JRIMG call to action - carers work to rule
This is a gèuest post from JRIMG - Norfolk. Who have asked us to help promote thier ideas on potential action.
JRIMG - Norfolk have worked immensely jard to get thier authority to work with people and consider their views in relation to cuts. Like us they believe there are other ways to save money, instead of making cuts that effect the most venerable in our society. Regardless of meetings we belive proper due regard hasn't been given to thier views as required under the rules of consultation as required by section 149 of the Equality Act and the Gunning Princples.
Haloabletec is proud to have been asked to share thier post to help spread the message across to a wider audience.
It’s
way beyond time that unpaid Carers showed their worth (£162 billion per annum
and equivalent to spending on NHS) and told their Local Authorities and MPs
that we intend to work to rule.
Unpaid Carers Work to Rule Document-let’s get what we deserve
As unpaid carers, we are the backbone of social care in this country. We
provide essential support to our loved ones, often without recognition, proper
pay, or even a break. But what happens when the system that is supposed to
support us fails? What happens when local authorities refuse to pay enough to
attract the carers our loved ones need, leaving us to pick up the pieces? What
happens when paid carers leave or need to go on training courses? What happens
when paid carers leave and our loved one’s assessedneeds are not being met?
What happens is the Local Authority assumes that we act as unpaid supply
workers on top of our usual and decreed roles. It’s time we stand together, get
organised, and start working to rule.
The Breaking Point
Many of us have faced the same
frustrating situation. Imagine this: the person you care for is left without
paid carers for months because the local authority won’t increase the pay rate
to attract new staff. We keep losing out, and every time a Personal Assistant
(PA) goes sick or is away, we’re the ones who have to step in. No backup, no
support, and certainly no payment. It’s not just frustrating—it’s
unsustainable.
What happens when our paid carers need training. Do the LA supply cover for the PA on Direct Payments (DP) No they don’t. In Norfolk recently the employment services were waxing lyrical about their training for Pas but they were simply talking about Care Company carers. When Thomas Fadden (Chair of JRIMG Norfolk and a disabled person) asked who was going to cover his needs and provide cover while his PA went on such courses it was blatantly clear this had not even been considered.
When our paid carers go sick or
leave or go on holiday where is cover system for the disabled person, the money
in a disabled person’s budget to cover such sudden unforeseen absences? It
isn’t there because it is assumed that the unpaid carer will take the load.
Just recently Carers UK have
delivered this letter to the Government
Legal advice in such situations
has been sought and received from an eminent Human Right’s solicitor as
follows:-
1. For a family carer acting as employer for a
disabled person then I should be able to pay what I choose to attract the right
person to Care for my person.
2. Any gap in paid carers’ provision should be covered
by the Local Authority commissioning Care and not by expecting an unpaid carer
to cover.
3. If the Local Authority fails to cover with commissioned care and the unpaid carer is forced to cover then the LA should pay the unpaid carer for the extra hours ( not in the Care Plan) at the commissioned rates.
By way of example, a 2017 English Ombudsman’s
report concerned an excessive delay by a local authority in finding a
suitable residential placement for a young man with severe learning
disabilities. It concluded that the delay was not due to the lack of possible
placements but was driven by inappropriate ‘cost considerations’.
Eligible needs must be met and if the only available option is more expensive
than the authority wants to pay – then (like it or not) the authority will have
to pay up.” https://www.lukeclements.co.uk/the-duty-to-meet-needs/
“ “12.28. Where a direct payment recipient is using their payment to employ a personal assistant (PA) or other staff, the local authority should ensure that there are clear plans in place of how needs will be met in the event of the PA being absent, for example due to sickness, maternity or holiday. Local authorities still have a duty to ensure needs are being met, even it the person makes their own arrangements via the direct payment, so contingencies may be needed. Where appropriate, these should be detailed in the care and support plan, or support plan”
A Call to Action: Work to Rule
So here’s the suggestion: ALL UNPAID
CARERS should start working to rule. If a PA is off sick or on leave and there’s no cover, we should
demand payment for the extra hours we’re working. If the local authority drags
its feet in finding replacement staff, they should be commissioning care at
higher rates, and we should be compensated for our time.
This isn’t just about getting
paid—it’s about forcing the local authorities to recognise the true value of
our work. If they don’t want to pay us fairly, we need to show them the cost of
failing to do so.
Are We Ready to Get Militant?
As unpaid carers, we need to ask
ourselves: Are we ready to get militant? No more ‘if’s and but’s.’ We either do
this or we don’t. Local authorities don’t care about anything but money, so
let’s threaten their pot and get what we deserve. We’ve been the safety net for
too long, and it’s time they understand that without us, their system
collapses.
