1. Supporting Carers to Combine Work and Care: experience in the UK Professor Sue Yeandle, CIRCLE Centre for International Research on Care, Labour & Equalities University of Leeds, UK Carers NSW Biennial Conference March 17-18, 2011 Brighton-Le-Sands, New South Wales, Australia

2. Outline Carers in the UK: combining work and care Employment policies supporting carers Employment practices Concluding remarks

3. In the UK…….who are ‘carers’? 6m people, ‘young carers’ to older people, who care for a relative, friend or neighbour who is ill, disabled or frail:  Disabled children  Sick and disabled adults  Older people including growing numbers with dementia  Terminally ill people  People with mental health problems  People with drug, alcohol and substance abuse problems If replaced by paid help, their care would cost £87bn p.a. Last year only 600,000 people in England had formal home care support arranged by their local authority Yet there were - for example  1.1m people 85+ - nearly 600,000 living alone  3.9m people 65+ with a limiting long-term illness  1.5m people 18-64 with moderate/serious personal care difficulty

4. Age and sex profile of carers providing unpaid care to a sick, disabled or older person Source: 2001 Census Standard Tables, Crown Copyright 2003.

5. Carers of Working Age: Great Britain 2001 CensusWomen number Men number Women % Men % All % All Carers of WA 2,419,9571,845,7545743100 Caring 1-19 hrs 1,680,528 70% 1,359,269 74% 5545100 Caring 20-49 hrs 285,523 12% 192,896 10% 6040100 Caring 50+ hrs 453,906 19% 293,589 16% 6139100 Source: 2001 Census Standard Tables, Crown Copyright.

6. Female carers of working age by economic activity status, Great Britain (n = 2.4 million) Source: 2001 Census SARs, Crown copyright.

7. Male carers of working age by economic activity status, Great Britain (n = 1.8 million) Source: 2001 Census SARs, Crown copyright.

8. Employment rate by weekly caring responsibility: people of working age, 2001 Source: 2001 Census Standard Tables, Crown Copyright 2003. Source: 2001 Census, Crown Copyright 2003

9. Giving up work to care Is sometimes what a carers wants, but often… Leads to big reductions in income which Carers Allowance does not replace Cuts carers off from earning a pension for their own retirement Leaves some carers extremely socially isolated May make it difficult ever to return to work, as confidence, skills and contacts are lost Often causes extra pressure, as caring becomes 24 hours a day, 7 days a week without a break

10. Caring is strongly associated with poverty Our 2007 CES study for Carers UK found:  40% of full-time carers would prefer to be working  Those who had given up work to care were the most disadvantaged/ dissatisfied  Many carers could only work PT, in low paid jobs, because of their caring roles  Three quarters of carers said that public services are not designed/delivered in ways which enable them to work It also found that caring can cause isolation or social exclusion

11. Main financial support: carers of working age Carers Allowance £53.90 pw (AUS$88)- for carers earning less than £100 pw (AUS$163) & caring for someone for 35+ hours per week who already receives Disability Living Allowance or Attendance Allowance Employment & Support Allowance For those too ill to work – replaces Incapacity Benefit and Income Support Carer Premium Up to an extra £30.05 pw for some carers on Income Support, income- based Jobseekers' Allowance, Housing Benefit, Council Tax Benefit NOTE some changes may follow in 2011 – new Welfare Reform Bill

12. People of working age whose health was not good*, by sex and weekly hours of caring Source: 2001 Census Standard Tables, Crown Copyright 2003 * Note: Self assessment of own health over the previous 12 months

13. Employees whose health is 'not good' by employment status and caring responsibilities Source: 2001 Census SARs, Crown Copyright 2004. This work is based on the SARs provided through the Centre for Census and Survey Research of the University of Manchester with the support of ESRC and JISC

14. Recent legislation/national policy affecting carers, UK DateLegislation or National Policy 1976Social Security (Invalid Care Allowance) Regulations 1995Carers (Recognition and Services) Act 19991 st National Strategy for Carers: ‘Caring About Carers’ 1999Employment Relations Act 2000Carers and Disabled Children Act 2002Employment Act 2004Carers (Equal Opportunities) Act Applies in England and Wales only 2006Work and Families Act 20082 nd National Strategy for Carers: ‘Carers at the Heart of 21st century families & communities’ 2010Equality Act 2010‘Recognised, Valued & Supported: Next Steps for the Carers Strategy’ – Coalition Government

15. Combining caring with employment: key issues which make this possible for over 4 million carers Employees  Need flexible support at work to combine work and care – new rights and services are now in place - used by a minority, need to raise awareness Managers and employers  Often want to retain and support employees who become carers  Need guidance and support in doing this  Experience shows there are significant benefits The state  Has put legislation in place to support working carers  Will be giving new support to carers wanting to return to work  Now acknowledges it needs to act (Carers Strategy)

16. Flexible working options available under ‘right to request’ legislation Flexi time/choosing when to work : usually with core period during which the employee must work Annualised hours : worked out over a year, often with some set shifts and options re other hours Compressed hours : agreed hours are worked over fewer days - e.g. ‘9 day fortnight’ Staggered hours : different starting, break and finishing times for employees in the same workplace Job sharing : sharing a job designed for one person with someone else Homeworking : working from home Part time : working less than the normal hours, perhaps by working fewer days per week

17. Employment practices Flexible working arrangements more widespread Employers agree most requests made under new law Employers for Carers  Close link with carers’ movement (Carers UK )  Good practice guidance, research, lobbying  Regular events and website with extra support for members  Membership includes: telecommunications, utilities, manufacturing, police, voluntary sector, retail, education, health, local authorities, consulting, insurance. ‘Social and Business Benefits of Supporting Working Carers’ research

18. How employees benefit Enhanced self-esteem, loyalty, responsibility and autonomy A better atmosphere at work More effective communication Reciprocity – ‘we all work better when we are here’ Peace of mind, happier at home and at work Productivity gains Cost savings – recruitment, systems accommodation Customer satisfaction goes up More creativity and energy in the workforce Reduced sick leave Lower staff turnover A trust-based relationship ‘worth its weight in gold’ How the business benefits Source: Who Cares Wins report (2006): Yeandle et al, London: Carers UK

19. Concluding Remarks Backdrop: rising employment, commitment to ‘work-life balance’; rising spending on innovations for carers Post 2008 – new Coalition Government, major public spending cuts, increased unemployment 6m carers - needed because of demography not cuts PT employment strong feature for women, & increasing Key features in the UK:  Strong carers’ movement  Carers firmly on public policy agenda  Trend towards flexibility in employment practices  Direct engagement of employers But - will carers’ rights, support, recognition survive?

20. http://www.carersuk.org/Policyandpractice/Research/CarersEmploymentandServices http://www.leeds.ac.uk/sociology/research.circle The Carers Employment and Services Report Series Yeandle et al London: Carers UK, 2007

21. Further information CIRCLE Centre for International Research on Care, Labour and Equalities Professor Sue Yeandle Address: CIRCLE, Department of Sociology and Social Policy, University of Leeds, LEEDS, LS2 9JT www.leeds.ac.uk/sociology/research/circle Tel +44 (0) 113 3434 4442 / +44 (0) 113 343 5003 Email s.m.yeandle@leeds.ac.uks.m.yeandle@leeds.ac.uk