Carer Support Payment: equality impact assessment

Data and key findings

A summary of the available evidence and data collected to help inform this EQIA for each of the protected characteristics covered by legislation is provided in the table below.

Sex

Eligibility for Carer’s Allowance

• As of February 2023, 69% of Carer’s Allowance recipients in Scotland were women^[27]. Over 75% of those in receipt of Carer’s Allowance aged 30-39 are women. After this age the proportion of women caring falls very gradually to 65% in the 60-64 group, with women making up 66% of over 65s^[28].
• The 2021-22 Carers Census showed that, 73% of carers were female. ^[29]

Key points

• Women are most likely to be in receipt of disability and ill health benefits. 55% of adults in receipt of the disability benefits are women^[30].
• Women are more likely to rely on social security payments as part of their incomes than men, and there is some evidence that women typically act as ‘poverty managers’, going without food and other vital resources so that other family members do not.^[31]
• Women have been disproportionately impacted by cuts to disability benefits, both as claimants and as carers.^[32]
• There is some evidence to show women may be disproportionately affected by the economic impact of the pandemic due to lower incomes and increased caring responsibilities^[33].
• Women working full time were significantly more likely than men working full time to provide unpaid, regular care (17% of women, compared with 12% of men)^[34].

Barriers

Key points raised in work with carers and stakeholder organisations^[35]:

• The current earnings threshold and higher education restrictions within Carer’s Allowance constitute barriers to work and education and so maintain structural inequality for women.
• Carer identification - women are more likely than men to view caring tasks as integral to their existing role and responsibilities rather than as separate "caring”.
• Participants in the Experience Panels made references to disabled migrant women, and women from south Asian communities who may be caring for multiple family members. These women do not consider themselves to be carers and might not apply for the support to which they are entitled. It was also felt that language barriers might prevent some women (for whom English is not always their first language) from applying for support.
• Over half of all male carers feel their needs as carers are different to those of female carers and many struggle to ask for help and support.^[36]

Pregnancy and maternity

Eligibility for Carer’s Allowance

• DWP do not publish data on carers with this protected characteristic.
• There is little data available on this characteristic within the wider population. This information is not gathered through the census for example. However we do know that in 2023, around 1,248 households in Scotland were paid Universal Credit with a child under one year old and claiming the carer element^[37]. There will be many more people who are providing informal care who are pregnant or with a baby but who do not claim benefits.
• Maternity Allowance is an overlapping benefit with Carer’s Allowance. Carers receiving Maternity Allowance in full will have only underlying entitlement to Carer’s Allowance and so will not receive Carer’s Allowance or Carer’s Allowance Supplement. However, full Maternity Allowance is paid at a higher rate than Carer’s Allowance with the Supplement. Those receiving partial Maternity Allowance may receive partial Carer’s Allowance and would receive the Supplement in full. In 2022, this could constitute up to 1,766 people^[38].

Barriers

• It is self-evident that providing 35 hours or more care weekly whilst being pregnant or having young children is likely to induce more exhaustion and stress than an equivalent situation without being pregnant or having young children.
• Barriers set out above in relation to sex will also often apply.
• People receiving Maternity Allowance with underlying entitlement to Carer’s Allowance may feel that their role as a carer has not been recognised by the social security system.

Disability

Eligibility for Carer’s Allowance

• DWP do not publish data on the number of disabled carers eligible for Carer’s Allowance. However, benefit combination information^[39] suggests that in February 2023 15,574 working age carers who were entitled to Carer’s Allowance were also entitled to Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payment. A further 14,542 state pension age carers were also entitled to Carer’s Allowance and are entitled to one of Personal Independence Payment, Disability Living Allowance or Attendance Allowance. A significant proportion of those eligible for Carer’s Allowance are therefore disabled themselves. It is important to note that 'entitled to' does not necessarily mean in receipt of payment.
• According to the 2011 Scottish Census, 41% of carers of all ages have a long-term health condition.^[40] This is significantly different to other Scottish benefits – the Social Security Scotland Equalities Monitoring data from May 2021 found that that 17% of clients identified as having a physical or mental health condition or illness.^[41]
• The percentage of carers of all ages with one or more long-term health condition increases with the number of hours caring – from 36% of those caring for 1-19 hours to 50% of those caring for 35+ hours.^[42]
• Some disabled carers will be in receipt of Employment Support Allowance (ESA). Where this is paid at a higher rate than Carer’s Allowance, these carers will only have underlying entitlement to the benefit, and this will remain the case with Carer Support Payment. According to benefit combination statistics from the DWP^[43], 6,350 people in Scotland received ESA and were paid or had an underlying entitlement to Carer’s Allowance in May 2022.

