Temporary breaks in care due to the carer’s circumstances

Carers can continue getting Carer Support Payment or Carer Additional Person Payment in their Carer Support award for temporary breaks in care of up to 4 weeks in total in any 26-week period even if they are not providing at least:

• 35 hours of care a week for CSP
• 20 hours of care a week for CAPP  

The cared for person must still be getting a qualifying disability benefit during those 4 weeks. The 4 weeks’ temporary break can be for any reason. Further breaks in care can be taken for up to 12 weeks in total in any 26 week period if the carer is in hospital or a similar institution.

If a carer is in custody in prison, a detention centre or a young offenders' institution

If a carer is in temporary legal detention in a prison, detention centre or young offenders' institution, this should be treated as a temporary break in care (CSP Regs 40(5)). Carers can be paid for break in care for this reason and any other reason for a total of up to 4 weeks in any 26-week period. The cared for person must still be getting a qualifying disability benefit during those 4 weeks.

If the carer has been given a sentence of longer than 4 weeks, all components of the Carer Support award should be stopped with immediate effect from the date the sentence was given. This is because it is clear that the break in care is not going to be temporary.

If a carer is in hospital (or a similar institution)

The carer can continue getting the Carer Support Payment component (and, if relevant, Carer Additional Person Payment component) of Carer Support for up to 12 weeks if they are in hospital or a similar institution.

This is as long as they have had no other paid temporary breaks in care during that 26-week period. The cared for person must be getting a qualifying disability benefit during those 12 weeks. 

The carer can also still get Carer Support Payment component or Carer Additional Person Payment component for up to 12 weeks in a 26-week period if they are receiving medical treatment similar to what they would get in hospital.

The 12 weeks can be made up of two or more shorter stays in hospital or similar institution, as long as these take place within a 26 week period.

For example, the carer may have been in hospital or a similar institution for 8 weeks, then go home, and then be re-admitted to a hospital or similar institution for a further 4 weeks. They would continue to receive Carer Support, until the time in hospital or similar institution added up to 12 weeks.