STATE OF CARING REPORT 2016
Top three things that carers say would have helped them remain in work
alongside caring
54%
More support from
care workers coming
to the home of the
person they care for
45%
Support with
household chores
such as help with
shopping
34%
Support with
managing or
coordinating care
Of those who gave up work, retired early or reduced
working hours, 69% said the stress of juggling work and
care was a contributing factor, 31% said it was because
there are no suitable care services and 21% said care
services are too expensive. 16% said that the leave
available from work was insufficient to be able to manage
caring alongside work and 18% were unable to negotiate
suitable working hours.
What would make the difference in enabling more people
to remain in work alongside caring? Carers who have given
up or reduced hours to care were asked to name the top
three things they felt would have helped them stay in work.
More support from care workers coming to the home of
the person they care for was the top choice of most carers
(28%) and 54% of carers put it in their top three. 45% of
carers put support with household chores such as help with
shopping as a top three priority and one third (34%) put
support managing or coordinating care in their top three.
This underlines that it isn’t only those providing personal
care that are seeing an impact on their ability to stay in
work but also those arranging and organising care for loved
ones.
Responses from carers who have received a carer’s
assessment this year suggest that support with remaining
in work is still not being sufficiently considered when local
authorities look at the support that carers need. Nearly
a third (31%) of working carers felt that the support they
need to manage work and care or to return to work was
not properly considered in their assessment.
These findings should inform commissioners of care and
carer support services who are looking to shape a local
market of care services that meet the needs of carers and
those they support.
15
Night duty was the only shift I could
work. It meant I earned more than
the allowed threshold meaning I lost
Carer’s Allowance, so worked for very
little extra.
It’s impossible to afford enough care
to cover all the holiday periods.