An online petition is calling on the UK Government to introduce a new benefit for parents who are full-time carers of a disabled child. The proposal indicates that payment should be the same as the National Minimum Wage of £9.50 per hour, which is the equivalent of £332.50 each week.
Carer’s Allowance is a benefit delivered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) worth £69.70 per week to someone who provides care for a friend or family member for at least 35 hours each week. The benefit is paid every four weeks, amounting to £278.80 each pay period, however, Leah Sumner, who created the petition on the petitions-parliament website, has highlighted that the current payment rate is the equivalent to £1.99 per hour.
She said: “Some parents are unable to work as they need to provide full-time care to their child, through the day or the night or for both. We want the [UK] Government to introduce a benefit for parents who are full-time carers of their disabled children, set at £332.50 a week (35 x minimum wage of £9.50 an hour).”
