Call to improve benefits for young carers in full time education
Joe Lepper
Thursday, June 8, 2023
Young carers are being forced to choose between receiving benefits and being in full time education, charities are warning.
They say eligibility is too narrow for the carer’s allowance, which offers young carers £76.75 a week.
Currently this is only available to young carers over the age of 16 who study for no more than 21 hours a week, leaving those in full time education missing out. Also, many T level courses involve longer teaching hours.
The warning has been made by the Carers Trust and the Learning and Work Institute which say the ‘21 hour rule’ needs to be changed.
Too often young adult carers “are forced to choose between claiming carer’s allowance or being in education”, according to a policy briefing by the charities.
“Young adult carers and their families typically live in low income households, often in poverty. Through no fault of their own they miss out on learning, and on the normal experiences and opportunities that other young people take for granted.
“The 21 hour/full time education rule effectively pushes young adult carers away from education as they often cannot afford to give up the vital financial support that Carer’s Allowance provides,” it states.
The briefing warns that young adult carers are three times as likely to be NEET (not in education, employment or training) as their peers.
The move to extend eligibility for the carer’s allowance would cost £54m but is offset by the £3.5bn of unpaid care young adult carers provide to the UK economy each year and improved future earning potential.
According to the 2021 Census there are more than 272,700 carers aged between 16 and 24, of these 37,000 provide more than 50 hours of care a week.
“Implementing this policy change would have educational and economic benefits for young adult carers and the country,” states the policy briefing.
“It will enable more young people with caring responsibilities to study, to complete their courses and to gain ‘flagship’ qualifications such as T levels, improving their employment prospects and earnings as a result.”
