1. MISSOC Network Meeting, 6-7 June 2016
Work-life balance measures for persons of working age with dependent relatives in Europe
A study of national policies by the European Social Policy Network (ESPN)
Denis Bouget, Slavina Spasova and Bart Vanhercke
Observatoire social européen (OSE), Brussels

2. Introduction
A ‘new start’ initiative of the European commission in its 2016 Work Programme
35 national reports of ESPN experts
Definition of long-term care (LTC)
Two main research issues:
Caring and employment: Measures on enabling caregivers to stay on the labour market
Caring and well-being: Impact of measures on the well-being of the caregivers and cared for people
Outline
Main features of the work-life balance (WLB) measures
Assessment of measures on employment and well being

3. Measures for the caregivers:
Main features of the WLB measures for working-age people with dependent relatives
Overall description
Measures for the caregivers:
Carer’s leave schemes,
Carer’s cash benefits,
Carer’s benefits in kind
Two categories of LTC systems and support arrangements for carers:
Developed and mature support schemes for carers
Universal and comprehensive LTC arrangements
Provisions to the dependant and specific support to the carer
Underdeveloped support schemes for carers
Familistic model

4. Institutional settings and recent reforms
Fragmentation of benefit and service provision
Governance
Decentralisation to regions or municipalities
Reforms
Trends towards taking into account the carer’s role (needs)
Trends towards deinstitutionalistion
Better work-life balance of caregivers
Impact of EU funding

5. Eligibility conditions for carer’s leave
Carer’s leave schemes
Eligibility conditions for carer’s leave
Age of the cared for person
Intensity and type of dependency
Labour market relationship
Duration
Short-term leave
Long-term leave
Payment arrangements and social security rights
Paid/unpaid leave
Labour market arrangements
Flexibility of carer’s leave
Flexible working arrangements

6. Types of benefits and eligibility conditions
Carer’s cash benefits
Types of benefits and eligibility conditions
Types of cash benefits
Eligibility conditions
Duration
Taxation arrangements
Social security contributions

7. Carer’s benefits in kind
Types of benefits and eligibility conditions
Types of benefits in kind
Eligibility conditions
Respite care
Counselling, training and psychological support
Other benefits in kind

8. Analysis of the effectiveness of measures
Assessment
Two indicators: coverage and take up rates
Analysis of two impacts:
Impact on the employment of caregivers
Impact on the well being of the family members
Difficulties
Lack of data
Statistical unit

9. Analysis of the effectiveness of measures
Assessing the effectiveness of leave schemes
Coverage and take up (Figure 1)
Impact on the employment of caregivers
Assessing the effectiveness of cash benefits
Coverage and take up
Assessing the effectiveness of benefits in kind

10. Percentage people providing intensive caring in female, low-income, 50-64 population

11. Analysis of the effectiveness of measures
Overall interactions
Organisation of long-term care systems
Changes in the demand for LTC
Gender issue
Skills for caring
Structure of the labour market
Impacts of care allowances on employment
Impacts of benefits on well-being

12. Conclusion and key recommendation
To design and to implement a broad-based comprehensive and coordinated policy of services to those receiving care

13. Thank you very much for your attention Both the Synthesis Report and the 35 National Reports on Work-life balance measures will be available on the Commission website (ESPN page) Download our publications, Newsletters and events agenda from (EN-FR)