Barriers

Key points raised in work with disabled carers and stakeholder organisations^[44]:

• Many disabled carers, particularly those with learning disabilities, reported feeling overwhelmed with the application process for benefits (including Carer’s Allowance) and that they struggled to understand what was being asked of them. Carers shared that they often had support workers to help complete applications for them and explain letters received about their benefits to them face-to-face. Many carer participants highlighted this was compounded by feelings of fear and intimidation from unpleasant experiences they previously had with the DWP.
• Disabled carers have reported concerns that applying for carer benefits may affect any disability benefits they receive or that they may be considered not to be eligible for disability benefits if they are receiving support for a significant caring role.^[45]
• Carers reported feeling ‘doubly stigmatised’ from being both disabled and a carer, often feeling stressed and isolated from not being able to talk about their experiences.
• A small number of interview participants and survey respondents stressed concerns about different circumstances which may impact on a carer’s eligibility. These included disabled carers who live together and care for each other, carers who care for multiple people, and carers who also need care due to their long-term conditions or disabilities^[46].

Age

Eligibility for Carer’s Allowance

• As of February 2023 statistics, there are 83,196 carers in Scotland in receipt of Carer’s Allowance.^[47] This includes 455 carers under 18, and around 3,494 carers over the age of 65.^[48] A further 41,985 carers in Scotland have an underlying entitlement to Carer’s Allowance but do not receive it. 79% of the carers with underlying entitlement (around 33,000) are over State Pension Age.^[49]
• Information on the age of people cared for by those in receipt of Carer’s Allowance is not publicly available.
• The Scottish Health Survey (2019) showed the prevalence of unpaid care varies significantly by age, increasing from 4% among those aged 4-15 to 7% among those aged 16-24. Prevalence of unpaid care is higher for middle age brackets (19% among those aged 45-54 and 21% among those aged 55-64) before it starts to decrease for older carers (14% among those aged 65-74 followed by a decrease to 7% of those aged 75 and over).^[50] It also showed a higher proportion of carers aged 65 and over reported providing 50 hours or more of unpaid care each week - 20% for those aged 65-74 and 28% for those aged 75 and over. Younger age groups varied from 4% to 15%.^[51]

Barriers for younger carers

Key points raised in our work with younger carers and stakeholder organisations^[52]:

• A fear of social services and a distrust of social security support as a result.
• Many young adult carers do not identify as carers, particularly where they are caring for family members such as parents or siblings. (Australian and UK studies have suggested that this is especially common among some minority ethnic communities.^[53])
• Many young adult carers grow up in areas of deprivation in Scotland and may not have personal access to technology that would allow them to make digital applications for support. Some young carers therefore face barriers to applying for support when they leave school as this is often where they have access to computers and laptops.
• The current restriction of Carer’s Allowance eligibility on full-time education puts many young carers off going into higher education.

Barriers for older carers

Key points raised in our work with older carers^[54]:

• Many older carers hold strong negative views that the Scottish Government do not plan to change the rule that carers receiving State Pension with only underlying entitlement would not receive the Carer Support Payment
• Many older carers have health issues themselves, which can exacerbate any negative impacts of caring^[55]
• Older aged group carers are more likely to have difficulty in finding the support they need particularly those unpaid carers aged 80 and above ^[56]
• A small number of interview participants highlighted the age difference of carers and the impact on the methods of communication used for application processes and information of carer benefits. They mentioned the limited use of online sources and services by older carers. Research from Citizens Advice Scotland^[57] found 38% of people aged 65 to 79 who accessed their services were unable to use a computer, compared to just 3% of people aged 18 to 24. 46% of those aged between 65 and 79 reported they never used the internet compared to just 1% of those aged 18 to 24.

Other issues

• A few Experience Panels interview participants mentioned that the proposals and plans around Carer Support Payment will improve children’s rights and wellbeing for young carers and also for carers who have children. They mentioned that young carers also need further wellbeing support.

Marriage and civil partnership

Eligibility for Carer’s Allowance

• DWP do not publish data on the number of eligible carers with the protected characteristic of marriage and civil partnership, and to date we have been unable to source data on the wider population.

Barriers

• Carers who are single are likely to have less of a support network to help them with their caring role^[58].

Race

Eligibility for Carer’s Allowance

• DWP do not publish data on race of carers eligible for Carer’s Allowance.

According to census data^[59]:

• 96% of carers are of a “White Scottish / British / Irish” ethnicity, while 4% are of “Other” ethnic backgrounds.
• 9% of people in Scotland provide unpaid care and this varies across ethnic groups. People from older ethnic groups such as 'White: Scottish' and 'White: Other British' were the most likely to provide unpaid care.
• People from ethnic groups with younger age profiles (such as the 'Arab' and 'White: Polish' groups) were least likely to provide weekly unpaid care.
• People from the White: Gypsy/Traveller group were most likely to be providing unpaid care and to be providing 35 hours or more of unpaid care, the threshold for Carer’s Allowance). The next most likely to provide 35 hours or more of unpaid care were Bangladeshi and Pakistani groups.

However, we know that some communities of BAME carers may be less likely to identify as carers.

Barriers

DWP research^[60] found on their provision:

• Language barriers where English was not the first language of carers, inadequate interpretation and translation services, and the use of terminology which was difficult to translate or which had negative cultural resonance could limit satisfaction and uptake of benefits.
• Reluctance to seek assistance in order to ‘hide’ the existence of disability within the family.
• Lower levels of awareness and knowledge of welfare benefits.

