Looking For Work - Carers

If you have given up work (or not worked at all) because of your caring responsibilities you may want to work or return to work once your caring role ends, or you may decide you want to combine care with work.
Here are some common questions carers ask:

• What happens to my benefits?
• Can I get support into training and work?
• Any tips to help me identify my skills and interests?

What happens to my benefits?

Carer's Allowance can now continue for eight weeks if the person you care for has died and carer premium is paid for eight weeks once your caring role ends. After this time you will be expected to register for work, unless you are sick. It is important that you do this for two reasons:

• to protect your National Insurance record and
• to find out if you can qualify for Job Seeker's Allowance.

There are a number of incentives to help you while you get back to work. Check with the social security office or Jobcentre Plus for information.
If you are thinking of combining work and care then you can only continue to receive Carer's Allowance if you earn no more than £95 (2008/2009) a week. Some deductions can be made from your gross wage when deciding whether you earn less than the limit.

Can I get support into training and work?

Whether you are a former carer or are still caring, you may need support in returning to work or training after a period out of the workplace.

• find out if your local area has a Carers' Centre or Carers' Project which offers advice and guidance for carers wishing to return to work or training - the first stage may be support in gaining the confidence to take new steps.
• ask your local authority for a carer's assessment, which must now take into account your wish (or need) to work.
• find out from your local authority, a carer's organisation or a voluntary organisation such as Crossroads what alternative care is available in your area that would enable you to work or train.
• contact your local Jobcentre Plus and ask what help they can give you in looking at training or work opportunities. Carers claiming Carer's Allowance can talk to a Personal Advisor about what their options are, and the New Deal for Partners, New Deal 50plus and New Deal for Lone Parents can support carers by funding some training and helping with job search skills.
• contact your local Jobcentre Plus, carers organisation, or Citizens Advice Bureau to see if you are entitled to benefits for people in work.
• contact your local Learning and Skills Council and find out if local colleges or adult education centres give concessions to carers on benefits.
• call your local learning help line (get the number from your Learning and Skills Council), or Learn Direct, and find out what courses are available locally or on-line.

For more information on the support and/or training courses available to help you get back into the job market contact:

Jobcentre Plus - Tel: 01628 844900 or Tel: 0845 606 0234
www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk

Grow our Own (Local initiative offering information and advice on returning to work and training.)
Tel: 01628 685661
www.growourown.co.uk

Nextstep (Information and advice for adults on learning and work).
Tel: 0845 601 8595

Any tips to help me identify my skills and interests?

Think about your first steps and recognise the many skills you have.
Think about what you have learned from:

• any paid work that you have done
• tasks and responsibilities involved in your role as a carer, a parent, and running a home
• any other activities that you do, for example, voluntary work, committees, etc.

Identify your interests:

• think about what you want to do with your skills
• think about your short and long term goals· make a plan
• don't demand too much from yourself - take small achievable steps.

Gain the confidence to use your skills in new ways

• You may want to find a course which will offer you training in personal development - for example, confidence building, assertiveness training or managing stress.
• City and Guilds, the leading provider of vocational qualifications, is developing a learning programme specifically for carers and former carers.

Think about what employers want

• make the time you have spent caring and your caring role a positive feature of your CV and job application
• identify the transferable skills you have gained through caring that fit with employers needs.

For more information on Working Carers why not access the Carers UK website at:
http://www.carersuk.org

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