Latest news

Equality Act Guidance

Default Retirement Age

The Government has announced that the Default Retirement Age will be scrapped from October 2011.

New Commission to look at funding care

Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley, announced today (21 July 2010) a Commission on the Funding of Social Care.

The Commission Chair is Andrew Dilnot and with members Lord Warner and Dame Jo Williams.  It is due to report in one year.  The terms of reference can be found at: www.dh.gov.uk/carecommission

Expert panel discussion on carers' networks

Employers discussed the practicalities of supporting staff carers' networks at a lively Members' Networking Event hosted by PwC on 13 July.

Global debate on care crisis, 8-11 July 2010

Caroline Waters OBE, Director, People and Policy for BT Group and Chair of Employers for Carers, spoke at the 5th International Carers Conference 2010: New Frontiers in Caring, at the Royal Armouries in Leeds on 9th July 2010. Drawing delegates from all over the world, the event was addressed by HRH The Princess Royal and Andrew Lansley CBE MP, Secretary of State for Health.

Equality Act Implementation

The Government Equalities Office announced on 3 July that "the first wave of implementation of the Equality Act will go ahead to the planned October timetable" and the first commencement order is being published in Parliament this week.

Budget June 2010

The Coalition Government’s first Budget was published on 22 June 2010. It sets out a five-year plan to rebuild the British economy based on the Government’s stated values of responsibility, freedom and fairness.

Carers Week 2010

 An estimated 12,000 events and activities are taking place around the UK this week as part of Carers Week 2010.

What the Queen's Speech means for carers

Response from Carers UK:

Carers UK has welcomed two measures which will not be subject to legislation but are nevertheless positive – the extension of the right to request flexible working to all workers and the establishment of an independent Commission on social care.  

New Coalition programme for government

Global debate on care crisis

Caroline Waters OBE, Director, People and Policy for BT Group and Chair of Employers for Carers will be speaking at the 5th International Carers Conference 2010: New Frontiers in Caring, at the Royal Armouries in Leeds on 9th July 2010.  

Manifesto commitments to scrap forced retirement

The three major political parties have committed to abolishing the Default Retirement Age.

Equality Bill gets through

The Equality Act received Royal Assent on 8 April and will take effect from the Autumn.

New Carer’s Credit to protect State Pensions

Care and Support White Paper

The White Paper on Care and Support, published on 30 March 2010, includes  proposals for a National Care Service which would overhaul the way care and support is paid for and provided.  

Employers gear up for our ageing population

Employers for Carers, the forum for employers seeking to support the 1 in 7 carers in their workforce, welcomed the publication today of a landmark Memorandum of Understanding with Government covering around 1 million employees (1).

Tipping point for care

On the day (19 February 2010) of the care conference called by Secretary of State for Health, Andy Burnham MP, to try to find political consensus on the reform of social care, the national charity Carers UK called upon government, employers, public services, communities and families to sign up to a new social contract before a tipping point for care is reached in 2017 that risks plunging families and the UK economy into disaster. (1)

EfC members meet DWP Minister Jonathan Shaw

One year on from the forum’s launch in January 2009, Employers for Carers (EfC)’s second Networking Event for members, held 2 February 2010, was addressed by Jonathan Shaw MP, Minister for Disabled People at the Department for Work and Pensions.  

OBE for Chair of EfC

Caroline Waters is to be awarded an OBE for her 'services to diversity and equal opportunities'.

Review of support for working carers

The Government has this week (15 December 2009) announced that there will be a consultation on the support for carers who combine caring with paid work, and it has also announced an increase in the earnings limit for Carer's Allowance.  

1 million give up work to care

One in six carers give up or cut back work to care and face a significant drop in income which can continue for several years. New research by Ipsos MORI for Carers Rights Day shows the average carer in Britain today cares for around six-and-a-half years clocking up an average of 27 hours a week.

Reaction to Queen's Speech

The Speech contained a number of Bills that will impact on carers, including groundbreaking legislation to provide free care at home for those with the most severe disabilities.

End carer poverty

A delegation of Carers UK members have been to Number Ten to hand in the Carers Poverty Charter which calls for urgent action to improve carer finances.

Green Paper's funding options

'Trust us', Ministers say on the care Green Paper sums

Charities working with older people, carers and disabled people are disappointed that the Government won't be publishing the financial modelling behind the care funding Green Paper until next year.

Time off for carers

Carers UK, with backing from the Daily Mirror, is calling for carers to be allowed extra time off work when they are unable to cope. One in five people looking after someone find it impossible to balance a job and caring. Carers UK is backing the Daily Mirror's caring for carers campaign and calling for carer's leave to be made law.

Free care for critical needs

The Prime Minister today announced that disabled and older people with critical needs will be entitled to free care in their homes. This would benefit up to 350,000 people and could mean families who are currently struggling to meet the costs of care could be hundreds of pounds better off.

Care home fees

Carers UK has issued a statement in response to the Conservative announcement of a policy for payment of residential care fees.

