Draft Carer’s Assistance (Carer Support Payment) (Scotland) Regulations: update for SCoSS

Background

The regulations sets out entitlement of Carer Support Payment to students:

• aged 16 and over studying under 21 hours per week (in line with the current Carer’s Allowance rules).
• aged 16-19 studying advanced education in further or higher educational settings;
• aged 16-19 studying non-advanced education and who have entitlement to Universal Credit (‘the additional cohort’)
• aged 20 or over, regardless of hours of study or level of educational course.

Students not entitled to Carer Support Payment

Following careful policy considerations entitlement is not extended to students aged 16-19 studying non-advanced education, for the following reasons:

• Young carers should not be expected or incentivised to take on substantive caring roles which could have an adverse impact on their ability to participate in non-advanced education, at a time in their lives where they are often focusing on completing secondary level education.
• Carer Support Payment is an income-replacement benefit and these students would not be expected to be engaging in employment. They are instead treated in the reserved benefit system as ‘young qualifying persons’ and support is available to parents and guardians through Child Benefit and Universal Credit/Child Tax Credits, if on low incomes in recognition of this. Young Carer Grant is also available for young carers aged 16-18 and caring for an average of 16 hours per week, as well as the Education Maintenance Allowance which provides £30 per week direct to the young person. This is specifically tailored to support young people to remain in education and is accompanied by a learning agreement.

The Additional Cohort

However for those aged 16-19 and studying non-advanced education entitlement is extended if they are:

• estranged from their parents / have no parental support,
• have responsibility for a child
• have a limited capacity for work, or
• are part of a couple where one is a student or both are students and the partner has entitlement to Universal Credit themselves.

The additional cohort are deemed to be exceptional cases within the reserved benefits system due to their circumstances. They do not have the support of their family/parents/guardians and/or have barriers to work in the case of those with limited capability for work. These students are therefore deemed to be ‘self-supporting’ and will have a far greater reliance the reserved benefits system and further and higher education funding.

Young Carer Grant

We recognise that Young Carer Grant is available only to those aged 16-18 and therefore for those aged 19 and in non- advanced education they will not have entitlement to either Carer Support Payment or Young Carer Grant. The intention is to consider this further, as part of the future change programme for Carer Support Payment.