The Scottish Government is working towards delivering a new benefit that will replace Carer’s Allowance by the end of next year, with a full national rollout planned for spring 2024, according to a new progress report on the Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018.
Scottish Carer's Assistance promises to provide an ‘improved service’, designed with carers to meet their needs, and in line with Scottish Government principles of fairness, dignity and respect. The new benefit will maintain the extra support provided by Carer's Allowance Supplement - additional payments of £245.70 made in June and December this year - which increases Carer's Allowance (£69.70 per week) by over 13%, and will help to link carers to wider support and services.
A public consultation on Scottish Carer's Assistance, launched in February 2022, proposes providing additional support as part of the new benefit to those caring for more than one person, in the form of a new payment worth £520 per year - currently known as Carer's Additional Person Payment - to ‘recognise the impact of multiple caring roles’.
The Scottish Government said this would expand on the previous commitment to a Carer's Additional Child Payment - the delivery of which was affected by the coronavirus impacts on the social security programme.
The report states: “We are working with carers, support organisations and the wider public to identify the priority changes to improve Scottish Carer's Assistance in future and to deliver these as soon as possible.
“When we have introduced our new benefit and completed Case Transfer for Scottish Carer's Assistance, we will look to introduce further changes that help remove barriers to education, recognise a wider variety of caring situations, provide more financial stability to carers, and, for those carers who want to and for whom it is feasible, make it easier to take up and maintain employment.”
It added: “In the consultation we also asked for views on a long term carer payment.
“This is an initial proposal that could help those whose incomes are most affected by their caring role, including carers who have been caring for many years.”
Minister for Social Security and Local Government, Ben Macpherson, said: “The level of support we provided in this year totalled £3.48 billion, through payments made by Social Security Scotland and under agency agreements with the Department for Work and Pensions. In 2022-23 our benefits will provide support to over one million people in Scotland.
“Looking forward, we will continue our work to devolve social security benefits. In February 2023 we will introduce Winter Heating Payment, providing a £50 annual payment to around 400,000 low income households. Then we will begin the roll out of Scottish Carer's Assistance later in 2023.
“We will continue our dynamic and pro-active approach to delivering devolved Scottish social security.”
The Scottish Government also said that the final dates for launching Scottish Carer's Assistance have still to be agreed with the UK Government.
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