Richmond AID Factsheet

Carers

This fact sheet is one of many produced by Richmond AID. Our fact sheets can contain a lot of information and guidance. Some of this may seem quite complicated. If you would like personal advice from one of our helpline advisors or to make an appointment to see a benefits adviser, contact Richmond AID on 020 8831 6080.

A carer is someone of any age who looks after and supports a partner, child, friend, relative or neighbour who could not manage without their help. This could be due to age, physical or mental illness, addiction or disability.

This factsheet will tell you about local sources of practical and emotional support, financial help which may be available; and information about employment rights.

Local Support and Information

Carer’s assessment

If you provide a regular and substantial amount of care for someone aged 18 or over, you can ask the social services department for a carer's assessment.

Contact Richmond Adult and Community Services

Telephone: 020 8891 7971
Text: 07800 002439
Email:

There is no definition of 'regular and substantial care'. A carer's assessment means social services will look at your situation and see if you are entitled to any services that could make caring easier for you. You can be assessed when the person you are caring for is assessed by social services, or separately.

The assessment is to find out what impact caring has on you. It may be a good idea to make a list of everything you do tolook after the person you care for.

Carer’s Emergency Card Scheme

The Carer’s Emergency Card scheme helps to provide short-term emergency cover if the carer is, for example, taken ill or involved in an accident. You carry a card which alerts the person finding it that there is someone who relies on you for help. To be eligible you must care for someone who is aged 18 or over and you must have had a Carer’s Assessment within the last 12 months.

To register for the scheme, or for more information, contact:

Carers Information Officer

London Borough of Richmond upon Thames
Address: 44 York Street,

Civic Centre 3rd floor
Twickenham

TW1 3BZ Telephone: 020 8487 5020
Email:

The Richmond Carers Centre

The Richmond Carers Centre gives direct support, information and access to services for unpaid carers in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It provides a telephone support line, a drop in service, a well-being service, one to one support and support groups.

Young Carers Support: The Carers Centre also supports people under 18 who are caring for family members.

Address: 5 Briar Road
Twickenham

TW2 6RB Carers Support Line: 020 8867 2380 Young Carers’ Support Worker: 020 8867 2383
Email:
Website:

Breaks for carers (respite care)

If you are a carer looking after someone who needs support at home, you are entitled to respite care when you need a break or are going on holiday. Your care manager can assess you and offer either respite care arranged by your care manager, or carers vouchers which you can use for a list of care services.

Contact: Richmond Adult Care Management Telephone: 020 8891 7971 Email:

Crossroads Care

Richmond Crossroads Care charity provides respite care and runs a Caring Café for dementia sufferers and their carers, as well as Saturday clubs for children with learning disabilities or challenging behaviour.

Crossroads Care Richmond upon Thames

Address: 1 Beverley Court, 26 Elmtree Road
Teddington
TW11 8ST

Telephone: 020 8943 9421

Email: Website:

Richmond Advice and Information on Disability (Richmond AID)

Richmond Aid gives advice on benefits and general support for carers and people with disabilities. It can also help with contacts for other sources of support.

For more information for carers, see Chapters 6 and 7 of the 2009 edition of the Disability Information Handbook – this can be found in the Publications Section of the website.

Address: Disability Action & Advice Centre

4 Waldegrave Road

Teddington

TW11 8HT

Advice Line: 020 8831 6070

Textphone: 020 8831 6078

Email: Website:

Caring for a Disabled Child

London Borough of Richmond Disabled Children’s Service

Based at the Croft Centre, this consists of the specialist social work team, the short break care team, outreach support services and the Three Wings Trust (see below).

Address: Croft Centre 16 Windham Road Kew, Richmond

TW9 2HP

Telephone: 020 8831 6470 or 020 8831 6048 Textphone: 020 8831 6049 Email:

Me Too & Co

This is an independent voluntary organisation giving information and support to children with additional needs and their families.

Address: The Crossway Centre

306 Richmond Road

Twickenham: TW2 1PD

Telephone: 07946 646033

Email:

Website:

Richmond Parent Carers Action Group

Organised by Me Too & Co, this is a group for Richmond parents and carers of children and young people with additional needs. It holds regular meetings, and discussions online.

