Carer's Allowance
The Carer's Allowance Unit undertakes outreach activity with both local and national organisations and through Disability and Carers Service corporate events. The aim is to raise awareness of Carer's Allowance and build links with both local and national organisations. We are particularly keen to work with organisations to reach the many "hidden carers".
Events
Future events will be published when arranged.
Outreach update
As the Outreach Manager for Carer's Allowance I am responsible for promoting the benefit by supporting events held by carers’ organisations with either an information stand or by giving talks to carers at one of their meetings. During a talk I can explain the entitlement conditions of Carer’s Allowance, what entitlement means for a carer, how Carer's Allowance can effect other benefits and how to claim Carer’s Allowance along with other relevant information that may be of interest. It also provides an opportunity for carers themselves to ask questions and raise issues about the benefit.
If you are holding (or are aware of) any events for carers where a Disability and Carers Service information stand would be beneficial or you would like me to visit to one of your groups to talk about Carer's Allowance on a formal or informal basis then please do not hesitate to contact me as I more than happy to offer my support.
There is no charge for this service.
Please email me at oliver.mawdsley@dwp.gsi.gov.uk
Performance information
Claim clearance
The National Audit Office has agreed national targets for the clearance of claims for Carer's Allowance (CA) and the accuracy of our payments. The table shows how the Carer's Allowance Unit (CAU) performed last year.
| Carer's Allowance | Achieved in 2009/10 | Target for 2010/11 | Achieved in 2010/11 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average clearance (working days) | 12.79 | 13 | 11.33 |
| Paying the right money | 99.68% | 98% | 99.4% |
Complaints
If a customer complains because they are not satisfied with our service, our target for replying to the complaint is seven working days.
For the period from 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011 the table shows:
- the number of complaints we received
- the number answered within the agreed time. This may include answers to complaints received before 1 January 2009.
On the 31 March 2011 there were 558,000 customers in receipt of Carer’s Allowance.
| Carer's Allowance complaints | |
|---|---|
| Complaints received | Answered within target |
| 549 | 540 |
The top complaints in the Carer’s Allowance Unit from 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011 were:
1. Benefit payment delays
2. Claim processing delays
3. Wrong information
To address these issues we have:
- concentrated on the Continuous Improvement process to identify better ways of working
- made improvements to some of our computer notifications
- tried new ways of working that are now helping us deal with complex claims more quickly
- better working with The Pension Service to ensure we get benefit rates more promptly
Compliments
When a customer is happy with our service they sometimes let us know.
The Carer’s Allowance Unit received 124 compliments between 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011.
Comments
To comment on the information provided on this page, please email: external.communications@dwp.gsi.gov.uk
How to contact us
For details on how to contact us by phone, post or email go to the contact DCS page.
