Helping you help others
One in nine UK workers will be caring for someone who is older, disabled or seriously ill.
Unpaid carers are people of any age who look after friends or family members who need help due to a mental health issue, disability, illness or addiction. Last year, analysis from the Office for National Statistics suggested that the social care provided by unpaid carers in the UK is worth a staggering £57bn.
What help, both financial and otherwise, is available for unpaid carers? If you have a separate job what legal and informal options exist for you to get the help you need from your employer? If you're a young carer, where can you find support? These are all important questions.
Last month, Katherine Wilson, head of Employers for Carers, joined colleagues from the Carers Trust and Age UK on Money Box Live on Radio 4. The programme focused on financial advice and options available to carers including workplace rights. A link to the podcast can be found here.
In May, a report from the Work and Pensions Select Committee noted that flexibility was crucial in allowing carers to balance their caring responsibilities with workplace demands. The influential parliamentary committee urged that carers should be entitiled to request flexible working from the first day of their employment.
Under existing law, individuals have a right to request flexible working but only after they have been with their employer for 26 weeks. The select committee warned that this often forced carers to use annual leave or take sick days to fulfil their caring responsibilities during that time.
There are an estimated three million people balancing care with paid work. The report flagged that, under existing legislation, many carers ‘conclude that caring and work cannot be combined’.
Wendy Davies, people change lead and chair of our Parents and Carers steering group, said: ‘Many colleagues balance parental and caring responsibilities with their career. Our Parents & Carers steering group advocates for carers and helps managers provide the right level of support and advice to their teams and colleagues who need it.
‘People who have caring responsibilities more often than not go without being identified in the workplace. Around one in six people in the UK have given up work to care at some point in their careers and as the population ages the number of carers is only going to grow.
‘We aim to help colleagues with caring responsibilities balance these duties with their day-to-day working life. We can help direct you to where you can obtain support with formal flexible working requests and approvals as well as advice on the types of flexible working available.’
Parents & Carers
Please visit the Parent & Carers steering group homepage to read more about the work the group is doing, and access a range of resources available to support you if you are caring for others.
If you would like to share your story, learn more or get involved, please contact us at parents.and.carers@royalmail.com.