Website:

Three Wings Trust

This is a Richmond charity providing information and support for children and young people with special needs and their families, including counselling, parent groups, a toy library and IT equipment.

Address: 16 Windham Road

Richmond TW9 2HP

Telephone: 020 8831 6175

Website:

National information and general advice

The Government website gives important general information and links to other sources of information:

Carers Direct

Carers direct is a practical and comprehensive information, advice and support service for carers. Carers direct can help with:

  • Guide to caring
  • Financial and legal advice
  • Advice for young carers
  • Work and study information
  • Find local support groups and services
  • Advice on keeping healthy

Freephone: 0808 802 02 02

Textphone: 0800 802 02 02
Website:

Carers UK

Carers UK is a campaigning organisation of carers, which provides information and advice.

Address: 20 Great Dover Street
London

SE1 4LX Carers Line Helpline: 0808 808 7777
(Wednesday and Thursday 10am -12pm and 2pm - 4pm) Email:
Website:

Caring with Confidence Programme

Caring with Confidence is a free programme funded by the Department of Health which aims to improve support for carers aged 18 and over in England. Carers can choose how they get involved – from local group sessions to self-study workbooks and online sessions.

Address: Caring with Confidence Carrwood Park, Selby Road Leeds

LS15 4LG Carer Information Line: 0800 849 2349 Email: Website:

Financial Support for Carers

The rules on eligibility for various benefits are very complicated. See our other factsheets for more information. For impartial advice, contact a Benefits Advisor at Richmond AID:

Telephone: 020 8831 6080 Textphone: 020 8831 6078

Carer's Allowance

You may be able to get Carer's Allowance if you are aged 16 or over and spend at least 35 hours a week caring for a person who gets either:

  • Attendance Allowance
  • Disability Living Allowance at the middle or highest rate for personal care
  • Constant Attendance Allowance at or above the normal maximum rate with an Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
  • Constant Attendance Allowanceat thebasic (full day) rate with a War Disablement Pension

The Carer's Allowance Unit provides information about Carer's Allowance, including eligibility and how to make a claim.

Address: Palatine House
Lancaster Road
Preston, Lancashire
PR1 1HB Tel: 01253 856 123 (Mon to Thurs 8.30 am - 5.00 pm, Friday8.30 am - 4.30 pm) Textphone: 01772 562 202 Fax:01772 899 354 Email:

If you receive Carers Allowance, the person you care for cannot receive the Severe Disability Premium.

Carer's Allowance and National Insurance contributions

For each week you receive Carer's Allowance you will normally get a National Insurance (NI) contribution credited to your NI record, unless you are a woman who has chosen to pay reduced rate NI contributions. This credit will keep up your entitlement to retirement pension and other social security benefits based on your National Insurance contribution record.

You will also normally be credited with an NI contribution for any week you are entitled to Carer's Allowance but it is not paid because you are also getting Widow's Benefit or Bereavement Benefits at the same or a higher weekly rate.

Carer’s Credit

From 6 April 2010, there will be new weekly Carer’s Credits which will enable carers to build up qualifying years for the basic State Pension and Additional State Pension. These are an improvement on the existing carer’s NI credits as you can gain these on a lower number of hours caring than for Carer’s Allowance. There will be a form you will need to supply evidence of your details and those of the person you are providing the care for. To gain these, you will have to either:

  • care for at least 20 hours a week for someone getting Attendance Allowance, Constant Attendance Allowance or the middle- or highest-rate care component of Disability Living Allowance,
  • or be getting Child Benefit for children under 12.

Carer's Allowance and State Pension

If you are receiving Carer's Allowance when you begin to claim State Pension, you will be paid whichever is higher, usually State Retirement Pension. However, you will still have “underlying entitlement” to Carer's Allowance. This may help you to claim other means-tested benefits as you will have a built-in entitlement to the carer’s premium (see below) which increases the amount of benefit you could get such as Pension Credit, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit.

