People who want to combine a job with caring responsibilities need employers to offer flexible working arrangements and Government to provide financial assistance, says Sian Harrington.

The UK's six million unpaid carers do "amazing work", the prime minister, Gordon Brown, said in his keynote speech at the Labour Party Conference in September.

But while he recognised the major contribution unpaid carers make to society, Brown failed to address the issue of financial support for them. This was despite a Commons Work and Pensions Committee just one month earlier recommending income replacement for those unable to work, or only able to work part-time, and compensation for the extra costs of intensive caring. Unpaid carers, said the committee, save the taxpayer £87 billion every year.

Carers who want to return to work should be helped to do so, argued this same committee. According to chairman Labour MP Terry Rooney, the average carer is aged between 35 and 55. "That's normally a prime earning period for people, so they lose out in terms of employment opportunity, earnings and future pensions." Such people, he said, "need to be recognised and recompensed in a better way".

Nor was financial help addressed in the National Carers Strategy, which was launched on 10 June this year. While promising an awareness-raising campaign to ensure carers understand their right to request flexible working, it identified carers wanting to return to work only as a long-term priority from 2011. That's far too late, say critics.

"We welcome the recognition of help as a long-term priority but we believe that it is also one that needs to be addressed right now," says Madeleine Starr, strategic projects manager at Carers UK. "Many carers are struggling to combine their work and caring responsibilities or to get into or return to work," she adds. "Rising fuel and food prices are also making things harder for carers as they often face additional costs here for the person they are caring for. With 4.4 million carers of working age, three million of whom are juggling work and care, the numbers are substantial. Caring is now a critical issue affecting employers and business."

Ageing population

According to Carers UK, the UK workforce will need an additional two million workers in the next 20 years, the majority in the knowledge economy. At the same time, because of our ageing population, we will need an additional three million carers.

Yet one in five are forced to give up work to care. Given their right to request flexible working, why is this? A lack of appropriate care services is one major reason. More than 40% of those caring full time and not in work report they can't return to work for this reason (Carers, Employment and Services Report Series, University of Leeds for Carers UK, 2007). Information about how and where to get support is also lacking.

While demographic factors are difficult for employers to influence, Starr believes there is also a more sinister reason that carers give up work. "Carers still face discrimination and harassment at work,"she says. "The right to request is very important but carers also need protection from discrimination and harassment."

This issue has been brought to the fore by a recent case where carer Sharon Coleman claimed she was discriminated against and harassed because she had a disabled son and was treated less favourably than employees whose children weren't disabled (see page 40). "We will urge the Government to extend this ruling to people caring for others - for example, spouse, parent, other family member or friend," says Starr.

Some employers are taking the bull by the horns and earlier this year companies including BT, Unum and Listawood joined Carers UK to launch Employer for Carers, a forum to help employers support this group as well as influencing employment policy and practice to create a culture that supports carers in and returning to work.

Since the launch event at the House of Commons in June, attended by then minister for carers Ivan Lewis and HR magazine, members have met Lewis and representatives from relevant government departments to look at how Employers for Carers members can work with government to take forward the proposals in the National Carers Strategy. As a result, Starr says, a memorandum of understanding will be drawn up looking at what each side can contribute and the desired outcomes.

Says Employers for Carers founder member Caroline Waters, director of people and policy at BT: "We need to build confidence among employers and encourage them to adapt best practice in flexible working."

The forum is also working on a toolkit to help employers understand what they need to do, as well as discussing plans to appoint an employers' champion in each region.

Flexibility is one way of helping employees who care to stay in work while enabling employers to keep skilled workers. But financial help is also vital. In May HR magazine launched its Make Caring Less Taxing campaign, calling on government to provide tax-free care vouchers and asking readers to support our petition (www.hrmagazine.co.uk/care). We believe a scheme that gives carers of adults the same right to tax-free care as parents is one way forward.

WHAT CAN EMPLOYERS DO?

- Provide care vouchers or other financial assistance towards replacement care to enable carers to work

- Engage in the debate to urge government to review the benefits system urgently to ensure carers are supported to access, remain in, or return to work

- Support the care debate to ensure that back-up care and health services are available to enable carers to work

- Provide information for employees about support and services if they have caring responsibilities (benefits, replacement care services, etc)

- Understand and promote the business benefits of supporting carers in the workplace. Research with employers has shown that those who support carers in their workforce have lower staff turnover, reduced recruitment and retraining costs (the peak age for caring is between 45 and 64 when many employees will have gained valuable skills), improved productivity and reduced absenteeism

- Ensure that they are aware of - and publicise to employees - the right to request flexible working

- Offer flexible working arrangements. This could be anything from altering the carer's arrival and leaving times, to giving them access to a phone, or giving them emergency paid leave.

- 'Carer-proof' policies and practices to ensure that they don't discriminate against employees with caring responsibilities, for example, ensuring that training is provided in a flexible way that is accessible for carers

- Ensure carer-friendly policies and good practice are well-publicised so that all employees are aware of them. This also helps to create a culture that supports carers in and into work

- Sign up to our Make Caring Less Taxing campaign HERE

FLEXIBLE WORKING AT BT

Caroline Waters, head of people and policy at BT, will be giving the keynote speech on the myths of flexible working at the HR Leader's Forum on 10-12 November. She will show how BT has embraced flexible working practices and the benefits it has brought the business.

For more information visit www.hrleadersforum.co.uk

FAMILY-FRIENDLY SYMPOSIUM

HR editor Sian Harrington is chairing a parliamentary symposium at the Houses of Parliament on 10 November to debate the future of family-friendly employment policies.

The event will examine what the outlook for family-friendly policies may be after the next general election, and whether further legislation, encouraging best practice, or some combination of both, is the most effective route forward.

Speakers include Maria Miller MP, conservative shadow minister for Families; Sarah Jackson, chief executive of Working Families; and Alan Christie, director of policy at the Equality and Human Rights Commission. For further information please contact marc@westminsteradvisers.co.uk