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

Chapter 5: Experiences of the application process

Main findings

Recipients of the grant generally found the application process to be easy and straightforward. Those who had experience of applying for other financial support felt the process for Young Carer Grant was easier in comparison.

Young carers typically applied online and found this to be convenient and accessible.

When asked if there were any difficult parts of the application process, recipients mentioned that the length of the application could be off-putting and there were some questions where they had to get input from their parents or the person they cared for. However, neither of these were seen as major deterrants to applying by participants.

There was a view among participants who had applied more than once that subsequent applications were quicker because they could carry over some information from their original application. However, there was a suggestion among both young carers and stakeholders that this process could be streamlined further, for example, by being able to save evidence submitted as part of the initial application in a portal.

The extent to which young carers relied on support to apply for the grant was mixed. While there were participants who completed their application independently, it was common for members of young carer organisations to be proactive in offering advice and support. Stakeholders reported a high degree of variability in the amount of support they had to provide to young carers engaging in the application process.

There were mixed experiences among participants who identified as having learning or processing difficulties. One participant with dyslexia found the application easier than they were expecting, while another who said he had difficulty with reading and writing found the idea of applying on his own intimidating. Stakeholders indicated that young carers with learning difficulties often needed extra support.

Views on the application process

The application process

Young carers in Scotland can apply for Young Carer Grant online, over the phone or by post. The application asks the young carer for information about themselves including age, address and National Insurance Number. They are also asked to provide information about the person/people they care for including their address, National Insurance Number, hours they are cared for and the benefit they receive.

However, although applicants are asked for the National Insurance Numbers of themselves and the cared-for person, and the qualifying benefit the cared for person receives, it is not necessary to provide this in the application. Social Security Scotland can still verify this information and process the application, but it may increase the time taken.

Once an application has been received the young carer is then asked to provide evidence of their address. This can be posted to Social Security Scotland or uploaded to them online.

Social Security Scotland will write to the cared-for person informing them that someone has applied for Young Carer Grant citing them as their cared-for person. The cared-for person does not need to reply to this letter if they believe everything is correct as Social Security Scotland does not ask for any proof that the care is taking place. If no care is being provided they can contact Social Security Scotland and let them know.

Young carers with a genuine and sufficient link to Scotland living outside the UK in the European Economic Area and Switzerland can also apply for Young Carer Grant over the phone or by post. They are required to provide more evidence to show that they are eligible for a Scottish benefit and to confirm their identity.

All applicants can also ask for a reminder to be sent after 12 months reminding them that they may be able to apply for the next year's payment. This is optional so only young carers who think they will be eligible for Young Carer Grant in 12 months receive this reminder.

Experiences of the application process

Young carers generally felt the application process was straightforward^[16]. The questions were described as quick and simple to answer, and seemed relevant and appropriate.

There wasn't anything hard about it, I think I just did it on the go, like I didn't have to waste a lot of time thinking about it. Aged 18, caring for mother

Young carers with experience of applying for other financial support tended to evaluate Young Carer Grant positively in comparison. For example, the process for receiving Young Carer Grant was described as easier than applying for Educational Maintenance Allowance, Student Awards Agency Scotland funding (SAAS) and other benefits.

It wasn't anything like the DWP or like the DVLA, like och, God, or SAAS […] getting your tax credits and that is not easy. Aged 18, caring for mother

Young carers typically applied online and found this to be convenient and easy to access. There was one recipient, however, who accidentally applied for Carer's Allowance instead of Young Carer Grant at first, as the two webpages were perceived to be similar. She suggested that a clarification on this could helpful to others, for example stating clearly 'this is NOT the application page for the Young Carer Grant' at the beginning on the Carer's Allowance webpage.

There were no concerns about sharing information online and there was a general sense of trust that the online form was secure.

There was a perception among stakeholders that, since the COVID-19 pandemic, young carers and their families seemed more comfortable communicating online and the process had become easier.

Those who did not apply online were either unaware that this was an option or expressed a preference for applying by phone due to experiencing difficulties with reading and writing.

When asked if there were any difficult aspects of the application process, young carers mentioned that there were some questions that they did not know the answer to at first. For example, one participant explained that her mother could not remember her National Insurance Number, and this made the application process longer.

Young carers typically had to ask the cared-for person for help to answer the questions on which benefits they received, although this was not described as a significant problem among participants. However, stakeholders mentioned that this would be more difficult for young carers living in chaotic households or with parents who were less able or willing to help.

I think the verification process was literally just like my mum had to confirm something, so that was easy because she's obviously got email, just emailed it, bang, done. Aged 18, caring for mother

There was a view that the application form is long and the process can be time-consuming, particularly when locating and submitting evidence. Recipients did not describe this as a major issue, but this point was reinforced by stakeholders who were aware of young carers for whom this had been a barrier to applying.

Experiences of second or third applications

Those who had applied more than once felt that the second time they applied was much quicker, as they were able to reuse evidence and information from their previous application. One young carer described how she had not been looking forward to applying a second time for Young Carer Grant but was pleasantly surprised at how much quicker the process was the second time around. She felt it would be beneficial to make young carers aware of this, to make them more likely to reapply for Young Carer Grant in future.

There was a perception that having to apply separately every year was burdensome. One young carer said they nearly forgot to reapply and suggested that it would be helpful if there was an option to request a reminder one year after submitting an application. Note that there is currently an option to request a reminder but it was clearly not obvious to this applicant.

There was a view among stakeholders that the process for submitting second or third applications could be streamlined further, for example saving information from the first application form and simply asking young carers to confirm that the information is still correct rather than actively filling in the form a second time. One stakeholder felt a portal would be well suited to this, since it would allow young carers to easily save their evidence and information from their initial application and make it readily available to use again in any subsequent applications.

Support with the application process

While there were young carers who completed the application form independently, it was common for young carers to receive support from family members or workers from young carer services to complete their application.

The support young carers described varied from general advice and encouragement, to having somebody go through the form step-by-step with them or even completing the form on their behalf. The verification process in relation to benefits was mentioned as the main element with which recipients sought support.

Recipients commonly indicated that young carer organisations provided support in a proactive way, so it was not necessarily the case that they would not have been able to complete the application form independently. However, there were recipients who felt that they would have been unable to apply on their own.

Stakeholders described a high degree of variability when it came to how much support they had to provide. They were aware of young carers who had applied independently but had also spent a significant amount of time with young carers who struggled to fill out the form and needed step-by-step guidance. It was highlighted that form-filling is a skill which not all young carers will have, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds or those with low levels of literacy. Young carers are also less likely to have previous experience of applying for financial support due to their age.

There were mixed experiences among participants who identified as having learning or processing difficulties. One young carer with dyslexia found the application easier than they were expecting, whereas others felt they needed extra support. One participant who said he had difficulty with reading and writing found the idea of applying on his own "intimidating".

Young carers who had used the telephone helpline for support with their application were very positive about this experience and said the people on the phone were helpful and friendly.

…the guy that spoke to me was really helpful, he told me then that there was an error on the system […] he promised to ring me back the next day after he'd investigated it, he did and I'd got a text, before that even, to say that he resolved it on the same day for me, so they were very, very quick, got to the point, it was very helpful. Aged 18, caring for mother and sibling

There was a view that it would be good to receive more communication or information after completing the application process. For example, one young carer suggested it could be good to receive reassurances after a successful application that there are no rules about how the money can be spent.