100 signatures reached
To: DWP
Carers Allowance Entitlement For People Claiming Benefits
At present a carer can only claim carers allowance if the person being cared for is in receipt of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or Disability Living Allowance (DLA). However, many carers care for someone on Employment Support Allowance (ESA) which recognises that the person cared for is unable to work due to illness or disability - yet the carer is unable to claim the carers allowance they need. I am petitioning that this is changed so that carers who care for someone on ESA can claim the carers allowance they should be entitled to and so desperately need..
Why is this important?
Where there is a caring role, very often the family experience severe financial hardship and this is exacerbated if the carer cannot claim carers allowance. Many carers have to give up work, training or education to look after the person they care for and are unable to claim any money in recognition of their caring role if the person they care for is on ESA and does not qualify for Personal Independence Payment (PIP).
An example of this is a 25 year old carer who had to drop out of university 4 years ago when his father died suddenly and his mother had a breakdown. She is unable to look after herself without his help yet he is unable to claim carers allowance as she is on ESA and has been refused PIP and he is unable to work because of his caring responsibilities. Consequently, they suffer extreme poverty and are in debt which has resulted in potential eviction from their home. Another example is a 17 year old who had to move from his father's house to another county to care for his mother who suffers extreme anxiety which means she is unable to leave the house on her own, answer the phone or the front door so relies heavily on her son. As he is only 17 and unable to work or engage in training or eduaction due to his caring role the family are unable to claim child benefit for him or carers allowance as the mother is on ESA and has been refused PIP. There are many more such examples and I feel strongly this needs to change so that those who suffer some of the wprst financial hardship are not made to suffer further.
