Scottish government plans to introduce a new devolved benefit for carers has received overall support but consultation respondents have raised concerns that proposals won’t go far enough.

Proposals to replace the Department for Work and Pensions’ Carers Allowance with a devolved Scottish Carer’s Allowance benefit were laid out in a consultation published in February this year.

A key proposal of the plans to introduce an additional £10 a week payment for carers providing care for more than one person received majority support from consultation respondents, but representative groups have raised concerns around eligibility and the low value of the new benefit.

A significant minority of respondents said proposed eligibility for the new payment is too strict, with only people providing at least 20 hours of care per week for each additional person and those in receipt of Scottish Carer’s Assistance able to receive the funds.

In its consultation response, Child Poverty Action Group Scotland said they were not clear why those with an underlying entitlement to carers’ allowance are being excluded and suggested the current proposals could lead to confusion within the system:

“A solution would be to pay carer’s additional person payment to carers who have an underlying entitlement to carers allowance as well. This would be in line with the policy intent, which isn’t to fully mitigate the costs of caring, nor to pay them for their carers role – its role is to provide support for carers.

“Carer’s Additional Person Payment recognises that ‘having more than one caring role can have a bigger impact on carers’ health and wellbeing’ – so carers on overlapping benefits equally need this support.”

The proposed £10 payment was called ‘an insult’ by some respondents, who told the Scottish government that the low value of the additional benefit would do little to alleviate poverty faced by this group.

While most of the 118 individual consultation respondents who answered the question agreed with the proposed eligibility criteria, none of the representative bodies or associations did so.

According to an analysis of 192 consultation responses, the proposals for the new benefit – the 13th to be taken over by the new Social Security Scotland organisation when it is fully rolled out in spring 2024 – have been broadly welcomed.

Respondents agreed the proposals for the new benefit better recognise carers, and the approach outlined in the consultation paper was perceived to be more sympathetic, flexible, person-centred and an acknowledgement of the difficult and challenging role faced by carers.

One change the Scottish government is considering but did not flesh out in its consultation is for an extra payment for long term carers.

A large majority (86%) of respondents agreed that this should be considered further, to help provide greater financial support and stability to those who have been caring for a long time.

The Scottish government has proposed further changes to the benefit after its initial introduction, including removing education restrictions to allow full-time students to claim the benefit, and upping the earnings limit.

These proposals received 97% and 82% agreement respectively from the consultation respondents, though a significant minority argued entitlements should be based solely on the hours spent caring rather than income.

Other proposals, including allowing carers to add together caring hours for multiple people to qualify for support, and extending support after the loss of a cared for person or when a cared for person is in hospital, also received support from the majority of respondents.

Scottish Carer's Assistance will begin to be rolled out by the end of 2023 under current plans, with full national introduction by spring 2024.

 

Read more: Minister: Carers benefit launch “top priority”; Unpaid carers being “pushed to the brink”; Views sought on new carer benefit

 

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