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Supporting working carers

Our trust is committed to supporting working carers to remain in or return to work, ensuring valuable skills are not lost.

What is a carer?

Carers UK definition

A carer spends a significant proportion of their life providing unpaid support to family or potentially friends. This could be caring for a relative, partner or friend who is ill, frail, disabled or has mental health or substance misuse problems.

Caring could be long term, for example caring for older people, people with physical, sensory or learning disabilities and those with mental health problems or short term, such as caring for relatives or dependants who have suffered accidents, illness, bereavement or domestic problems.

Commitment

The trust is committed to supporting working carers to remain in or return to work ensuring valuable skills are not lost.

Supporting policies include: special leave, flexible working and the working carers guide which can all be found on the trust intranet site.

Legislation for working carers

The Work and Families Act 2006 has now been extended to include employees who care, unpaid, for adults who are chronically ill, disabled or frail. The act gives employees the statutory right to request flexible working.

Please contact the HR department for more information and see the flexible working policy.

National Carers Strategy

The strategy sets out the Government’s commitment to carers for the next ten years. This includes: breaks for carers, health and wellbeing, income and employment and young carers.

The full strategy can be accessed at www.carersuk.org.

For more information on carers and how they can be supported please contact human resources on 01642 854346.