BASW General Election Blog: Introduce Paid Carers Leave
BASW wants to see the next UK Government commit to introducing the right for carers to be paid by their employer, with a model like that of maternity leave. There should also be enhanced support for all carers, including young carers.
Pauline Sergeant, BASW member and Chair of BASW's Black Professionals Symposium (BPS) explains why this policy must be prioritised in the next UK Parliament.
Paid Carers Leave
The Care Act (2014) recognises a carer as someone who looks after another person who has a physical or mental illness or disability and cannot cope without support. It can take many years for a carer to recognise the role and the rights which exists when their caring responsibilities are acknowledged via local authority assessment and eligibility for support.
The role of a carer is not reserved for a particular age, gender, religion or economic status and it is well documented that the role of a carer can come at a personal and financial cost.
Most of us will agree that unpaid carers play an important role in our society by providing vital care that would otherwise be the responsibility of formal (paid) health and social care services.
Whilst The Care Act (2014) requires the local authority to provide preventative measures to delay and/or reduce the appearance of needs, an assessment under the Act should also consider a carer’s wellbeing and determine if they have eligible needs. When caring responsibilities are affecting or likely to impact on a carer’s physical or mental health and prevents them from looking after children or other individuals, the home or themselves then a carer should be supported by the local authority.
The last census (March 2021) showed that 5 million people were providing unpaid care to relatives, friends and other individuals despite deriving satisfaction and pride in providing support for loved ones, many will experience a detrimental impact in maintaining personal relationships, enjoying social activities and responding to opportunities to contribute to society. Many unpaid carers undertake the role for more than 24 hours a day and miss out on the prospects of education, training and employment.
Charities and organisations such as Carers UK, The Health Foundation and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation have acknowledged the financial impact of unpaid caring and, through policies, research and campaigns seek to tackle this inequality that affects millions of unpaid carers who remain employed.
It is estimated by the Carers UK charity that there are at least 5 million people who are juggling work and caring responsibilities in the UK. This can be broken down to 1 in 7 carers in every workplace and the numbers are expected to increase. It’s good news therefore that the new Carer’s Leave Act (2023) has been enforced and allows employed carers to give notice to take up to one working week off for caring responsibilities.
The Carer’s Leave Act 2023 might help to pause or allay the non-surprising fact that 1 in 6 carers give up work or reduce their hours to care for loved ones. Apart from the financial and wellbeing impact on these carers’ lives, let’s also reflect on the damage that this exodus from the workplace is doing to our economy.
Next on the agenda should be the campaigning for paid carer’s leave.
Carer’s UK offers support to employers that wish to look after its employees by implementing the new legislation (Carers Leave Act, 2023) and helping them to consider and adopt paid carer’s leave which is accessible to all carers within their organisation.
It’s time for us all to consider and campaign for paid leave for employed carers. As we strive for equity that will see carers enjoying employment rights on the level enjoyed by those entitled to maternal and paternity leave, we must also push for more investment in social care by the new government.
Pauline Sergeant - Consultant Social Worker & Chair of BASW Black Professionals Symposium (BPS)
