An action plan to improve the support for carers in England has been launched by the government.
Entitled Carers action plan 2018 to 2020: supporting carers today, the cross-party document contains a section on employment and financial wellbeing. It outlines several initiatives that are designed to support employers to improve working practices and flexible working to help carers to stay in work, as well as to support carers returning to work and improving advice on financial support for carers.
Among the initiatives outlined are a carer friendly employer benchmarking scheme, to enable employers to measure the robustness of their support arrangements for carers. And it is considering introducing dedicated employment rights for carers alongside existing employment rights.
The action plan highlights that around one in nine working people are also carers (Census, 2011) and the largest proportion of carers are in employment, whether full or part time. Despite this, many carers experience substantial challenges in balancing employment and their caring responsibilities.
