Today is Carer’s Rights Day, which is about raising awareness of the rights the UK’s 5.8 million unpaid carers are entitled to, in an effort to help them get the support they need and the recognition they deserve.
This years theme is ‘Know your rights, use your rights’, and we have brought together key Centre for Care outputs as links in this piece to help boost this encouraging message further. We are committed to making a positive difference for unpaid carers across the UK.
This message was amplified on Tuesday this week by the Princess of Wales, as she delivered her first speech in two years. In it she urged employers to re-evaluate their workplace models, asking companies to prioritise “valuing time and tenderness just as much as productivity and success.”
Our research on juggling work and care speaks to this sentiment directly- this year we held a policy roundtable event at the House of Commons, co-hosted by Wendy Chamberlain MP in which we explored the urgent need for Paid Carer’s Leave. Currently carers can take up to five days unpaid, away from work to fulfil caring responsibilities, thanks to the Carers Leave Act 2024. Our research on estimating the value of unpaid care in England and Wales was cited at the reading of this Bill which was brought by Wendy Chamberlain MP. Paid Carer’s Leave would be a vital lifeline for people struggling with balancing work alongside demanding caring responsibilities. In research carried out in partnership with Carers UK, we find that 600 people leave work every day because of the challenges related to combining work and care. A range of measures – including paid carer’s leave – could support people to stay in employment, with knock-on effects for their financial wellbeing, employee retention, and productivity.
The Centre for Care published a graphic novel this year which highlights the importance of good workplace support for those with caring roles. Read the comic here to learn more.
This year we also launched the Unpaid Care Dashboard which highlights, in great detail, further inequalities faced by unpaid carers. The Dashboard can be used for many reasons, including improving general understandings of patterns of care, how resources or services might be changed to support local populations, and to support the development of business cases.
At another policy event in Parliament this year we explored the evidence in support of Carer’s Allowance reform, co-hosting with Steve Darling MP. During the event we heard powerful stories from our guests with lived experience, Leanne and Alison, both unpaid carers and both affected by an outdated benefit which must be modernised and made fit for purpose, with a comprehensive review of both the amount paid and the eligibility criteria. In 2024 our former Director Professor Sue Yeandle commented on the widely-publicised reporting on Carer’s Allowance, providing context and highlighting the need for much overdue reform:
It’s beyond high time for reform. It’s a public outrage deserving immediate attention. Government and Opposition parties must all now commit to ending this scandal and to giving carers the fair deal they so richly deserved.
Very aptly, Professor Yeandle this week received her OBE for her work advocating for better recognition and support for carers.
The urgent need for a new social contract for unpaid carers
We have brought together research findings into a Summary Evidence Briefing, ‘The urgent need for a new social contract for unpaid carers’. This highlights the research evidence underpinning our urgent call for the UK Government to co-produce a National Carers Strategy, which should take a cross-governmental approach to delivering the breadth and depth of support needed by carers. Our key messages from the briefing are shown below in the images. We hope these messages will be shared widely and amongst those who can make a real difference to improving the lives of unpaid carers all over the country.
For any unpaid carers looking for more information on their rights, we recommend you visit our partners, Carers UK.
About the author
Dan is currently Digital and Communications Coordinator at the ESRC-funded Centre for Care and continues his work on the CARE MATTERS podcast, as well as producing animations, videos, various other digital outputs and maintaining the Centre for Care website and social media platforms.
