Select Committee and the Carers Strategy
- By CHERYL THE PERIL
-
Tue 11 Mar 2008 13:19
Hi All
A Select Committee has been set up to inquire into the effectiveness of the Government's Carers Strategy.
The Work and Pensions Committee is a committee of MP's who oversee and examine the efficiency of the DWP. The Select committee has announced it is to hold an inquiry to examine the effectiveness of the Department for Work and Pensions' existing approach to carers. They are asking for individuals and Carer organisations to make a submission of information and evidence about 4 Key areas.
The 4 areas/sections to be covered by the inquiry are:Information, Guidance and Advice
Income and Carer's Allowance.
Employment strategy and training opportunities.
Equality, Recognition and Discrimination.This is a good opportunity for Carers to tell the select committee about their difficulties and the inadequacy of Carer Benefits.
Submitting information to a Select committee is important because they are made up of MPs from all parties and they keep a critical eye on the work of the Ministries/Departments.
Select committees are outside the government machine and people use them to express views that the government don't want in the public arena. If they come up with strong criticism of government policy it is taken very seriously.
Carerwatch is a website and forum run by Carers, we are going to submit info and evidence on behalf of our members.
We would like to give as many Carers as possible the chance to express their views.
Here is a link to the Select Committeees anouncement to hold an inquiry.
www.parliament.uk
The Sections and Questions are in the post below.
Please take a little time to answer the questions posed by the Select committee.
Each section has between 3 and 5 questions, the questions are not as difficult to
answer as they first look, and you don't have to answer all of them.
Just answer the ones that apply to you, or that you have an opinion about.
Cheryl x
Replies
- By CHERYL THE PERIL
-
Re: Select Committee and the Carers Strategy
Tue 11 Mar 2008 13:37Hi All
Heres the questionaire.Select Committees Sections and Questions.
Section on Information, Guidance and Advice.1) Are carers sufficiently aware of their benefit entitlements and the support available to them?
2) Is the Department providing high quality guidance and advice to carers?
3) How is the Department working across Government to avoid unnecessary bureaucracy for carers when seeking guidance, advice and financial support?Section on Income and Carer's Allowance.
1) What is the impact of caring on carers earning potentials?
2) Do carers receive sufficient support with additional costs as a result of caring?
3) Are benefits and allowances adequate in minimising the financial impact of caring?
4) Do benefits and allowances impact on barriers and incentives to work or carers' ability to engage in education and training, if so how?
5)Do benefits and allowances impact on carers' pension entitlements, if so how?Section on Employment strategy and Training Opportunities.
1) Is the Department doing enough to address barriers to employment and training for carers?
2) Is the Department's welfare reform and employment strategy addressing the needs of carers?
3) How is the Department working collaboratively with employers and other Departments to improve carers' job retention or return to work?
4) How is the Department working together with employers and other Departments to improve support in education, training and skills for carers?Section on Equality, Recognition and Discrimination.
1) Are there barriers to equality for carers?
2) What are the possible implications for equality legislation in the UK following the current EU legal case on disability discrimination by proxy?
3) Does a carers' profile impact upon their opportunities (e.g. carer of a disabled child, or elderly carer of a partner)?PS I found the easiest way to do this is C & P the questions to a word or works document, or you can C & P the questions to an email addressed to yourself, then you can take your time answering and save a perminent copy of your answers.
You can post your completed questionaire here or at www.Carerwatch.com website on the Select Committee section in Testimonials.
.
Cheryl x
- By lulu
-
Re: Select Committee and the Carers Strategy
Tue 11 Mar 2008 15:15Good idea Cheryl
The more help the better for all carers.
Thank you
Wendy
- By morello
-
Re: Select Committee and the Carers Strategy
Tue 11 Mar 2008 17:28sounds like a good idea, but I suppose you and I know what will happen to this. Another load of windbags looking at the documents and binning them. Cunical, yes but true and I think anyone with half a brain let alone a full one will look at it the same. Good luck to all who bother but your time will be better spent having a nap if you can find time for one
Mo
- By lulu
-
Re: Select Committee and the Carers Strategy
Tue 11 Mar 2008 17:43Morello, when things change for carers I do hope you will be one of the first to benefit.
