Supporting carers to care

Lewis, Ruth, Tucker, Lauren, Harrop, Chris, Keenan, Ciara and Green, Daniel (2009) Supporting carers to care. House of Commons papers . National Audit Office, London, UK. ISBN 9780102954630

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Abstract

The majority of carers who receive benefits from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) are satisfied with the support they receive, worth up to £2 billion a year. The Department is delivering carers' benefits effectively and has made improvements in processing claims in the last few years. But at least a fifth have difficulties in applying for Carer's Allowance. Some carers are confused by the way Carer's Allowance interacts with other benefits, including Pension Credit and Income Support. The Department does not know the take-up rate of Carer's Allowance. Not all eligible carers apply for the support they are entitled to because they are not aware of the Allowance; they do not think they are eligible; they do not think of themselves as carers; or they choose not to apply because of the possible effect on the benefits of the person that they care for. A quarter of those receiving Carer's Allowance, whom the NAO surveyed, wanted paid work alongside their caring responsibilities. Most carers were satisfied with general work-related advice they received from Jobcentre Plus. But over 70 per cent of those who had contacted Jobcentre Plus for employment support in the last year found that its services were not well suited to their personal circumstance as carers, for example, the need for work with restricted hours or flexible working patterns. Only a fifth of Jobcentre Plus staff thought they had all the skills and knowledge they needed to support carers who want to do paid work. Advisers are incentivised to help customers get back into full-time work, but not part-time work.

Item Type:	Book
Additional Information:	Department for Work and Pensions, Report by the Comptroller and Auditor General HC 130 Session 2008-2009. The National Audit Office study team consisted of: Ruth Lewis, Lauren Tucker, Chris Harrop, Ciara Keenan and Daniel Green, with assistance from Jennifer Aitchison and Jayne Howell, under the direction of James Robertson.
Subjects:	L400 Social Policy
Department:	Faculties > Arts, Design and Social Sciences > Social Sciences
Related URLs:	Publisher
Depositing User:	Helen Pattison
Date Deposited:	12 Jul 2012 15:32
Last Modified:	24 Oct 2017 08:25
URI:	http://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/8137

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