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

Chapter 7: Conclusions and implications

The impact of Young Carer Grant

Among recipients, Young Carer Grant appears to be achieving most of its immediate aims:

• it is enabling young carers to engage in social, leisure, employment/training or education opportunities they might not have been able to do otherwise.
• it has positively impacted young carers' lives. It has a positive (albeit not necessarily a very large) impact on their mental wellbeing mainly through reducing stress and increasing confidence.
• it has helped some young carers feel at least a little more recognised. Both the introduction and existence of the grant, and the fact that they had been deemed eligible to receive it, provided recognition and validation.

In addition, stakeholders felt that the grant had the potential to open up access to other support (by encouraging people to find out if they were young carers; through sign-posting applicants to other services; and by encouraging applications for other support in the future).

However, there is a limit to what a financial payment can do and the grant had no direct impact on some of the negative aspects of being a young carer that were most commonly mentioned by participants: a lack of free time and anxieties about the health of their cared-for person.

Implications for policy

Young carers and stakeholders welcomed the introduction of Young Carer Grant and were broadly positive about the application process. As discussed above, it appears to be achieving most of its immediate aims for recipients. However, the research identified a number of potential improvements which would increase the impact of the grant. These are set out below.

Raising awareness of Young Carer Grant

Stakeholders highlighted that a lack of awareness of the grant was a particular barrier for 'hidden carers' who are not engaged with support services. When asked what would help to raise awareness of the grant, young carers and stakeholders both mentioned advertising, specifically on social media. There was also a strong appetite for more promotion in schools.

There was a view among stakeholders that 'hidden carers' were less likely to identify as a young carer and so less likely to apply for Young Carer Grant, even if they heard about it. Stakeholders therefore emphasised the importance of choosing inclusive language while promoting Young Carer Grant to ensure it reached as many eligible claimants as possible. It may be more effective to use more general terms when promoting the grant such as focusing on the sort of tasks young carers might carry out.

Tackling misconceptions and providing reassurance

There were a number of misconceptions about the grant and the eligibility criteria which might deter some young carers from applying and might deter their parents from assisting or encouraging them. Clarification and reassurance about the following points in promotional materials and on the website could increase uptake:

• reinforcing the fact that it is entirely up to the young carer how they spend the money and that there is no need to produce receipts or explain/justify how they have spent it
• providing reassurances that Young Carer Grant would have no impact on other benefits received by the young carer or their cared-for person
• reinforcing the fact that the grant is available to 16, 17 and 18 year olds. (Occasionally, there was an assumption that 18 year olds would not be eligible because 18 was seen as 'adult'.)

In addition, there were cultural barriers among some minority ethnic communities both in terms of seeing someone as a 'young carer' and accessing support. Stakeholders highlighted a general need to provide culturally sensitive services and information, including on Young Carer Grant.

Simplifying the application process

While the application form itself was seen as relatively straightforward, there also a suggestion that it could be simplified further. It was noted that the current wording is similar to the Carer's Allowance form, but because Young Carer Grant is a different kind of benefit it could be less formal and more 'young person friendly'. Stakeholders highlighted that it was important to make the grant as accessible as possible for those with learning difficulties or those for whom English is not their first language.

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 email a year after applying. Although there is currently such an option, it was clearly not obvious to this applicant so could perhaps be made clearer.

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. They 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 also a suggestion that the process could be streamlined further for subsequent applications, for example being able to save evidence submitted as part of the initial application.

Sensitive handling of unsuccessful applications

While a successful application made some young carers feel more recognised, there was a concern from a stakeholder that it may have the oppposite effect on people who apply but find they are not eligible^[19] — they may feel less recognised than they did before. Moreover, the experience may discourage them for applying for other forms of support in the future. It is therefore very important that unsuccessful applications are handled sensitively and applicants understand that, while they may not (currently) be eligible for Young Carer Grant, there are other services available for young carers and they should not be deterred from accessing them. This would also be an opportuntity to sign-post to other services.

Reviewing the 'one carer rule'

While there was an acknowledgement that there is a limited amount of money, the 'one carer rule' was generally seen as unfair by young carers and stakeholders. There was a suggestion that younger siblings or less confident young carers would be disadvantaged (because older and/or more confident siblings would establish a right to the grant first). The young carer who misses out on the grant may feel less valued (possibly less valued than they felt before they were aware of the grant) and this could lead them to believe they are less of a young carer than the person who successfully applied for the grant, or question their young carer status entirely – with reduced confidence in their carer status discouraging them for applying for support as a carer in the future.

There was also a concern among stakeholders that the 'one carer rule' may indirectly put more pressure on the recipient of the grant. For example, they may feel they are now perceived as the 'main carer' and that they have to do more or take on the majority of caring responsibilities to justify the fact that they received money for their caring role.

Reviewing the benefits criteria

There was concern among stakeholders that the requirement that the cared-for person is in receipt of certain benefits was excluding too many young carers with significant caring responsibilities. Stakeholders highlighted that benefits may not always be a reliable measure of how much somebody relies on support from a young carer. There was a view that the benefits requirement could present a particular barrier to minority ethnic young carers, as people in these communities can be less likely to access this kind of disability support.

Reviewing the upper age limit

Stakeholders were generally supportive of the age criteria. However, there was a suggestion that young adult carers in full-time education would benefit from receiving Young Carer Grant as they would not be eligible for Carer's Allowance. This was echoed by an 18 year old recipient who felt she would be in just as much need of the grant when she was 19 (as she would still be at university, not earning, and still have the expense of travelling home frequently to provide care).

Broader implications

In assessing the impact of Young Carer Grant, we noted that there are limitations to what a financial payment can achieve. One of the main challenges of being a young carer is the lack of time to relax, 'do their own thing' and spend time with friends. Although Young Carer Grant gave recipients the opportunity to take part in some activities with friends that they would not otherwise have been able to afford, and to treat themselves during their limited free time, it could not fundamentally increase the amount of free time they have available. This points to a broader need to provide young carers with regular opportunities for respite – not necessarily for any great length of time – so that they have a chance to 'do their own thing' (which may be at home or outside the home) and relax, knowing that their cared-for person is safe.