What steps is the Welsh Government taking to improve employment outcomes for unpaid carers in Wales, in light of evidence highlighted by Carers Wales and TUC Cymru that unpaid carers are unable to access existing workplace rights and that a lack of support contributes to carers leaving employment?
We recognise the vital contribution unpaid carers make to families, communities and the wider economy, and understand that many carers reduce their hours or leave work altogether because of their caring responsibilities.
We know that remaining in paid employment, where possible, is crucial to the financial wellbeing of carers and their families, and that unpaid carers are disproportionately affected by poverty. We recognise the evidence from Carers Wales and TUC Cymru that statutory rights alone are not enough if carers are unaware of their entitlements, cannot afford to take unpaid leave, or do not feel supported to exercise their rights.
We have highlighted unpaid carers within our Programme for Government. Carers’ ability to remain in work often depends on access to sufficient care and support services by the person with care needs, and we have committed to strengthening the social care system.
We are publishing our new National Strategy for Unpaid Carers in November. Based on what carers have told us matters most to them, we are prioritising financial hardship and paid employment as an area for action. We will be identifying improved means to support unpaid carers to remain in or return to employment and promote awareness of carers’ rights. To do this, we will be seeking to engage with employers and trade unions to improve awareness and support for working carers.
We also know from listening to carers that availability of replacement care and respite are vital to allow carers to balance their caring responsibilities with work, education and other aspects of everyday life. Access to respite and replacement care is a further area for priority action in our new strategy and we will be seeking to actively work with local authorities and Regional Partnership Boards to achieve improvement.
We continue to fund Carers Wales to provide support and advice for carers in paid employment and to promote carer-friendly practice among employers and trade unions. This includes targeted awareness activity, e-learning and engagement with employability services. We are working with Carers Wales to consider how best to target resources next year for the greatest impact.
While employment rights are largely reserved to the UK Government, we are taking action to encourage employers to adopt fair work practices, including flexible working arrangements that better enable people to balance work with caring responsibilities. Our employability programmes, including Communities for Work Plus, provide tailored support to people facing barriers to employment, including those with caring responsibilities, helping them move closer to the labour market and access employment opportunities.