Centre for Policy on Ageing



Combining informal care and work — supporting carers in the workplace
Author(s)	Hilary Arksey
Journal title	Health & Social Care in the Community, vol 10, no 3, May 2002
Pages	pp 151-161
Keywords	Informal care ; Employees ; Needs [elderly] ; Employment ; Social surveys.
Annotation	The impact of the Carers (Recognition and Services) Act 1995 on local authorities and carers in northern England is examined. The author draws on findings of two projects that explored the extent to which the needs of employees with caring responsibilities are supported in the workplace. The two projects examined evidence from a study of informal carers assessed under the 1995 Act, identified the difficulties that they face in their workplace, and observed the strategies that they developed to help sustain the two roles. From this, a model of support for working carers was developed which includes: leave policies; carer-friendly working arrangements; access to a (private) telephone; and supportive line managers and co-workers. This model was tested with 13 employers to see how "carer friendly" they were. Most were able to provide appropriate support; but questions were then raised about some aspects, for example "special treatment" that is not available to other colleagues, and the role of line managers. (RH).
Accession Number	CPA-020521210 A
Classmark	P6: WK: IK: WJ: 3F
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...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing.