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Southwark Carers News – July August 2010

Ministers are to signal a tougher approach to incapacity benefit this week as the next stage of its welfare reforms, by reducing the benefit levels of those tested if they are found capable of doing some work.

Details are expected to be announced by the work minister, Chris Grayling, this week. Early pilots suggest half of those assessed are being taken off the higher rate benefit on the basis that tests reveal they are fit to do some work, government sources say.

Those deemed capable are likely to be required to do more to make themselves available for work if they are to continue receiving benefit.

Ministers have also looked at whether they can speed up the testing, but denied a suggestion that they could treble the number tested.

The chancellor, George Osborne, signalled tonight that efforts to take more of those on incapacity benefit off welfare will form a significant part of plans to cut the deficit, saying: “It’s a choice we all face. It is not a choice we can duck.”

Osborne said the trade-off between cutting the £192bn welfare bill and the level of spending cuts required in other government departments will be a central feature of the first meeting this week of his pivotal cabinet committee on public spending.

Ministers are looking to see whether existing incapacity benefit claimants can be passed to new private sector welfare-to-work providers.

Osborne, speaking in Toronto at the G20 summit, said: “Some of these benefits individually are very much larger than most government departments. Housing benefit is one of the largest. In its own right, it would be treated as one of the largest government departments.

“Incapacity benefit and employment and support allowance is a very large budget. We have got to look at all these things, make sure we do it in a way that protects those with genuine needs, those with disabilities, protects those who can’t work but also encourages those who can work into work”.

Previous attempts to cut back on the cost of funding incapacity benefit, now claimed by around 2.6 million people, met with major criticism. A new system introduced by the last government to assess whether or not the sick and disabled were capable of working wrongly found seriously ill people ready to work, according to a report in March by the Citizens Advice Bureau. People with advanced Parkinson’s Disease or Multiple Sclerosis, with severe mental illness, or awaiting open heart surgery were registered as fit to work, it said.

The need to reduce the welfare bill has been intensified by renewed commitments by David Cameron and Osborne this weekend to press ahead with real terms increases in the NHS budget, as well as not cut pensioners’ winter fuel allowance.

Osborne has said he will need 25% cuts in departmental spending outside the NHS and international aid if he is to eradicate the current structural deficit by the end of the parliament. Osborne said: “We have given some very specific commitments on some benefits, we haven’t given specific commitments on others, and that’s what I want to be part of the spending review over the summer.”

Faced by renewed calls from the former chancellor Lord Lawson to stop ringfencing the NHS budget, he said: “We have committed to real term increases in the health budget for a good reason. There are very significant demographic pressures on the health service which have to be taken into account.”

But despite such assurances doctors’ leaders warned tonight that the economic crisis could have “devastating” consequences for the NHS.

The British Medical Association has warned redundancies, recruitment freezes and service cutbacks are the “early signs of the impact of the economic crisis” on the NHS. The BMA said 72% of 92 doctors surveyed said their health trust had postponed or cancelled clinical service developments because of financial pressures.

Lawson also defended plans by the work and pensions secretary, Iain Duncan Smith, to cut the housing benefit budget. He said Duncan Smith was dealing with “very legitimate concerns” about “the ability of people to move within the social housing sector”. Duncan Smith had never suggested the unemployed should “get on their bike” to find work, in an echo of the notorious phrase used by Lord Tebbit in the 1980s.

He also disclosed yesterday that he had “fought long and hard” to prevent benefits being frozen in the budget, and ensure they were uprated.

But Labour’s Ed Balls accused the government of wanting to force people out of their homes, and the shadow housing minister, John Healey, said the test would be whether the Conservatives build social housing to help council tenants move home, or instead use it as a punitive policy. The Labour government had introduced move-to-work schemes, but their impact was limited by the lack of affordable social housing, he said.

