Social Security - Scottish Carer's Assistance consultation: Scottish Government response - easy read

Section 2. Extra money for carers in Scotland

Carer's Support Supplement: What people told us

Carer's Allowance Supplement gives more money to carers in Scotland if they get Carer's Allowance now or Carer Support Payment in the future.

This section asked people if they would like to be paid Carer's Allowance Supplement at the same time as they get Carer Support Payment, or keep getting two payments every year as they do now.

Most people agreed that Carer's Allowance Supplement payments should be paid with regular payments of Carer Support Payment as more regular payments would help with budgeting.

Some people said that the carer should have a choice on how they get their payments, either twice a year or more regularly.

Some people said that getting the Carer's Allowance Supplement in two payments works better for them, because it helps with unexpected bills and Christmas shopping.

Some people said that Carer's Allowance Supplement should be paid to all carers and the payments should be higher.

Scottish Government reply

Since most people agreed with our plans to pay Carer Allowance Supplement more regularly along with regular Carer Support Payments, we will go ahead with this.

Some people said that they preferred the Supplement twice a year as a lump sum but most people did not agree with this. We would need to use a complicated system to check who should get it and when. This could mean some carers would miss out on the payment.

We think more regular payments would be fairer for carers and make sure that they get the right amount of support. This would help carers on lower incomes by giving them a higher regular income and help with budgeting.

Having a system where some carers get lump sums and others get regular payments would be too complicated and cause problems for the system and for carers.

When we change how payments are made for Carer's Allowance Supplement, we will make sure that carers know about it before it happens.

We will confirm when the changes to Carer's Allowance Supplement are happening at a later stage. This is because the Supplement is being looked at as part of wider changes to Carer Support Payment and Carer's Additional Person Payment.

Carer's Additional Person Payment – Who can get it: What people told us

Carer's Additional Person Payment would be a new payment from the Scottish Government to give extra support to people who care for more than one person who get a disability benefit. It would be £10 per week.

This payment would be increased – or 'up-rated' – each year in the same way as other Scottish benefits.

Most people agreed with the plans on who should be able to get Carer's Additional Person Payment. They said the payment would help to recognise the extra work that carers do when caring for more than one person.

Some people thought the payment should be more than £10 per week. People thought that the payment would not make up for the extra care being given to more than one person.

Scottish Government reply

We will bring in Carer's Additional Person Payment after all carers in Scotland have moved from Carer's Allowance to Carer Support Payment. We call this 'case transfer'.

Carer's Additional Person Payment is not a payment for care – it is an extra amount to support those with more than one caring role and recognises the extra impact this can have on a carer's wellbeing.

We will lower the number of hours a carer needs to care each week to get Carer's Additional Person Payment from 35 hours to 20 hours. This is an important role and a carer may experience negative impacts on their health when they have more than one caring role.

We are also thinking about ways to allow carers to add hours of care together for two people who get disability benefit. More information on this can be found in Section 3.

Carer's Additional Person Payment – How often it is paid: What people told us

People were asked if Carer's Additional Person Payment of £10 per week should be paid at the same time as Carer Support Payment. This could be every week or every four weeks.

Most people agreed with the proposal. They said paying it this way would be less confusing and avoid overpayments. Some organisations also said that paying this way would be good for budgeting and people would know the amount of money they would be getting regularly.

Some organisations said that there should be a choice for when to get these payments. Each carer has their own circumstances and their own needs.

Like the last question, some people thought that the amount should be more than £10, because everyone being cared for should be getting the same level of care.

Scottish Government reply

We will go ahead with our plans for Carer's Additional Person's Payment. This would be paid at the same time as Carer Support Payment and will go up every year.

We have worked with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to see if we can bring in this support before case transfer.

This would mean people already getting Carer's Allowance would get extra support at the same time as carers applying for the first time.

However the way that Carer's Allowance and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) systems work together is very complicated. A change like this would risk the transfer of carers' benefits to Scotland, so we will introduce this once case transfer is complete.

Carer's Additional Person Payment – Who it is targeted at: What people told us

People were asked if Carer's Additional Person Payment should be targeted at carers who get Carer Support Payment.

Most people agreed with this proposal. People said that it was fair because caring for more than one person takes a lot of time and work and these carers may miss out on opportunities because of this.

Some people disagreed. They said it should also be paid to carers who have 'underlying entitlement' to Carer Support Payment.

People also said that it is important for the Scottish Government to work with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to make sure carers do not lose out on other benefits. They should be told about any extra money they are entitled to as well.

Scottish Government reply

Most people agreed that Carer's Additional Person Payment should be targeted at carers who get Carer Support Payment and not those with 'underlying entitlement' or those who get the Universal Credit Carer Element only.

Some organisations thought that those with 'underlying entitlement' should also get the extra payment. However carers with 'underlying entitlement' will most likely get other support like the State Pension, which is paid at a higher rate than Carer Support Payment.

We will also make sure that we give clear information to carers who are getting Universal Credit or applying for it. This will let them know if they would be better off if they applied for Carer Support Payment.