fill out the claim form online or by post<\/a>. Back when I applied, it was only by post!<\/p>\n\n\n\nI remember finding the form heartbreaking and quite insensitive at times. You have to go over all the most difficult things. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
These forms make you feel like you are bidding for something you don\u2019t deserve. In reality, Carer\u2019s Allowance is much less than carers deserve.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The form can also be quite hard to understand, if you\u2019re not that academic (or just tired!). It can be a minefield. I think these days, some schools offer support to parents who are applying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once you\u2019ve filled out the form, they say you need to allow three to six weeks for it to be processed. But it can take much longer \u2013 some have waited 15 weeks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you don\u2019t get the decision you believe you deserve, you can stand up for yourself and appeal. I didn\u2019t have to challenge the decision about my Carer\u2019s Allowance, but I have had to make other challenges over the years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When we applied for Rosey\u2019s Disability Living Allowance, they said she didn\u2019t need care overnight. That was hysterical to me! I wrote an appeal, and I said: \u2018I\u2019d invite any member of your department to come and spend 24 hours in our house, and see how many seizures Rosey has overnight\u2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We did get the right award in the end. But we had to fight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lean on the people around you, and ask for the support you need<\/h2>\n\n\n\n Back when I applied for Carer\u2019s Allowance, we weren\u2019t offered support with the process.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n“When it comes to things like applying for benefits, it\u2019s hard work. You don\u2019t have to carry it all yourself. It\u2019s okay to need help sometimes.”<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
But since then, we have been offered support from a keyworker \u2013 an NHS worker whose job is to support young people with complex needs. I\u2019ve also had a lot of support from my sister over the years. It makes the world of difference to have someone by your side when you\u2019re going through a difficult process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When I go to meetings or fill in applications about Rosey, my emotions are obviously heightened. After all, this is my child we\u2019re talking about!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This can make it hard to fully digest the information that\u2019s being given. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Having a keyworker, or even a family member, with you through the process means you have another person to take it in, and help you understand everything. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As a carer or parent of a disabled child, sometimes you feel guilty. That can drive you to martyr yourself, and to try and take everything on alone. You just want to do everything you possibly can for your kid. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I understand how that feels. But when it comes to things like applying for benefits, it\u2019s hard work. You don\u2019t have to carry it all yourself. It\u2019s okay to need help sometimes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Support for carers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n Find out more about benefits, rights and practical support available for carers of disabled people. <\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
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Get support<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Yvette is a full-time carer to her daughter Rosey, 25. In this blog, she shares what she’s learned about claiming benefits as a carer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":48953,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_searchwp_excluded":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"display_author":[361],"class_list":["post-48945","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","display_author-yvette-clements"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48945","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48945"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48945\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48953"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48945"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48945"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48945"},{"taxonomy":"display_author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/display_author?post=48945"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Yvette,](\"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Yvette-film-still-putting-jacket-on-Rosey-1024x576.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n