In an interview in the Sunday Telegraph, Duncan Smith said he wanted to make it easier for the long-term unemployed to move to areas where they could find work by changing the rules relating to council tenancy. “The middle class do this all the time,” he said. “You have a house, if you have to move work, you use that as a portable asset … Why is it that for a group of people on low incomes, we leave them trapped, rather than give them the same portability?” Duncan Smith made it clear he was not talking about forcing people to move to high-employment areas. But he said he wanted to deal with “under-occupation” of council homes, that there were “tons of elderly people living in houses that they cannot run” and that he wanted councils to encourage people in this position to move into smaller properties.

Balls accused the government of wanting to evict the poor from their homes.

“[Duncan Smith] is saying to people in high employment areas which are more affluent, if you are living in social housing, he is saying ‘we are going to get you out of your homes to make space’. He goes further than ‘on your bike’. It is actually ‘on your bike and lose your home’.”

The Department for Work and Pensions was unable to give details of how Duncan Smith’s proposals would be implemented. But Grant Shapps, the housing minister, said he wanted to take forward the plan in the Tory manifesto to allow tenants in social housing to swap with those in other parts of the country.

Over two thirds of young carers have had to cope with bullying at school, according to new research carried out by The Princess Royal Trust for Carers and The Children’s Society.

More than half of the young carers surveyed felt unsupported or misunderstood by their teachers. Even more worryingly, 39% said that none of the teachers at their school were even aware of their caring role.

The Princess Royal Trust for Carers and The Children’s Society are today launching a new information pack ‘Supporting Young Carers: a resource for schools’ alongside a poster campaign to run in all secondary schools across the UK, to help address some of these issues.

“It is shocking to discover that so many young carers have to endure bullying, mental health problems and a lack of support from their teachers, all because they care for a family member who is unable to cope without their help.” says Carole Cochrane, Chief Executive at The Trust.

“Sadly, without the right support, many young carers will underachieve or drop out of school altogether, which has a long and enduring impact on their future prospects.

“The aim of this resource is to empower schools to start identifying and supporting young carers. We know that when school staff are involved in supporting young carers it can make a huge difference to their lives.”

The survey of 700 6-18 year-olds also revealed that:

• 60% do not think their teachers understand what life is like for them
• Over 50% do not feel supported, although teachers are aware of their caring role
• 38% worry about the person they care for while they are at school

A resounding 70% of the young people surveyed agreed with the statement that “being a young carer has made my life more difficult”.

Further information

Find out more about the information pack: Young Carers: a resource for schools

Would you like to be part of the Southwark Carers team for this years Thames Walk for Carers?

Taking place on Sunday 13th June the walk takes in many of London’s famous landmarks.

Starting at the Scoop by City Hall (London Bridge) and stretching over 3, 6 or 9 miles.

The walk starts at 10am and as part of the event we will be asking walkers to fundraise in order to buy a new computer for the Carers Resource Centre at Cambridge House.

If you are interested in joining the team please call Rob Danavell on 020 7708 4497

Full details of the route and a fundraising form can be found below.
Thames Walk for Carers 2010 Sponsorship Form
Thames Walk for Carers 2010 Route

Caring with Confidence is a free knowledge and skills based programme which aims to help carers make a positive difference to their lives and the lives of the people they care for.

The courses are available through groups or a series of self study workbooks.

For more information please click here.

Developing fun and healthy lifestyles for older adults

With regular physical activity you will increase your chances of living a longer, healthier and more independent life. At least 30 minutes of activity, five or more days per week, can improve your overall health. This does not have to be all in one go and three slots of ten minutes throughout the day would be a great start.

Older adult’s exercise classes, what are they?

They are fun classes that include controlled exercises for the whole body, unless otherwise stated, using a chair for support. The classes are made up of exercises to strengthen your muscles and improve your joint mobility, balance, coordination and overall wellbeing.

Please see the older adult’s exercise class list below to see where your nearest session is taking place.

All the classes are free of charge so come along and try them out.

