Carers allowance

Heather1356

Hi can anyone help please what counts as caring please more broader descriptions , the gov website is vague 

supervising /keeping an eye on them 

making phone calls 

do these count any help greatly appreciated 

FlorayG

Can the person run their daily life without the carer? If no then they have a 'carer'

lisyloo

Carer's Allowance: Eligibility - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

lisyloo

Heather1356 said:

Hi can anyone help please what counts as caring please more broader descriptions , the gov website is vague 

supervising /keeping an eye on them 

making phone calls 

do these count any help greatly appreciated 

Your post is vague as well.
What do you mean by supervising/keeping an eye on them?

Sitting outside the bathroom in their home whilst they shower/bathe is different to checking on them by phone (for example).

Spoonie_Turtle

lisyloo said:

Heather1356 said:

Hi can anyone help please what counts as caring please more broader descriptions , the gov website is vague 

supervising /keeping an eye on them 

making phone calls 

do these count any help greatly appreciated 

Your post is vague as well.
What do you mean by supervising/keeping an eye on them?

Sitting outside the bathroom in their home whilst they shower/bathe is different to checking on them by phone (for example).

But both count as caring for them, as far as I understand.

There doesn't seem to be any official definition.  It can be especially tricky when they are friends or family - but here it can be useful to think about whether they would need you to do it if they weren't disabled.

Also OP if you mean making phone calls on their behalf because they struggle to do it themselves or can't at all, yes that counts.  Doing something for them that they would otherwise not need help with if they weren't disabled.

Brie

Going and checking on them, making them tea or dinner.  making their bed, helping them change and shower.  Taking them out shopping and for a coffee.  

Given that CA is based on someone normally getting attendance allowance there's already a proven need so it's anything that fulfills that need and sometimes a lot more.  Just sitting and talking to someone is a big help.

Heather1356

Phone calls because of deafness, supervising keep an eye on so they don’t come to any harm, going on journeys because of deafness and trouble communicating does this count 

Robbie64

Some examples of what counts as caring:

What counts as caring?

The 35 hours of care can include providing physical assistance, supervision or prompting and can also include time spent preparing for the disabled person to come and stay with you and time spent cleaning up after their visit. Any physical help you give, time spent keeping an eye on the person, time spent providing encouragement and reassurance and time spent doing practical tasks for the person all count as caring.

(from workingfamilies.org.uk website)

The caring must be at least 35 hours per week, and for Carers Allowance purposes a week runs from a Sunday to a Saturday.

From the Carers UK Factsheet on Carers Allowance:

The 35 hours can include:
time spent physically helping the person
time you spend ‘keeping an eye’ on the person, eg preventing them coming to harm by walking out of the house
time spent doing practical tasks for the person, eg cooking
time taken doing practical tasks, even if you don’t do them in the presence of the person, may also count (such as preparing or cleaning up for someone who visits you regularly for care).
You must provide 35 hours of care for every week you claim Carer’s Allowance (the 35 hours can be at any time of the day or night)

Robbie64

Some DWP Decision Makers have, in the past, ruled out phone calls as counting towards the 35 hours though tribunals have often overturned this. When Covid restrictions were introduced, the DWP introduced a flexibility by allowing phone calls to count and I'm not aware that this position has been reversed. My view is that phone calls should count as long as they are not the only source of care that is provided (that would require an average of 5 to 6 hours per day on the phone!). Phoning to check on someone, possibly a number of times a day, especially if the person is frail or vulnerable, is definitely providing care, to me.

However, as long as the person you care for agrees that you provide care for 35 hours, it's very unlikely the DWP will ask you to account for what care you do provide for at least 35 hours each week. The significance of 35 hours is something that was put in place when the benefit was first introduced in the mid 1970s (as Invalid Care Allowance) as it was meant as an income replacement benefit for people who had to give up work to care for someone who was severely disabled (and receiving Attendance Allowance).

born_again

Heather1356 said:

Hi can anyone help please what counts as caring please more broader descriptions , the gov website is vague 

supervising /keeping an eye on them 

making phone calls 

do these count any help greatly appreciated 

Does the person you are caring for receive one of the qualifying benefits?

https://www.carersuk.org/media/3inh124t/carers-allowance_april_2024-25.pdf