Money Carer^sm Articles

Independent advocates for people lacking mental capacity to make decisions for themselves will be able to receive direct benefit payments on their behalf under new legislation.

According to a recent announcement by the Department of Health a key requirement of carers is accessible and reliable information that enables them to access services and support, helping them to properly meet the needs of themselves and the person they care for.  Such information, is however, often scattered across a wide variety of sources, and in many cases carers are not even aware that the information, and the associated opportunities or support solutions, even exist.

Support brokerage for care services originated in the US and is seen as a crucial part of the move towards individual budgets and self directed support through the Care Services Improvement Partnership (CSIP) and In Control pilot projects in England and Scotland.

The government have announced a new standing commission to look into the long-term issues faced by the country’s six million carers.

Help The Aged recently commissioned research into the training and procedures provided by care homes and care service agencies for their staff to highlight and report incidents of abuse of vulnerable people in care.

The BBC has investigated the issue of theft by carers of disabled or older people who live in their own homes and has discovered that almost a quarter of care agencies fail to protect their clients.