As part of this year's Carers Rights Day, we are highlighting some of the ways that carers' rights and entitlements will be changing
There are a whole host of benefit changes that you need to be aware of and prepare people for in the coming months. Here are some of the main changes in benefits, where to get extra resources and how to take action. It is vital that carers and their families are well-advised and make the most of the changes so they can plan their finances, work and family life well.
Changes to the benefits system
While Great Britain is already experiencing changes to the benefits system, in Northern Ireland the Welfare Reform Bill has not yet been approved by the Assembly. At this point it looks likely that the Bill will be approved and changes will start to be introduced from Spring 2014.
What's changing?
- Most benefits will be replaced by a single benefit called Universal Credit
- Disability Living Allowance will be replaced by Personal Independence Payment
- Housing Benefit size criteria (also known as Bedroom Tax) will limit the amount of Housing Benefit that individuals and families can receive depending on how many bedrooms there are in their properties.
- A Benefit Cap will be introduced.
- The current Social Fund scheme will be replaced by a new service called Discretionary Support
- There will also be changes to Employment and Support Allowance
Bedroom Tax
Carers Northern Ireland has been campaigning against the introduction of a Bedroom Tax in Northern Ireland. We feel it's wrong that carers who cannot share a room with a partner they look after or who need a room to store medical equipment will be penalised for having a 'spare' bedroom.
Use our handy tool to find and write to your local MLA or MP »
In community care and health
Transforming Your Care
Government is progressing with the implementation of 'Transforming Your Care', which seeks to put 'home at the hub' of health and social care. This means that care services will be delivered in people's own homes or in a community setting, rather than in hospitals and residential facilities. Inevitably this will result in closures and more responsibility for caring placed on families. At the same time we are expecting resources to shift into more 'personalised' community services, and increased availability of more flexible respite. We must be vigilant to ensure carers are fully supported and not seen as a replacement for properly resourced community care.
A new arrangement for the commissioning and delivery of health and social care at a local level known as Integrated Care Partnerships has just been introduced. These are multi-disciplinary teams who assess the service need in their local area.
In February, government began a discussion about the future of social care in Northern Ireland. The Who Cares? consultation was the first stage of a process to shift the balance of care provision between statutory, private, voluntary and community organisations and explore the introduction of charges for care services.
If you need to know more about any of these changes you can contact the Carers UK Adviceline on 0808 808 7777 or at adviceline@carersuk.org
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