Carers deserve better

Carers UK has reacted to a report from the Committee of Public Accounts (Supporting Carers to care, 42nd Report of Session 2008-09) which reveals that carers find it hard to access state benefits and employment support because of confusing and complex processes and poor communication from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

Flexible Working campaign launched

The Government's news release can be viewed here.

Employers for Carers has produced a guide for employers and carers about the process of applying for flexible working. The guide includes a sample application form and a summary of rights and responsibilities.  You can order a copy of Carers and Employment: a guide to the right to request flexible working by visiting the Resources page. Employers for Carers can support you to support those carers in your workforce who want to work flexibly. We offer training and consultancy services and have produced a range of publications for employers. If you are interested in joining Employers for Carers to receive a membership discount on these services click here.

Facts and Figures

In the future most people's lives will include at least one episode of unpaid caring.

The latest figures on carers are from the 2001 Census. This showed that there are nearly 6 million carers in the UK. This is 10% of the total population, or approximately 12% of the adult population. 58% of carers are women and 42% are men.

Green Paper response

Employers for Carers today welcomed the long awaited Green Paper on care and support and called for the voices of employers to be heard in the national debate it will create. 

Award for Caroline

Caroline Waters, Chair of Employers for Carers, and Director of People and Policy at BT Group, has been awarded HR Director of the Year in the HR Excellence Awards 2009.

June e-bulletin

Employers for Carers has produced its first e-bulletin which you should have received by email on Friday 19 June. If you haven't received yours please let us know.

Carers Week News

Employers stand up to be counted in Carers Week - the new Employers for Carers service now covers half a million employees.

Equality Training

Will you be ready to comply with the Equality Act?

The Equality Bill was published on 27 April and will come into force next year. You will need to know the provisions contained in the Bill and what you need to do as an organisation to ensure that you are ready to comply with the Act.

Employers for Carers is offering dedicated training on the Equality Bill (Compliance on equalities: new rights for carers at work) and what it will mean in practice for employers in relation to carers.

Contact us on 020 7378 4956 or email employers@carersuk.org for further details of our equality training.

If you join Employers for Carers you can access our full range of services and receive training and consultancy at reduced rates.

PM on carers' benefits

On 6 May a delegation of MPs met Prime Minister Gordon Brown to urge him to make improvements to carers’ benefits. Carers UK also attended the meeting and presented carers’ concerns directly to the Prime Minister.

Equality Bill published

The long awaited Equality Bill was published on Monday 27 April and is expected to come into force by autumn 2010. It is set to replace nine laws with one single Act to make it easier for employers and staff to understand their legal rights and obligations. The Bill covers England and Wales and, with the exception of one clause, part of the law of Scotland. There are also a few provisions which form part of the law of Northern Ireland.

Equal rights for carers

The Government has today announced that it intends to ban discrimination against carers by protecting people who are ‘associated with’ someone who is disabled.

Lloydspharmacy and Carers UK join forces

Carers UK and Lloydspharmacy have signed a new partnership agreement - working together to provide health advice and information to improve carers' health.

According to research conducted last year by Carers UK, a staggering 95% of those carers questioned said they regularly cover up or disguise the fact that their health is suffering in order to continue with their caring responsibilities.

Carers Direct - new national information service launched for carers

Sixty people including carers, health charities and government attended the launch on February 16th of a new online information service for carers, Carers Direct, held at the Coin Street Neighbourhood Centre on London’s South Bank.

Vote for Caroline

Caroline Waters, Chair of Employers for Carers, is on the shortlist for HR Magazine's Human Resources Excellence Awards 2009. She is one of ten Human Resources directors who have been nominated for their groundbreaking work over the past twelve months.

Care Vouchers Scheme

Care vouchers recommendations are ‘unfinished business’ say employers.

Ahead of a parliamentary debate today (Thursday 26 Feb) on the government’s response to the Work & Pensions Select Committee’s report: ‘Valuing and Supporting Carers’, employers have come together to urge an immediate re-examination of the Committee’s proposals in support of Care Vouchers.

Carers UK recognised in awards

Carers UK are delighted to have been recognised, last week, as part of the thirtieth anniversary of Working Families, the UK’s leading work-life balance campaign organisation.

Photos from launch of Employers for Carers

Government-backed business group Employers for Carers, chaired by BT and supported by Carers UK, went live on 27th January launched by Department of Work and Pensions Minister Jonathan Shaw at the BT Tower.

Employers for Carers, whose members include BT, Unum, Listawood, the University of Leeds and PricewaterhouseCoopers, will deliver hands-on advice to employers on supporting the UK’s 3 million working carers.

Business leaders offer help to employers

Business leaders offer help to employers to mitigate recession

New Employers for Carers service goes live, aimed at helping businesses get the most out of their workforces

Government-backed business group Employers for Carers, chaired by BT and supported by Carers UK, goes live today (27th January). The group will deliver hands-on advice to employers on supporting the UK’s 3 million working carers, many of whom are struggling to combine work with caring for ill, frail or disabled friends or family members.