Wales' unpaid carers to get £500 recognition payment

About 57,000 unpaid carers in Wales will be entitled to a payment of £500 in recognition of their role during the pandemic.

The Welsh government said anyone claiming carers allowance on 31 March will be entitled to the payment.

But there is criticism that many carers will miss out, as about only one in seven are entitled to the allowance.

The one-off payment will not be taxable.

It is estimated that there are about 400,000 unpaid carers in Wales, but only 57,130 claim the allowance.

An unpaid carer is someone who looks after a relative, friend or partner who has an illness or disability.

One Welsh conservative minister said rewarding carers just for their work during the pandemic "diminishes the hard-work they can put in over a lifetime".

Marie Jones from Bridgend has five children, and has to provide specialist care for two of them. She also cares for her husband who is disabled and has mental health issues.

She said the pandemic has been "extremely difficult."

Her youngest son Alfie is 11, and has a unique condition which means he is blind and deaf, and has limited mobility.

Marie had to give up her job as a cleaning supervisor to care for Alfie full time.

She said the financial impact was huge and they could not keep up with the mortgage payments on their home.

"We were lucky to get on a mortgage rescue scheme so a housing association bought the house from us, and we were able to stay at our house and rent it from them.

"But to lose our house because we had to give up work was huge, we'd worked so hard for it," she said.

Marie said they had got used to living on very little money, and the stigma of being on benefits and people "thinking you're lazy."

"I'd love to have a job, but who would look after my son if I go back to work?," she said.

The family had to shield throughout the pandemic, until Alfie could get his vaccination.

"It was extremely isolating and difficult for all of us. My husband's mental health took a big downturn, depression set in, it was hard," she explained.

"There were a few times where I thought I wouldn't be able to sustain for much longer, needing time to get out, needing time to be me and not just a mum, a nurse, physio. It seemed to go on forever."

Marie said the £500 meant "a huge amount." She is entitled to carers allowance, but it is deducted from her universal credit so she does not benefit from it.

"When the paid carers got their £500 bonus we did think, why are we so different? The £500 means we'll be able to treat the boys for all they've been through," she said.

Catrin Edwards, from Carers Trust Wales, also welcomed the payment but said there were "hundreds of thousands" more unpaid carers who would not receive payment.

"We're really concerned about the financial impact on them, as we see the cost of living hitting them harder than most," she said.

"We'd like to see longer term solutions, such as greater pressure on the UK government to reform carers allowance so more people are eligible for it, and we'd like to see better ways of recognising and identifying carers and keeping a record of them," she said.

Gareth Davies, the Welsh Conservatives' shadow social services minister, said: "I am pleased to see the work of unpaid carers during the pandemic recognised, although I would say rewarding them just for that period diminishes the hard work they can put in over a lifetime.

"However, hoping a single payment for a group that misses out on so much due to their dedication shows a complacency on the part of Labour ministers who now believe they've solved the problem."

Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Jane Dodds said: "While I welcome the decision today by the Welsh government... it is disappointing that it will not be extended to all of the unpaid careers in Wales.

"Even more important now though, is that the UK Conservative government moves to raise the carer's allowance which currently sits at a measly £67.25 a week."

The Welsh government said it continued to pressure the UK government.

Deputy Minister for Health and Social Services Julie Morgan said she was aware of how hard carers had worked during the pandemic and had been left "drained."

"I think the money will reach the people who have struggled the most.

"We're very concerned about all carers, and we want to do what we possible can to help all carers but we have to define a group in order to give this money, and so we're giving it to those who receive carers allowance because we can easily identify them, and we know they are caring for over 35 hours [a week]," she explained.

She added the Welsh government had invested £2.5m into the Carers Support Fund over the last two years, and that the intention is to do "all they could for all unpaid carers."

As well as being non-taxable, the payment will not be subject to National Insurance contributions or included as income when applying for tax credits.

Unpaid carers will be able to apply for the payment through their local council later this year.