Young Carer Grant - interim evaluation: qualitative research (Annex A)

Chapter 3: How young carers used the grant

Main findings

Young carers used the grant in a wide range of ways and in very much the same ways as teenagers in general tend to spend their money: on clothes, socialising with friends, putting it into savings (e.g for driving lessons), on electronic devices, on hobbies and on presents for family. More execptionally, they spent it on rent or food.

Those who had received the grant after COVID-19 restrictions came into force were less likely to have spent the money on socialising with friends.

The amount of the grant

In 2020/21, Young Carer Grant was £305.10 and was paid in one instalment. Young Carers made few comments on the amount of the grant although there was a view that it 'could be more'. Stakeholders acknowledged that there were limited funds but some also felt that a larger amount would have more impact (one suggested around £600).

There was a suggestion from young carers that receiving the grant in one instalment made them think more carefully about how to spend it. Stakeholders also felt that receiving a larger amount in one go had more impact.

Understanding that recipients can decide themselves how to spend the grant

The young carers we spoke to were generally clear that it was up to them how they spent the money. One referenced the letter,"it said that it was for us to use how we want", and another said "I was told I could spend it on whatever I want. That was quite obvious to me, like through the adverts I've seen and stuff". That said, they sometimes sought reassurance from young carers' group workers and one checked through the Young Carer Grant helpline. Stakeholders reported that the young carers they work with often have to produce receipts for things – so they needed to make it clear that was not necessary for the grant.

The main exception among the young carers we interviewed was someone whose group worker had applied for the grant on her behalf. She incidated that, when she first received the money, she was worried there might be restrictions on how it should be used and that she might have to provide evidence of how she had spent it. Although this was resolved and she did in the end spend the money in the way she wanted, she suggested that more reassurance should be given. It may be that the fact she did not apply for the grant herself meant she missed the reassurances that other recipients picked up through the application process.

How recipients used the grant

The table below shows the wide range of ways in which young carers used the grant. Comparison with findings from a 2019 Teenage Finance report show that young carers spent the grant in very much the same way as teenagers in general tend to spend their money.^[11]

Table 2: How young carers used the grant

Broad category: Clothes and personal care

Examples: Clothes, shoes, getting hair done, buying make-up

Broad category: Socialising with friends

Examples: Going out for something to eat, going to the cinema, going to a concert, a go-karting trip

Broad category: Putting all or part of the grant into savings

Examples: General savings or savings for particular things (specifics mentioned included saving for driving lessons, for a car, for university, for holidays)

Broad category: Electronic devices

Examples: Laptop, tablet, phone

Broad category: Exercise and health

Examples: Gym membership, exercise equipment, a vape kit (as a tobacco alternative)

Broad category: Hobbies

Examples: Dance classes, drawing equipment, a guitar, video games

Broad category: Giving to other people

Examples: Christmas presents for family, donating 10-15% to charity

Broad category: Necessities

Examples: Rent (a participant who had recently moved into her own flat for university), day-to-day family spending on food (this was exceptional)

In the case of some larger purchases such as a laptop, all (or almost all) the grant was spent in one go on that item. More typically, young carers spent the money on a range of different things over a period of weeks or months:

I kind of kept it, new clothes when I needed it, new shoes, new jacket, new phone, over quite a few weeks. Aged 17, caring for mother

I got myself a jacket so my mum could save for Christmas […] the jacket was £60. I've still got some of the money, mum wants me to start driving when I'm 17, so saving £200 for that and I spent the rest on Christmas presents for family. Aged 16, caring for mother

As noted in the Methodology chapter, we were unable to speak to any young carers from rural areas. However, a stakeholder who worked with young people in a rural area indicated that they tended to use the grant for driving lessons and this was important because it gave them independence.

Whether COVID-19 restrictions affected how the grant was used

Those who received their grant before the COVID-19 restrictions came into force in March 2020 were more likely to have spent some of the money on socialising with friends. Those who received the grant afterwards were split on whether the restrictions had affected how they used it – some indicated that it had not made any difference while others said they would have spent more of it on going out. One participant had bought a laptop to help with homeschooling. He thought he would have otherwise have spent the money on driving lessons. The following young carer suggested that the restrictions had helped her save the money (for driving lessons) because she would otherwise have gone out more with friends and spent it on clothes:

I thought about it more logically because of lockdown. Aged 16, caring for mother