Interested but never been to anything like this before?

The groups are friendly and open to new members. However if you would like some extra support in joining the classes or generally becoming more active then help is available from our Silver Active Motivator Team. We have a team of trained volunteers who can help you become more active by helping build confidence and introducing people to new activities. If you or a friend or relative would like to take advantage of this service please contact Laura Harvey, details below.

When and where

Bermondsey

Mondays, 11.30am to 12.30pm
at Age Concern, 95 Southwark Park Road SE16 3TY

Tuesdays, 1.00pm to 2.00pm
at Healthy Aging Cafe, Communal Room, Arundal Court, 82 Verney Road, SE16 3DB

Fridays 11.30am to 12.30pm
at Southwark Park Resource Centre, 345 Southwark Park Road, SE16 2JN

Borough and Bankside

Thursdays, 2pm to 3pm at Blackfriars Settlement 1-5 Rushworth Street, London, SE1 0RB

Thursdays, 11.00am to 12pm at Queensborough Community Centre, Scovell Road, SE1 1PX
Camberwell

Tuesdays, 11am to 12pm
at Welton Court, 2A Crofton Road SE5 8NB

Wednesdays, movement and dance class from 6pm to 7pm
at Jessie Duffet Hall, Wyndham Road, SE5 0UB

Wednesdays, tennis session from 5.30pm to 6.30pm
at Burgess Park Tennis Courts
Thursdays, 10am to 11am
at Lomond House, 50 Camberwell Grove SE5 7AL

Fridays, circuits based class from 11am to 12pm
at Denmark Hill Community Centre, Blanchedowne Road, SE5 8HL

Dulwich

Mondays, some standing aerobic exercise, some chair based. 1.15pm to 2.15pm
at St Faiths Community and Youth Association, St Faiths Centre, Red Post Hill SE24 9JQ

Tuesdays, 1.30pm to 2.30pm
at Bew Court, 2A Lordship Lane Estate

Wednesday (every other), 10am to 12noon. Pioneer All Stars Group
at East Dulwich Community Centre, 46-64 Darrell Road, SE22. For more information contact Catherine at the Pioneer African Caribbean Group on 07958 371122
Nunhead and Peckham Rye

Tuesdays, 7pm to 8pm
at Cossall and Brimmington Estate, part of Well London, contact John Summers 020 7343 1757

Wednesdays, 3pm to 4pm
at Jack Jones, 12 Reedham Street SE15 4PH

Fridays, 2pm to 3pm
at Southwark Asian Centre, off Nigel Road, Peckham Rye SE15 4NU

Peckham

Tuesdays, 11.30am to 12.30pm
at Anchor Homes, Waterside House, 40 Sumner Road SE15 6LA

Rotherhithe

Tuesdays, 2.30pm to 3.30pm
at Ronald Buckingham Court, Kenning Street SE16 4LL

Tuesdays, 3.45pm to 4.30pm
at Silverlock Sheltered Housing, 23 George Walter Court, Silwood Street, SE16 2BG

Fridays, 3pm to 4pm
at Anchor Homes, Rose Court, 253 Lower Road SE8 5ND

Walworth

Wednesdays, 2pm to 3.30pm
at Darwin Court, 1 Crail Road, SE17 1AD. Argentino Tango dancing running from Feb 3 to April 21 2010, this sessions particularly welcomes people with a visual impairment

Laura Harvey
Active living officer
Tel: 020 7525 0884
Fax: 020 7525 0772
laura.harvey@southwark.gov.uk

If you’re on a low income, a Cold Weather Payment may be available to help you for each week of very cold weather in your area.

This year you will get £25 when the average temperature where you live is recorded as, or forecast to be, zero degrees Celsius or below over seven consecutive days during the period from 1 November to 31 March.

In SE5 there has currently been 1 week of weather has been recorded at less that zero degrees.

More information can be found at:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/coldweatherpayment