Social Security Experience Panels: Carers with English as a second language

Barriers

Low awareness

Many participants had a low awareness of benefits, services and eligibility for these. In most cases, this was attributed to having had little or no contact with the benefits system throughout their life.

Quote from participant:

“We don’t know how to apply, how to get it. We don’t know who qualifies and doesn’t qualify.”

However, one participant who had applied for Carer’s Allowance had been rejected as they were not viewed as the primary carer for their mother.

Quote from participant:

“To phone up and find out you’re not the primary carer at all. That takes you…it knocks you for sixes, you don’t know what to say. You’re looking after your mother for so long, and then to be told, all of a sudden, you’re not the primary carer at all. What do you do?”

Many participants expressed confusion around eligibility for benefits. This was commonly related to whether having savings in the bank would affect their eligibility for benefits. Some stated that they had not applied for Carer’s Allowance because they believed that their savings account would be checked and their application refused.

Some participants did not understand how support for carers interacted with other benefits, and worried that receiving Carer Support Payment or Carer’s Allowance would reduce or stop other benefits.

Others were confused about whether receiving a pension would affect their eligibility for the payment.

Many participants had limited knowledge of where or how to find help for getting access to benefits.

Similarly, many were not aware of services that are available to request interpreters or information in their first language.

There was also some evidence that participants had low awareness of additional aspects of support for carers, such as respite, and how it works.

Cultural and social barriers

Participants from all language groups expressed some confusion as to what was meant by the term ‘carer’. Many who cared for family members said that they did not think the term applied to what they did.

Many participants expressed surprise that caring for a family member was something that you would receive a benefit for, as caring was seen as a duty.

Quote from participant:

“As a Chinese carer, they think it’s their duty. No matter what. Changing their belief – that’s the most difficult part.”

Some male participants stated that they should be self-sufficient as that’s the way they have always been. Some female participants stressed that they wanted to be financially independent, and not seen as a burden on their husband or family through costing money for care needs.

Quote from participant:

“In our community, we tend to keep close to ourselves, and that’s the way we’ve always been. […] In our families, we’ve always been, kind of been self-sufficient, and that’s the way we’ve always been. We’ve been brought up like that.”

Some participants placed a high value on being in work and having “good jobs”. They stressed that they felt people should not have to give up work to provide care. A few commented that others in the family should step into the caring role to allow someone to continue working.

However, some female participants said that, having spent most of their life in unpaid caring roles, they were concerned about low income and having to rely on the savings of their husband or other family members. They commented that they hadn’t paid into a pension and therefore had very limited independent income.

Very few participants had used local carer centres or carer support plans. Some attributed this to these services not feeling as if they were part of their community.

Language and communication barriers

Participants from all groups stated that communication could be difficult due to language barriers. In some cases, this was compounded by cultural differences in the meaning of certain terms, such as ‘carer,’ or difficulty understanding technical terms such as ‘non-means tested’.

For example, Cantonese-language participants mentioned that carer could be defined in two different ways, denoting a paid or unpaid carer. They highlighted that there is often a need for double-translation for some terms: a literal translation from English to Cantonese, and then to an alternative Cantonese term that is more appropriate for the context.

Some older participants mentioned that difficulties with language were compounded by age, reducing their confidence and making it harder for them to seek out or use support independently.

Quote from participant:

“As you get older, the confidence isn’t there.”

Some participants said that they felt discriminated against because they had English as a second language. They felt that social security staff they had spoken to did not make enough effort to help them understand and guide them through the application process. They wanted to see more empathy from staff in understanding language difficulties.

Quote from participant:

“There is some prejudice or some attitude in there. I really believe that’s the attitude they’re holding. When you’re not speaking English or [you’re] from an ethnic minority [background] they make it harder. […] It’s easy to just follow the process. It’s easier for them to reject people than stay on the call and give people as much information as they can. […] Yes, you need to be professional but at the end of the day you need to be a human being as well.”

Some participants said that they would prefer face-to-face communication where possible. This was because it allowed them to use other cues to aid understanding, such as body language, or taking more time to make sure they are understood.

Quote from participant:

“If you speak to somebody face-to-face you can take your time, and you can try to explain better and the person can understand you.”

Some participants thought that using the phone was a good way of communicating. However, others mentioned that phone lines could often be unclear, making it harder to understand someone who was speaking in English.

Some participants said that interpreters were useful during phone calls in the right situation. However, a few Punjabi language participants mentioned that interpreters could often use a different regional dialect, or have an accent that made it hard to understand them over the phone.

Many participants felt that digital communication – for example, through a website or online chat – was inaccessible for older people. Some mentioned that it was hard to find information online.

Quote from interpreter:

“The major barriers are language and digital. Most are elderly carers and they don’t know how to use the computer in order to access the information.”

Trust emerged as an important factor in whether or not someone would make contact with Social Security Scotland. Participants mentioned a fear of online or telephone scams, and described this a reason that they would not use contact telephone numbers or online services.

A few participants stated that it was helpful to have information in a paper format so that they had a ‘hard-copy’ which they could refer back to, and take their time understanding. A few wanted a translation in their own language, whereas others were comfortable for this to be in English.