Children's Handbook Scotland | 2024/25Chapter 3: Children in hospital 3. Non-means-tested benefits
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3. Non-means-tested benefits
Disability benefits
Child disability payment (CDP) (both components) continues to be paid while your child is in hospital and can be awarded if your child is already in hospital when the claim is made.1Reg 21 DACYP(S) Regs Provided your child is under 18 on the day they enter hospital as an inpatient, personal independence payment (PIP) or adult disability payment (ADP) (both components) continue to be paid regardless of how long they remain in hospital. If your child is aged 16 or over, but under 18 when they go into hospital, ADP can be awarded and paid after they have gone into hospital.2ADP Reg 28(1) DAWAP(S) Regs
 
1     Reg 21 DACYP(S) Regs »
2     ADP Reg 28(1) DAWAP(S) Regs »
Carer’s allowance and carer support payment
Provided your child is getting CDP care component middle or highest rate, or PIP or ADP daily living component, you can continue to get carer’s allowance (CA) or carer support payment (CSP) while your child is in hospital, as long as you continue to meet the normal conditions of entitlement – eg, you continue to care for your child for 35 hours or more a week.
Time off from caring
You can still be entitled to CA/CSP during temporary breaks from caring. You can have a break from caring of up to four weeks in any period of 26 weeks, or a break of up to 12 weeks if either you or the person for whom you care is receiving treatment in a hospital for at least eight of the 12 weeks.1CA Reg 4(2) SS(ICA) Regs
CSP Reg 40 CA(CSP)(S) Regs See here for more on breaks from caring.
 
1     CA Reg 4(2) SS(ICA) Regs
CSP Reg 40 CA(CSP)(S) Regs »
Carer element, carer premium and carer addition
The carer element in your universal credit (UC) stops if you no longer have ‘regular and substantial’ caring responsibilities for your child (see here).1Regs 29 and 30 UC Regs You can have a short break from caring and still count as having regular and substantial caring responsibilities. This break can last for up to 12 weeks if your child has been in hospital for at least eight of those weeks. If your entitlement to CA/CSP stops, the carer premium or carer addition (see here) in your income support, income-based jobseeker’s allowance, income-related employment and support allowance, pension credit, housing benefit or council tax reduction stops eight weeks later.2IS Sch 2 para 14ZA(3) IS Regs
JSA Sch 1 para 17(3) JSA Regs
ESA Sch 4 para 8(4) ESA Regs
PC Sch 1 Part II para 4(3) SPC Regs
HB Sch 3 para 17(2) HB Regs; Sch 3 para 9(2) HB(SPC) Regs
CTR Sch 1 para 5(6) CTR(S) Regs; Sch 1 para 10(2) CTR(SPC)(S) Regs
 
1     Regs 29 and 30 UC Regs »
2     IS Sch 2 para 14ZA(3) IS Regs
JSA Sch 1 para 17(3) JSA Regs
ESA Sch 4 para 8(4) ESA Regs
PC Sch 1 Part II para 4(3) SPC Regs
HB Sch 3 para 17(2) HB Regs; Sch 3 para 9(2) HB(SPC) Regs
CTR Sch 1 para 5(6) CTR(S) Regs; Sch 1 para 10(2) CTR(SPC)(S) Regs »