Our vision is of ... valued carers

There are 185,000 carers in Northern Ireland, providing care for ill, frail or disabled family members, friends and partners. Carers in Northern Ireland contribute a staggering £3.12 billion per year to the state.

Research carried out with carers in Northern Ireland discovered that 93% of respondents have found their financial situation has worsened since becoming a carer, compared to an average of 73% across the UK. 48% of carers are having trouble paying gas, electricity or telephone bills and 77% of respondents worry about their finances, either a lot or all of the time.

Parents of disabled children under the age of 18 and those caring for adult disabled children were worst hit, suffering greater debt and difficulty in paying bills and having to borrow from friends and family. Research by Carers UK found that almost 69,000 people in Northern Ireland face new caring responsibilities each year, with 65% of these not recognising themselves as carers in the first year of caring. As a consequence, one in three believed they had missed out on benefits and pension entitlements.

Access to respite for carers in Northern Ireland is inadequate and standards and availability vary across the region. 52% of full-time carers in Northern Ireland are never able to take even a week’s break from their caring.

In order to realise our vision of a Northern Ireland where carers are valued and supported, politicians and political parties should:

• Support carer-specific initiatives such as information, outreach and benefit uptake programmes and Carers Rights Day which takes place in December each year.
• Support the call to increase Carers Allowance to a rate at least equivalent to that of the State Retirement Pension. Lobby for changes to Carers Allowance to ensure it is classified as an entitlement rather than an income replacement benefit and disregarded as income so that it can continue to be paid to people on pensions.
• Call on health and social care professionals to promote Carers’ Assessments as a way to identify and meet the needs of carers.
• Increase the availability of suitable respite services for carers and the people they care for, both residential and domiciliary.
• Simplify and speed up the process of housing adaptations. If a need is assessed the client should be entitled to the change without undue delay.
• Promote flexible working policies by employers, including public bodies, that allow carers to balance work with caring and maintain an adequate level of income.