Income Support

If you are a carer aged 16 to 59 you may be entitled to income support if you have low savings and work less than sixteen hours a week. This also entitles you to other benefits. There are also some premiums, or special additions, which can increase the amount of income support:

Carer Premium

If you are receiving certain means-tested benefits such as Income Support, Pension Credit, Employment and Support Allowance and you are also entitled to Carer's Allowance, you may be able to get an extra amount called a 'carer premium'.

The Disabled Child Premium

If you are caring for a child under 19, or in certain circumstances under 20, you will get this premium with certain means-tested benefits if the child is either:

  • getting Disability Living Allowance (DLA), or
  • registered blind
The Enhanced Disability Premium (child rate)

If the child gets the highest-rate care component of DLA, you may get the enhanced disabled child premium paid in certain means-tested benefits. The Disabled Child and Enhanced Disability Premiums are affected by the child’s capital above a certain level.

Community Care Grants

If you are getting certain means-tested benefits or payments and you need financial help to ease exceptional pressure on your family, you may be able to get a Community Care Grant. You could be eligible if you are caring for someone who is ill or disabled. You can download a claim form from or contact Jobcentre Plus. Telephone: 0800 0 55 66 88 Text phone: 0800 0 23 48 88

Direct Payments for Carers

Direct payments are local council payments for anyone assessed as needing help from social services. You can normally get them if you are a carer aged 16 or over. As a carer, you can use a direct payment to buy the services you are assessed as needing to support you in caring, including help to maintain your own health and well-being. However, you cannot use them to buy services for the person you care for.

Self-Directed Support

If the person you are caring for has a Personal Budget to provide care, this cannot be used to pay you as a carer.

For information and advice about self-directed support, contact: Richmond Users Independent Living Scheme (RUILS)

Address: Disability Action & Advice Centre 4 Waldegrave Road Teddington

TQ11 8HT

Telephone: 020 8831 6083/ 6084 Email: Website:

Child Tax Credit

Child Tax Credit is a means-tested allowance for parents and carers of children from birth or young people who are still in full-time non-advanced education (no higher than A level or equivalent). You may get an extra amount if the child is disabled.

Tax Credit Helpline: 0845 300 3900 Textphone: 0845 300 3909

Sure Start Maternity Grant

This is a generous one-off payment to help towards the costs of a new baby if you are on a low income and receiving certain types of financial support, such as Income Support, Jobseeker’s Allowance, Child Tax Credit higher than the family element or Working Tax Credit which includes a disabled adult.

You can apply for a Sure Start Maternity Grant by completing claim pack SF100 (Sure Start). To get a claim pack, contact Jobcentre Plus Telephone: 0800 0 55 66 88 Text phone: 0800 0 23 48 88 Or download a copy from the Department for Work and Pensions Website:

Child Maintenance

If you are a lone parent, you may be able to claim Child Maintenance from your child's other parent through the Child Support Agency. You may get an extra amount for extra costs because your child is disabled.

Address: Child Support Agency Centre Ashdown House Sedlescombe Road North St. Leonards on Sea

TN37 7NL Website:

Carers and Employment

If you are working while you are caring it is in your employer's best interest to consider making reasonable changes to help you work and continue caring.

Flexible working arrangements

There are many different ways of working flexibly. You could work from home or have flexible starting or finishing times.

The Employment Act (2002) gives the right to request flexible working arrangements to working parents of disabled children under 18 and to those caring for an adult who is a relative or lives at the same address.

You must have worked for your employer for 26 weeks continuously and not have made another application during the last 12 months.

Time off in emergencies

You have the right to take a reasonable amount of time off if you have worked for your employer for at least a year and there is an emergency relating to the person you care for.

Special Leave

There are other forms of special leave employers can give, including:

  • carers' leave (paid or unpaid)
  • compassionate leave
  • borrowing or buying leave
  • career breaks
  • unpaid parental leave for parents of a disabled child.

The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS)

Acas provides information and advice on employment matters, including the right to flexible working, for employers and employees.

Telephone Helpline: 08457 47 47 47
Textphone: 08456 06 16 00

Richmond AID does not endorse, promote or support any product, company, organisation or service listed above. Although we work hard to ensure our details are correct and updated regularly, we cannot guarantee these details are accurate. If you notice any mistakes or omissions please contact us on 020 8831 6070 or at .

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Revised on: 09/06/10