'Employers should take a chance on unpaid carers'
A woman who gave up her job to look after her autistic child has urged employers to be more accommodating and open-minded towards unpaid carers.
Elizabeth Dew, from Sheffield, said she had to quit her full time position in 2014, two years after the birth of her son.
Now working again part-time she said she wanted to "challenge the misconception that a carer is going to be a burden on the workplace".
She spoke as new research by the University of Sheffield suggested there were more than five million unpaid carers in England and Wales.
Ms Dew said she had hoped to "pick her career up again" sooner, but her son's needs became more demanding over time.
She said she claimed Universal Credit to "top up" her income, but it "barely" covered their needs.
"There's no recognition that I'm doing the work that someone else isn't doing - it's unpaid and unrecognised work," she said.
"I don't begrudge my children, but it would be really great to have a recognition that it's more than your average parent and I've missed out on earning as much as I potentially could be."
According to the university's Centre for Care unpaid carers are providing more hours of care than ever before.
It said the number of carers who provided 50 hours of unpaid care per week had increased from 24% to 30% between 2011 and 2021 - equivalent to £162bn of care a year.
As part of Carers Week, the centre launched a digital dashboard to compare data on unpaid carers collected by the Office for National Statistics in England and Wales.
Ms Dew said she would like to see "more flexibility in the workplace" for carers and a statutory right to paid carer's leave, having previously had to take unpaid leave she "couldn't afford".
She added carers are "often fantastic employees".
"We have so much experience from juggling all kinds of different situations, and we can often be excellent at problem solving and time management," she said.
A government spokesperson said: "We recognise the immense contribution of carers who selflessly dedicate their time to supporting others.
"We want families to receive the support they deserve which is why we have increased the Carer's Allowance earnings threshold by around an additional £2,000 a year – the biggest rise since it was introduced in 1976.
"We have also launched an independent review into social care, which will include exploring the needs of unpaid carers who provide vital care and support."
Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds or catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
'I look after my grandson but don't get carer's allowance'
'I slowly realised I was running two households'
I love dad to bits - but being his carer has broken me
Mum told to 'give up' career to care for daughters
University of Sheffield
Carers Week
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
'I don't want to live on benefits, I want to work'
"I don't want to live off benefits all my life." Teenager Kailee Kember-Brown, a wheelchair user, says she has so far applied for more than 40 jobs without success. Kailee, from Dover, in Kent, is currently entitled to a top-up to her Universal Credit income because of her disability. It means the 19-year-old is not required to look for a job, but she wants one to avoid having to stay at home getting bored. Most of her friends are also in work. And her financial situation could soon be changing too, under government plans to cut the Universal Credit health top-up for under-22s with long-term illnesses or disabilities, currently worth £423-a-month to people like Kailee, as part of their wide-ranging welfare reform proposals. A government consultation on the proposed cut to the top-up for under-22s is due to end on Monday. The wider reforms, many of which are set out in the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill, have prompted a rebellion from over 120 Labour MPs, who have signed an amendment calling for the proposals to be scrapped. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Wednesday that he planned to press ahead with the plans despite the criticism, adding that his party was "pretty united" on the need for reform. Overall, the government says it will save £5bn a year by 2030 through the cuts to disability and sickness-related benefits payments. Ministers also say they want the changes to help those who are "trapped" in the benefits system to find work. But Kailee, whose functional neurological disorder means she feels physically weak and struggles to walk, says she has only heard back from a quarter of the job applications she has sent out. Her disability means she requires certain adjustments from employers, such as accessible facilities and flexible hours to allow her to attend physiotherapy and doctor's appointments. A lot of the jobs she has applied for are with companies listed in the government's Disability Confident scheme, which encourages employers to hire and retain disabled staff, and Kailee says it's particularly "disheartening" when she fails to hear back from them. "When you apply for it and you're like, 'Oh my God, I tick all the boxes,' and then they never get back to you or even look at your CV, it's kind of like, well, what am I meant to do now?" Jane Hatton, who runs a jobs platform for disabled job seekers and only employs disabled staff, says many employers harbour misconceptions that disabled employees won't have the necessary skills for the job or might take more sick days than their non-disabled colleagues. "As an employer, if you interview two candidates of equal value in every other respect - one of them is non-disabled and one might need adjustments - [you might be] tempted to go with a non-disabled person," she says But those stereotypes are not borne out of reality, she says, adding that prospective employers should support all their candidates with whatever adjustments they may need. "The barriers that people face tend to be inaccessible recruitment processes," she says. "What we say to employers is that it's about making adjustments so that people can flourish." She also says government schemes like Access to Work (AtW) have not been working effectively enough to get jobs for the disabled people it's designed to support. Ministers have previously acknowledged the problems with AtW and say they will look at how it can be updated. It's one of a long list of issues the government hopes to fix in order to get more disabled people into work, while reducing the benefits bill. Disability Minister Sir Stephen Timms told the BBC he acknowledged that the jobs market was tough for disabled people, adding that the government was "making the changes that are needed to welcome disabled people into employment". One of the biggest concerns for disabled people and campaigners among the government's welfare reforms is the plan to change the eligibility criteria for the Personal Independence Payment (Pip). The benefit is designed to pay for the additional living costs many disabled people face, from travel and transport to home adaptations and care. The proposed changes to Pip is one of the reasons given by many of the Labour backbenchers who have decided to oppose the government's legislation. But Timms said Pip does need reform, adding that the rising cost of delivering the benefit has been "unsustainable", and that if the government "didn't act then it would end in tears". "I want to make sure that Pip is going to be there in full, uprated properly every year, for those with severe impairments who are very dependent on it," he said. What are the Pip and universal credit changes and who is affected? PM defends leadership amid growing welfare rebellion MP who backed out of welfare rebellion apologises
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Yahoo
Who will be protected from benefits reassessment under the government's welfare bill?