What We Can Do Now
1. Start
Working to Rule: Don’t cover for PAs
without demanding payment. If the local authority isn’t providing the care
that’s needed, they need to know they’ll be paying us for our time.
2. Send a
Letter to Your Local Authority: Inform them that if staff are off and we have to cover, we expect
to be paid. Highlight the fact that agency and commissioned staff are paid
nearly double what PAs receive via direct payments. Demand fairness and respect
for our work
3. [Template
Letter to Local Authorities]
Dear [Local Authority],
We are writing to inform you that as unpaid carers, we will no longer
cover for Personal Assistants (PAs) who are sick, on training or away for any
reason without appropriate compensation. It has come to our attention that the
rate at which agency and commissioned staff are paid is nearly double what PAs
are allowed via direct payments. This is unacceptable and discriminatory.
Effective immediately, we expect to be paid for any extra hours we are
required to cover due to your failure to provide sufficient care. Should the
assessed needs of those we care for not be met due to a lack of action on your
part, we will also expect payment at the same rate as commissioned carers.
Please consider this letter as formal notice of our intention to work to rule.
We look forward to your prompt response and to working together to
ensure that carers are treated fairly.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
Please
adapt to your own Local Authority and situation and send to MPs and your local
press too! Get local community support. Most people agree unpaid carers’ are
totally used and the argument that we save the country £162billion for tax
payers is a compulsive and persuasive one.
Check your
complaint system for your Local Authority, follow it through to Ombudsman if
necessary and refuse to go away!
4. Spread the
Word on Social Media: Use our voices on social
media to rally other carers and bring attention to our cause. Here are some
tweet ideas to get the conversation started:
o "It’s time for unpaid carers to start working
to rule! No more covering for free—let’s get the compensation we deserve.
#CarersRights #WorkToRule"
o "If the local authority won’t pay enough to
attract carers, they should pay us when we’re forced to step in. Time to demand
what’s fair. #UnpaidCarers #WorkToRule"
o "Are we ready to get militant? Unpaid carers,
let’s show them the cost of ignoring us. Start working to rule today.
#CarersUnite #FairPay"
o "Local authorities only care about money—let’s
threaten their pot and demand respect for unpaid carers. #WorkToRule
#CarersRights"
o "Unpaid carers: Stop covering for free! Work
to rule and demand payment when PAs are unavailable. Time for action.
#CarersUnite #FairPay"
Conclusion
It’s time for a change. As
unpaid carers, we’ve been overlooked and undervalued for too long. By working
to rule, we can start to shift the balance of power and make sure that local
authorities understand the true cost of our labour. Let’s get organised, get
militant, and get what we deserve.
Are we ready to take action?
By taking a firm stand, we can create a movement that forces local authorities to recognise our contribution and pay us fairly. Together, we can demand the respect and compensation that we have earned through our tireless care and dedication.
Please do comment on the blog
and send your own comments and ideas. Lets get the ball rolling and stop the
abuse of unpaid carers who have had to give up work or work on top of their
demanding roles often beyond retirement age in order to keep their and their
loved one’s heads above water in this harsh economic climate.
In Norfolk the Tory Cabinet have
just voted to reduce the working age Minimum Income Guarantee, thereby
increasing Care costs to their disabled community, many of whom have no way of
improving their situation with paid work. This is again seen as discrimination
as before when they lost a Judicial Review in 2020 and were found guilty of
disability discrimination and breaching the human rights of this cohort of
disabled people. They lost despite 2 years of sharing these facts with Tory
Councillors they said it was not deliberate and they did not understand !
JRIMG Norfolk DPO steering group members spent hours working with directors of Norfolk County Council post the Judicial Review as they said they were determined to coproduce. It was time wasted in a world where we simply do not have this time to throw away.
Instead of listening to facts they ploughed on and thus resulted in paying all costs from tax payers money, repaying care costs already raised illegally and basically wasting tax payers money instead of listening and learning from the many representations of the disabled community, the opposition Councillors etc
Move on to 2024 and here we are
again!
The consultation they produced
in Feb. 2024 was biased and fatally flawed but they continue not to listen, and
despite all promises to the contrary not to co -produce with the disabled
community and DPOs/Carers groups.
They are in the news for wasting
£89000 of tax money on lost SEND tribunals and legal challenges and now expect
us to listen when they say they have no alternative but to raise £1million
pounds from Adult Social care users! https://www.facebook.com/share/piBk1S2WsHmZ75Rs/?mibextid=WC7FNe
This is a joint initiative and contribution from JRIMG Norfolk private FB https://www.facebook.com/groups/233139401622944 and X @JrMonitoring Giselle Hoad of Adult Social
Care Warriors https://www.facebook.com/groups/580284946185554 and of course Iggy Patel owner of this blog! www.haloabletec.blogspot.com
Comments
Post a Comment