It may feel as if your world has been turned upside down when you
take on a caring role for a friend or relative. Caring can be
unpredictable, it can happen overnight and often cannot be planned.
You are not alone. Three in five of us will become carers at some
stage in our lives, and there are currently over three million
working carers in the UK. Work is important for
well-being, income and to keep social contacts.
There are things you can do to help you cope with the pressures of
work and care. As a working carer you are likely to need a range of
support in the workplace, and often different levels of support at
different times – from access to a telephone to check on the person
you care for, to leave arrangements to fit in with when someone is
discharged from hospital.
Balancing work and life in the 21st century can be a tough act to
manage, but help is at hand. From 6 April 2007, a new law gives
carers the right to request flexible working. Carers – people
looking
after disabled, and chronically sick family and relatives –
sometimes
need help juggling their work and home responsibilities.
The
evidence from employers is that making this happen can bring
concrete business benefits.
In a complex modern world, achieving a work-life balance has
become a priority for the many, not a concession for the few. To
boost their business, employers require a more flexible and
multi-skilled
workforce. At the same time, employees, including carers,
need to balance multiple responsibilities inside and outside the
workplace. The world of work is changing and we have to change
with it if we are to remain competitive.
This is an allowance for people who spends at least 35 hours each
week caring for a severely disabled person. Who has either
Attendance Allowance or the middle or high rate care component of
Disability Living Allowance or Constant Attendance Allowance of
£50.90 weekly or over.
You do not have to be related to this person, or living with them.
You can get Carers Allowance If you have never worked. You can get
Carers Allowance If you also have Attendance Allowance or Disability
Living Allowance yourself. If you are paid Carers Allowance or have
claimed Carers Allowance but are unable to be paid it due to having
another benefit in your own right, you will have the carer premium
(£26.35) included in your applicable amount for Income Support,
Income Based J.S.A Pension Credit, Housing and Council Tax Benefits.
If you are actually paid Carers Allowance the person you care for
will not receive the Severe Disability Premium (£46.75 wkly) in
their Income Support, Income Based J.S.A, Pension Credit, Housing
and Council Tax benefits calculations. Because of this it is not
always advantageous for you to claim Carers Allowance Even if you
are eligible. You and the person you care for should Seek Advice
before claiming.
Visit the Welfare rights website for more info
There are 3 million working carers in the UK. Of these 1.4 million
are men and 1.7 million are women. This percentage reflects the
findings of the Government’s first baseline survey of work-life
balance, in which 11% of respondents were men, and 15% women.
Carers are not a static group - more than 2.3 million people move in
and out of caring situations each year.
Research tells us that 3 out of 5 people will care at some stage in
their working lives.
Many carers find themselves forced to give up work due to a lack of
care services or flexible employment. A survey by Carers UK found
that an incredible 7 out of 10 carers under 50 and 8 out of 10
carers aged 50 – 60 had given up work to care.
Future workforce predictions tell us that the economy will need an
additional 2 million people in the next 20 years, only a quarter of
whom will be school or college leavers. Employers will need to widen
their recruitment pool at exactly the same time that society will
see an increase in the need for care.
The Law relating to
Carers
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