Points raised in our work with BAME carers and stakeholder organisations^[61] included:

• Many languages do not have a direct translation for the word ‘carer’, making it difficult to discuss help needed in relation to caring.
• Lack of awareness of support available being particularly prevalent in older minority ethnic carers who not only experienced language barriers but technology barriers as well, worsening issues with being able to access information on support available.
• Some people in BAME communities may not contact social security services unless they are in very challenging financial difficulties.
• A recent Social Security Scotland Client Survey reported^[62] that 7% of 10,757 respondents experienced some sort of barrier in getting help from Social Security Scotland. Of this group, 37% reported that they did not feel understood by Agency advisors, with a number of respondents citing written and verbal language barriers.

Work by the Minority Ethnic Carers of Older People Project (MECOPP)^[63] found that gypsy/ traveller communities:

• are less likely to identify as carers;
• are less likely to access support services for carers, including benefits, with high levels of illiteracy impacting significantly on carers’ ability to search for support and
• are likely to have lower levels of knowledge about carer entitlements.

Anecdotal evidence taken more widely on social security indicates that gypsy/travellers may prefer to operate in the cash economy, with Post Office accounts preferred to bank accounts.^[64]

Religion and belief

Eligibility for Carer’s Allowance

• DWP do not publish data on religion and belief of carers eligible for Carer’s Allowance.
• The 2011 Census showed that 9% of people in Scotland provided unpaid care. There was some variation in the proportion of people providing unpaid care by religion. A slightly higher proportion of people who identified as Church of Scotland (11%), Other Christian (11%), Jewish (11%), Buddhist (10%) and Roman Catholic (10%) provided unpaid care. Meanwhile, a slightly lower proportion of people who did not state their religion (9%), Sikh (8%), have no religion (8%), Muslim (7%) and Hindu (5%) provided unpaid care.
• Data from Social Security Scotland Equalities Monitoring forms collected between December 2020 and May 2021 shows that the proportion of clients across all Scottish benefits live at that time who identified as Roman Catholic was 12%, compared to 7% Church of Scotland, 5% Muslin and 5% Other Christian.

Barriers

There is little data available on how religion and belief may affect carers. However, participants in our Experience Panels^[65] highlighted that:

• Carers from different religions could be impacted diversely by the Carer Support Payment proposals because of cultural differences, and ideas about what constitutes being a carer and language barriers. They also mentioned that these communities may not contact social security services unless they are in very challenging financial situations.

Sexual orientation

Eligibility for Carer’s Allowance

• DWP do not publish data on the sexual orientation of carers eligible for Carer’s Allowance.
• A study published in 2007 by the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) Centre for Health and Wellbeing reported that 0.8% of respondents from Edinburgh, the Lothians and the Borders provided full-time caring.^[66]
• Data pooled from the Scottish Government's three household surveys shows that in 2019, 2.9% of people reported their sexual orientation to be lesbian, gay, bisexual or other, and does not show a statistically significant difference to levels of caring to those reporting as heterosexual.^[67]

Barriers

• LGBT carers face barriers in having both their LGBT and carer identities recognised by support services.^[68]
• There is often a lack of visibility of LGBT identities within services which are necessary to counter LGBT people’s expectations of discrimination, or a lack of confidence that services are able to meet their needs.^[69]
• Many LGBT carers or the LGBT people they are caring for may have reduced social networks due to a lack of acceptance of their sexual orientation or gender identity. This can result in accessing less support than other carers.^[70]
• Many LGBT people fear potentially experiencing homophobia, biphobia or transphobia from services or have previous experience of discrimination from a service.^[71]
• Issues for LGBT+ individuals in receiving support for a caring role if they do not want to declare the nature of their relationship to the cared for individual^[72].

Other issues

A high proportion of LGBT people have been subject to bullying. A Carer’s Trust report in 2016 reported that 83% respondents had personally experienced bullying in school, 40% in college and 27% at university.^[73]

Gender reassignment

Eligibility for Carer’s Allowance

• DWP do not publish data on of carers eligible for Carer’s Allowance with this protected characteristic.
• A study published in 2007 by the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) Centre for Health and Wellbeing reported that 0.8% of respondents from Edinburgh, the Lothians and the Borders provided full-time caring.^[74]

Barriers

(We do not have data which separates LGB issues from gender reassignment issues)

LGBT carers face barriers in having both their LGBT and carer identities recognised by support services ^[75]:

• There is often a lack of visibility of LGBT identities within services which are necessary to counter LGBT people’s expectations of discrimination, or a lack of confidence that services are able to meet their needs.^[76]
• Many LGBT carers or the LGBT people they are caring for may have reduced social networks due to a lack of acceptance of their sexual orientation or gender identity. This can result in accessing less support than other carers. ^[77]
• Many LGBT people fear potentially experiencing homophobia, biphobia and transphobia from services or have previous experience of discrimination from a service. ^[78]
• Issues for LGBT individuals in receiving support for a caring role if they do not want to declare the nature of their relationship to the cared for individual. ^[79]

Other issues

A high proportion of LGBT people have been subject to bullying. A Carer’s Trust report in 2007 reported that 83% respondents had personally experienced bullying in school, 40% in college and 27% at university.^[80]