Caring and Working

More than half of Haringey's 16,000 carers do some form of paid work.

• Flexible working
• Carers' right to request flexible working
• Examples of what you could ask for
• Time off for emergencies
• Parental leave
• Other support to help you keep working

Flexible working

Carers have the right to request flexible working. This is part of a package of family friendly measures introduced in the Work and Families Act 2006.

The definition of 'carer' covered by this legislation is an employee who is or expects to be caring for an adult who:

• is married to or is the civil partner of the employee; or
• is a near relative of the employee; or
• falls into neither category but lives at the same address as the employee

The 'near relative' definition includes parents, parent-in-law, adult child, adopted adult child, siblings (including those who are in-laws), uncles, aunts or grandparents and step-relatives.

Carers often juggle work with caring. Flexible working (sometimes called work-life balance) can help make this easier. It can involve working from home, reducing hours temporarily or permanently, working during school terms only, or other arrangements.

Some employers also offer unpaid leave or a career break to help carers through difficult times.

It is important to tell your employer about your situation. Caring for a disabled person is often unpredictable and care arrangements can be complex so talk to your manager about your concerns and commitments. Employers are often happy to consider flexible working rather than incur the substantial costs of recruiting and training a replacement.

You should be able to access information and advice at work. Some companies also operate counselling services and have advice packs about flexible working. You can also get support from your Trade Union.

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Carers’ right to request flexible working

Carers have the right to request flexible working and employers have a duty to consider their request. The right applies to carers who have worked for their employer continuously for 26 weeks. Only one application to work flexibly is allowed in one year so it is important to think carefully about any financial and practical implications. To apply, you should write to your employer asking for the changes you would like and saying why these would help you. You should include an explanation of how you think the proposed change might affect your employer’s business (if it will) and how this might be dealt with. Your manager must follow a defined procedure to consider the request.

If the request is agreed, the new working pattern forms a permanent change to your contract of employment

Examples of what you could ask for:

• flexible starting and finishing times
• compressed working hours
• annualised working hours
• job sharing or part-time working
• home working
• term-time working.

You can use leave arrangements, paid or unpaid at the discretion of your employer, to cover intensive periods of care.

If you are thinking of giving up work it is worth asking whether your employer has a career break scheme. A career break would allow you to keep your options open. If agreed you would have a job to return to and be kept in touch with the world of work while you are away.

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Other Legal Rights at Work

The Employment Relations Act introduced the following leave entitlements which benefit carers.

• Time off for Emergencies

As a carer, you may take 'reasonable' time off work to deal with an emergency relating to someone you care for.

An emergency could be:

• an unexpected illness
• an accident
• a breakdown in care arrangements
• a bereavement
• if you have to deal with an incident involving a child during school hours.

You can only take off the time you need to deal with the emergency or arrange other care. Whether the leave is paid or unpaid will depend on your contract of employment. You should check with your manager or personnel department.

• Parental Leave

If you are a parent who has been working for the same employer for a year, you may take up to 13 weeks' unpaid parental leave to care for your child. If your child is disabled, this increases to 18 weeks.

You can take the leave in blocks of one week up to a maximum of 4 weeks’ leave in a year (for each child). If the leave is to care for a disabled child, you can take the leave as a day or multiples of a day, again up to 4 weeks in a year.

You can take the leave up until your child’s fifth birthday, or if your child is disabled, until their eighteenth birthday. You must arrange it in advance with your employer.

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Other support to help you keep working

As a carer providing regular and substantial care, you can ask your local council for a carer’s assessment. This will take into account your needs (eg if you are a working carer) and the needs of the person you care for. The carer’s assessment may mean:

• more direct support for the person you care for, such as support at home or a day care centre
• direct payments so that the person you care for can buy their own support
• information about organisations or groups that support carers.

If you are thinking about giving up work, ask for a carer’s assessment or re-assessment if you have already had one. If your job is seriously at risk because of the pressures of caring, the council will need to look at what help it can provide to enable you to continue working.

For more information about Haringey Council’s services for carers or to request a carer's assessment, contact:

Carers Support Team
Tel 020 8489 3967
Email carerssupportteam@haringey.gov.uk.

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