Your caring role sounds unbearable. I am sorry.
I personally think the more people who try to do things for carers the better.
If you don't want to be involved it does not matter but let those that want to try, get on with it. Sometimes we do not have the time or the energy for some things and have to say no.
There are many independant carers forums all trying in their own way to make changes, and good luck to the lot of them.
all best
Wendy
- By kerry
-
Re: Select Committee and the Carers Strategy
Tue 11 Mar 2008 20:25hi cheryl
cant open link. how can i do questionnaire?
- By aggiebaggie
-
Re: Select Committee and the Carers Strategy
Tue 11 Mar 2008 22:53Carer Wages 420 - 504 per week
Hours 10 hours unmeasured work per day
This is from an add in the local paper, this is what the stratergy should be, paid for a lifelong job, of 168 hrs per week
- By KenM
-
Re: Select Committee and the Carers Strategy
Tue 11 Mar 2008 23:08I.m with Mo on this----I think it's all a complete waste of time.
All the select committees and consultations are just a smoke screen.
I honestly believe that they have already decided what is going to happen later this year--all the deals have already been done-the only ones to be better off will be the charities- with extra funds for help lines and for them to run schemes to get carers back to work.
As little bits are being leaked why are the charities so quiet?? I believe it's because they too know what's going to happen and they don't want to rock their gravy boat.
- By morello
-
Re: Select Committee and the Carers Strategy
Wed 12 Mar 2008 08:25Too true KenM look at all the money collected here for this fund off this morning. There was somebody asking where he could get a cheap washing machine. Why didnt somebody say "apply to us and we will send the relevant forms". I know a lot of people who donated to this and said they never will again. A washing machine comes before counselling when you have a pile of soiled sheets etc. Not a word was mentioned on even trying to ask the PRCt for help, ecpecially not off them. One therefore has to guess where the money is. Are there going to be accounts we can all see from the spending of this money ? I bet not. I find charities are the worst at gaining and not giving.
As for getting back to work, well good luck to those of you with time and energy to do it, you can then get your little pittance of a carers allowance removed, save the government even more and of course continue killing yourself in the process. Using these forms as toilet paper would be of more financial and practical help to a lot of us.
Mo
- By CHERYL THE PERIL
-
Re: Select Committee and the Carers Strategy
Wed 12 Mar 2008 12:21Hi Kerry
Sorry folks I can never get links posted here successfully.
It would be simpler for you to take a look at www.Carerwatch.com
From the Carerwatch website you can join the Carerwatch forum and see the article about the select committee there.The questionaire that I've posted here is not for Carers to submit directly to the Select Committee, it for carers to fill in so that Carer Watch have more info to put into our submission to the committee.
The addy for Carerwatch was also in the last PRTC news letter.
Cheryl x
- By CHERYL THE PERIL
-
Re: Select Committee and the Carers Strategy
Wed 12 Mar 2008 13:51Ken and Morello
I can understand you both being disillisioned.
I can understand that you don't have the energy.I don't understand why you would try to put Carers off who do want to speak up and be involved in trying to influence the changes that the government are planning.
I don't understand why you aren't glad to see other Carers take up where you have left off Ken?
Morello, here you say don't bother with the government, in another thread you encourage
a Carer to write to Princess Anne.
The princess doesn't have any thing to do with government policy making.
In the same post Morello you point out that with hope of change life feels worse?The select committee have set 15 questions, not every question will apply to every person.
If they don't apply to your life leave them and answer the ones that do.
How much time can it take to answer a few questions with just a sentence or two,
more if you have more to say.Cheryl x
Previous discussion: Prioritising resources (10 replies)
Next discussion: young carers (5 replies)