Caring for someone while working :Cross Stitch – Caring for someone

You may be working when you start your caring role. It may be helpful to tell your employer about your situation. There are several things that you and your employer can do to help you combine your caring role with employment.

Caring for a disabled relative is often unpredictable and care arrangements can be complex. You should talk to your employer about your concerns and commitments.

Think about how your employer could best help you and talk to them about your needs.

If you want to work, it is in your employer’s best interest to help you work and continue caring. For example, your employer can consider making reasonable changes to your work pattern.

Many employers offer help to carers. This could include:

• talking to a welfare officer or occupational health adviser who knows about carers
• in-house information and advice or counselling
• a subscription to a carers’ organisation, or employee services

There are many different ways of working flexibly. You could work from home or have flexible starting or finishing times.

Other working arrangements might be:

• compressed working hours (where you work your normal number of hours in a shorter time – typically fitting five days working time into four days)
• working during school terms
• job-sharing
• part-time working
• flexible holidays to fit in with alternative care arrangements

Most carers know they can get emergency leave, but there are other leave arrangements that your employer might be able to offer. They include:

• compassionate leave
• borrowing or buying leave
• career breaks

If you’ve legal parental responsibility for a disabled child under 18, you may take up to 18 weeks unpaid parental leave.

If you need help in your caring role you can ask your local council for a carer’s assessment. This is to find out your needs – for example, what help you might need to be able to work.