Carers benefit from relaxation of registration rules

Changes to the national minimum standards for people providing
adult placements that mean some carers will no longer be required
to register with the National Care Standards Commission have been
welcomed, writes Sally Gillen.

The National Association of Adult Placement Schemes, which began
campaigning for amendments after losing 26 per cent of carers
because they were overburdened by a “ridiculous” amount
of paperwork, said it was “really, really pleased” by
the amendments.

Under the changes people providing short breaks for 28 days or
less and those who have fostered a child for five years and are
becoming adult placement carers, will be exempt from
registration.

Chairperson Sian Lockwood said: “We are pleased and it is
entirely appropriate that the system should be made easier for
ex-foster carers and people providing short breaks.”

But she added the association considered the amendments to be a
“first stage” in improving the standards for adult
placement carers overall.

“We are very pleased that these small groups of carers
will be helped but what we really want to see is the residential
schemes regulated. The burden of the paperwork would then by taken
off individual carers,” said Lockwood.

Adult placement schemes rather than individual carers should be
regulated she said, and the government has promised to address this
issue in further consultation documents.

The amended regulations will come into force next month.

Meanwhile, sick and disabled people and their carers are
being denied support they are entitled to, according to a poll by
Carers UK.

It found that only one in five carers said they had been offered
direct payments, despite the fact that councils have been required
to offer them since April.

Chief executive of Carers UK Diana Whitworth said: “Once
again we are faced with the fact that reforms introduced to help
carers are not working on the ground.”

She added: “We are urging local authorities to redouble
their efforts to offer direct payments – and to provide
support to enable people to manage them effectively.”

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