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Carers at the heart of 21st Century families and communities

The carers' strategy sets out the Government's short-term agenda and long-term vision for the future care and support of carers.

The carers' strategy is underpinned by £255 million to implement some immediate steps alongside with medium and long-term plans.

National insurance carer’s credit

This will be introduced from 2010, for carers providing at least 20 hours of weekly care, to recognise their need to protect their rights to state pension.

Benefits

Despite recent consultations between various organisations from the charitable sector and government departments there is no commitment to financial help via the benefit system in the short term.

"We acknowledge that in the long term the current structure of benefits for carers needs to be reviewed. however, we need to do this within the context of wider welfare reform and the review of the care and support system rather than in isolation so that we can create a flexible system that reflects the diversity of carers and their needs that is simple and aligned across the benefit system."

Employment

1. Flexible working

"We want to enable all carers who wish to return to work to be able to do so. To help achieve this ambition the Work and Families Act 2006 extended the right to request flexible working to employees who care for an adult. an awareness raising campaign about this right for employers and carers will shortly be launched.

This right includes only those who are caring for a spouse, partner, civil partner, relative, or who live in the same home as the person they are caring for.

We are reviewing how to include more carers within the scope of this law."

2. Advice

A carer-specific programme will be introduced at Jobcentre Plus that is intended to  improve the help and advice available to carers who wish to re-enter the job market by:

• improving information about flexible job vacancies in Jobcentre Plus job banks;
• introducing Care Partnership managers in every Jobcentre Plus district;
• introducing specialist training for Jobcentre Plus advisers who work with carers;
• funding replacement care for those who are participating in approved training;
• ensuring carers have access to appropriate employment programmes; and
• investigating the feasibility of providing return to work support through voluntary organisations.

Note: A high proportion of carers in work are in low skilled occupations. Their hours are also too low to enable them to receive working tax credit. Many carers are providing 50 hours or more of care a week and could not work at all.

Training and skills

"We are committed to ensuring that training is provided in a flexible manner so that it can be fitted around caring responsibilities.

We are developing an adult advancement and careers service that will offer advice and guidance as well as a skills health check. This will form the basis of an action plan to help an individual progress back into learning and work."

There is no indication of any intent to relax the rule banning full time education for those in receipt of carer's allowance.

More information

• carers at the heart of 21st century families and communities - link to report
• carer's allowance factsheet
• carers' respite leave 'to double' - BBC website
• carers uk - press release
• carers uk policy briefing
• increased support for carers who want to work - Measures designed to enable carers to combine paid work with caring DWP website).
• recent stories - Department of Health website

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