In the UK, 600 carers are forced to give up work to care for a loved one every day. An astonishing 1 in 7 employees currently juggles work and care.
Workers over the age of 45 are most likely to be affected, meaning employers stand to lose their most experienced team members. All of these issues create costs that can be avoided. The following video highlights the struggles which many employees face daily:
So, how can Carers Count help your organisation to support working carers?
Carers Count and Carers Trust are working in partnership to build awareness of the growing need to help organisations to identify and support working carers. Our aim is to promote carer-friendly workplaces, enabling staff to continue working while caring for someone and preventing the loss of valuable talent for employers in Kirklees by:
- Raising awareness of caring and caring issues in the workplace
- Identifying and engaging with carers in the workplace
- Developing, supporting and managing staff carer networks
- Training and supporting line managers
- Signposting employees to resources within the workplace and accessing local support
Hear more from Carers UK in the short film below:
We offer many resources both locally and through Carers UK that can benefit your business and lead to a happier and more productive workforce, such as:
- Partnership working through regular catch up meetings: Link with our Working Carer development specialist to review your organisational priorities and access support available.
- In-house ‘Carer awareness’ or training sessions tailored to meet individual requirements.
- A dedicated member of the Carers Count Team to help you make full use of available resources.
- Promotional materials to help promote EfC membership and Carers Digital resources within your organisation.
- Invitations to our Employers Supporting Working Carers Forum in Kirklees- An opportunity to learn from local organisations from sole traders to Public limited companies.
- Further opportunities to share your experiences by speaking at our local forum held quarterly in Kirklees.
Hear more from The Kirkwood below about how they work with us to support their employee carers.
- The opportunity to connect with peers from across Kirklees.
- Support from Carers Count for your workplace events, Employee wellbeing Fairs, Equality & Diversity week events and national campaigns like Carers Week and Carers Rights day
- Access to Carers UK online members’ platform, EfC Digital (Businesses operating in Kirklees with less than 250 employees), containing guides, e-Learning, best practice examples, templates, sample policies and case studies; designed to help build your strategy around supporting working carers.
- Access to the Carer UK Digital Resource for Carers ( For carers living in Kirklees), a dedicated online platform designed to support working carers through a full range of online resources they can access anytime, anywhere. Resources include e-Learning, free access to Jointly, Carers UK’s care coordination app, information and support on health and wellbeing, carers rights and working and caring.
Working Carers Partnership & Development Specialist (Kirklees) or call 0300 012 0231.
Carers Count has teamed up with Kirklees Council and Carers UK to offer free access to a range of exclusive digital resources from the Employers for Carers (EFC) for organisations with less than 250 employees.
Lunch & Learn
A great way to help working carers is to give information to support them in there caring role when needed. We have two great lunch and learns coming up this spring.
Support for families living with dementia in Kirklees - 14th May 13.00-14.00
Carers Week - Navigating support for carers and families in Kirkees, 11th June 13.00-14.00
For more information, please get in touch.
Download this self-assessment form which can help in planning your support for working carers:
CIPD research: 'Supporting Working Carers: How employers and employees can benefit'
You can also listen to a podcast produced by CIPD here: 'Hiding in plain sight: carers in the workplace'
KEEP IN TOUCH