A charity for unpaid carers throughout West Sussex said this week it has helped rediscover £3,000,000 of additional income for people it assists.
Carers Support West Sussex (CSWS) added that their advisors helped find the benefits or other additional income since the start of its benefits advice service in May 2021.
Sources of help included benefits that local unpaid carers did not realise they were entitled to, or that they did not know how to claim.
Charity leaders said that the benefits system is "like a maze to navigate and even harder when you have caring responsibilities and reduced time".
Martin Yarde, one of the CSWS Benefits Advisors added:
"We speak with so many different carers at different stages in their caring journey.
"We listen to their situation, so we can give solid advice about the benefits they are entitled to within their caring role."
Statistics show the vast support that unpaid carers give to the professional health and social care services — but also reveal the enormous cost to their finances and personal lives.
According to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, reporting in 2022, 44% of working-age adults who are caring for 35 hours or more a week are in poverty.
Caring comes with additional costs: 63% of carers are extremely worried about managing their monthly outgoings.
Furthermore, on average, 600 people a day leave work to care, often causing a severe drop in income.
Sonia Mangan, CSWS CEO, said:
"We are enormously proud to have taken the initiative to start this much needed service.
"I heard of a recent case whereby the carer had left work due to caring for his parents.
"After meeting with one of our advisors, the family was able to increase their income, through benefits, by £151.01 per week.
"There are so many cases where extra money has been found.
"Insight from our most recent consultation with carers, tells us that financial assistance, whether advice or grants, is one of the ways we can support carers to overcome some of the top challenges identified."
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