm new here so really ought to introduce myself first, but having just read this wanted to ask who the many carers are telling the government they want to work, how do they get such a swift response and yet the many carers telling the government they need an increase in carers allowance appear not to be heard.
Vicky

[D0r0thyG]

Welcome to the forum Vicky. Couldn't have put it better myself. Somebody who's caring 24 hours a day, seven days a week wants to go out to work? I don't think so. The only reason anyone doing all those hours caring, would need to go out to work would be to make ends meet because we're not getting enough Carers Allowance. We are the only breadwinner so to speak as our "caree" can't work. It's a no win situation.

[Scally]

I'm new here so really ought to introduce myself first, but having just read this wanted to ask who the many carers are telling the government they want to work, how do they get such a swift response and yet the many carers telling the government they need an increase in carers allowance appear not to be heard.
Vicky

Hi Vicky, and welcome.
I'm one of those many carers - several million of us - who cares but not 24/7. Like so many carers, my son is out at school all day, and I have a family who share the care too when they can. So I have managed to juggle caring with work very happily for nearly 20 years. As it happens, roughly half of all carers are in the same boat as me, whilst many others are retired and no longer wish to work for pay.

If the govrnment wants to help carers back to work, there is a great deal they can do - and the real test will be their willingness to support carers like Alex who wish to study whilst caring, by continuing to pay them carers benefit, so that they can get a job when the time comes.

Flexible hours, and greater understanding of carers needs will also help employers to tempt qualified people like me back into the workplace. I often pay other people to provide extra support when I need it for after-school care, in fact we have two local families where my son is very welcome at the drop of a hat.

I hope this explains how all our circumstances can be very different, and why this move by the government might be very welcome to many carers like me.

[g.herschel]

I hate to say it again but who looks after our elderly/young disabled relative`s when we are out at work ? when i was last employed a job i had done for some 25 years ( overhead linesman) i was unable to both work and care, its the same old problem when we return from work we need time to relax have a meal watch eastenders are we not entitled to a good night`s sleep and when at work who pays to look after our caree in our area its means tested £16 per hour for care worker day center is about £28 per day also my caree does not want strangers within her own home .
If the government were even to pay for part time care what would it cost ? minimum wage for care worker £250 per week just so a "full time carer" can go out and work or prepare for work the carer should be paid for "working" as a carer we or most of us can retrain when our caring comes to an end just like the bankers are about to do now that they have lost their jobs

I was also annoyed at the use of the word "responsabilities" i strongly believe looking after our elderly /young disabled relatives is in fact not our responsability its something we have chosen to do ( well most of us have ) the elderly /young disabled should receive help from the N.H.S. and local authority however if a family member is able and capable and willing to do the work of ful time carer they should be paid the going rate .
iam sorry to say it again but the working carers or those who have told the government they want to work and care at the same time have been pushed to the top of the agenda yet again .

GEORGE

[g.herschel]

If we are not going to be "forced " into looking for a job or even trained for work whats the point of going onto the J.S.A. if you are on J.S.A. and fail to look for or take up a job after you have been offered 3 you will lose your benefit or be forced to work within the community yet we as carers will be in receipt of the same benefit as someone who is "unemployed" he/she can just sit on their R`S while we on the same benefit will be working in some cases 24/7 does the government not realise how that makes many carers feel that we are just being used .

we should have a special benefit for carers only they could call it the carers allowance and this allowance will reflect the work we do and give us the same entitlement as J.S.A. problem solved again by George .

GEORGE========

[Myrtle]

But when did government ministers ever look for the sensible solution?

[MaryB]

Thank you Excalibar, but I still think it's selective hearing, they hear those who want to go work and not the far larger group who can't go to work and need a realistic income.
My children cannot be left in the hands of strangers and I would not want them to, what job is going to be more important to me than my children?
If however a job was a realistic option for me then I wouldn't need to ask the government to help me.
What is it about JSA that makes finding a job easier?
I seen absolutely nothing in the green paper that would help our situation, my children have had respite in the past but it was very sub standard and frankly I wouldn't use it again, I have missed family weddings and funerals rather than leave my children with strangers who cannot possibly understand their needs as well as I do.
Vicky

[Guest]

Hi
I thought Rosemary had Locked a thread the same as this yesterday before this one was put on here( ie) Cheryl 's thread as it was already on here on another thread.

I do agree that putting someone on JSA that is a carer is wrong.


John

[Lazydaisy]

Most Carers will never be able to work while they are Carers. There is no doubt about that. And putting us onto JSA will not alter the fact.It will just leave us all more frightened that we will be more poverty stricken and even less able to cope.

Two days ago, I was informed that due to a mess-up,(by someone in a suit), the day centre that our son has attended for the last fourteen months, privately run, paid for by Social Services, has not been paid for at all. I have had phone calls and e-mails since, asking me about it. It was dealt with by my son's Social Worker,and I have informed them that I assumed the payments were in place. I had no idea this morning, whether my son would even be picked up or not. I have no idea what will happen next week, and at the same time, I am being harassed by Social Services to put direct payments into place(which we do want, but I cannot do it all at once).

I would have to have a wonderful employer for me to be able to work, as there is no day servie if the council workers strike, or there is a leak in the roof,or my son is ill, has appointments,or, as now, something that we had been told was in place had not been dealt with. Repsite care is only available if the disabled person is well, you have to cancel all prior arrangements if he/she is ill. Plus any other family emergencies that crop up.(At the moment, my Dad is very ill again, so on top of everything else, I am visiting him. He lives in a retirement home, but I still want to be with him, he still wants reassurance)

I would like to work. It is simply not an option. I do not have people able or willing to help.Relatives and friends wil only do it for so long, and then they turn their backs or make excuses. In 23 years of caring, my husband and I have had less than seven nights that are childfree. Surely,as much as working and caring, I should also be able to have a marriage?