More than 200,000 people with severe, lifelong conditions will have their benefits protected and will not be reassessed, the government has announced as part of its new welfare bill. "Robust protections will be put in place" so that those who are classified as severely disabled will be exempt from any future benefit assessments, and instead will be given the highest universal credit health top-up available, the government said. These protections will come into effect when the government freezes and halves the universal health credit top-up in April 2026. The rule is laid out in the government's welfare bill, which will see the government save at least £5bn by freezing and cutting the top-up as well as limiting who is eligible for disability benefit PIP. Around 2.6 million people in the UK claim the universal credit health top-up, according to the latest figures, and 2.25 million of those people are set to be affected by the government's new rules. While the exemption for those with the most severe conditions has been welcomed, there has been some confusion over who will be protected. Yahoo News contacted the DWP but did not get a response at the time of publication. Here's what we know about so far about who could be protected under the welfare bill. The universal credit health-top up payment is provided in addition to a person's universal credit standard allowance. It is designed to support those who have a health condition or disability that limits their ability to work, and for those over 18 and under state pension age. Most people must undergo a work capability assessment to determine if they are eligible for it. If you have a terminal illness and are expected to live for 12 months or less, you automatically qualify for the health top-up. The government's own wording states more than 200,000 individuals who meet the severe conditions criteria (SCC) or are covered by the special rules for end of life (SREL) will be protected from future reassessment for universal credit entitlement. "For those receiving the new reduced UC health element after April 2026, we are proposing that those with the most severe, life-long health conditions, who have no prospect of improvement and will never be able to work, will see their incomes protected through an additional premium," it said. "We will also guarantee that for both new and existing claims, those in this group will not need to be reassessed in future." The SREL rules identify and support anyone who is terminally ill, so it is highly likely that this group of claimants will be protected. The SCC criteria is used to identify people with the most severe, lifelong, and permanently disabling health conditions or disabilities. These people are classified as having severe, progressive, or irreversible physical or mental health conditions whose health is unlikely to improve. It's worth bearing in mind that while 200,000 people will be protected, that covers just under 8% of people claiming the top-up. We know that those who are classified as having limited capability for work will not be included in the 200,000. Anyone whose condition has scope for improvement, such as some mental health conditions, will likely not be included. We also know that from April 2022, anyone under the age of 22 will no longer be eligible for the universal credit health top-up. The government said by removing the payment for this age group and reinvesting the money into work and training opportunities for younger people, it will incentivise people from this age group to get back into work. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has spoken out against this decision. Iain Porter, the charity's senior policy adviser, said: "Slashing support for young disabled people is a cruel move that will push more families into hardship and poverty.' While many disability and poverty campaigners have welcomed some protections, they have all been clear that they do not think they go far enough. Disability equality Scope said while "it's right that people with the most severe conditions are protected, this is little comfort to the hundreds of thousands that will lose out." "The vast majority of disabled people will not be covered by these protections and will face significant cuts to their support," James Taylor, the executive director of strategy at the charity said. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has warned that the changes to the welfare system will still push many families into hardship. 'Protecting 200,000 people is not enough when millions with significant health conditions will lose out. These changes will push more families into hardship and poverty," the charity said.
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Yahoo
Amber heat alert issued across England with warning of ‘rise in deaths'
Amber heat alerts have been issued in England as the UK experiences its hottest day of the year so far, with a temperature of 32.2C recorded at Kew in west London. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) issued the warningd on Thursday, and stated there could be 'a rise in deaths' across all nine English regions, with 'those aged 65 and over or people with health conditions' particularly at risk as the temperature is expected to rise sharply. The UKHSA said 'significant impacts' were also likely across health and social care services in England. The alerts came into force at midday on Thursday and were expected to remain in force until 9am on Monday. The Met Office warned the public this week that temperatures could rise in parts of the country, with the hottest area, Humberside, predicted to reach 33C on Saturday and London expected to be above 30C. It also said the UK could exceed temperatures of 40C in the near future, and highs of 45C 'may be possible' in the current climate. This would smash the record for the highest temperature in the UK: 40.3C recorded in Coningsby, Lincolnshire, during the heatwave of summer 2022. A report by the Office for National Statistics and the UKHSA found there were 3,000 more deaths in England and Wales that summer than would normally be expected. The heatwave is the latest in a series of recent extreme weather events in the country. Between February and April, England had its driest period on record, with the north-west declaring a drought in May and Yorkshire entering one last week. Wildfires have also become a persistent problem. In the first four months of this year there were more than double the number of rural blazes than in the months that preceded the 2022 heatwave, with the risk to people, wildlife and habitats described as 'catastrophic'. In order to avoid any negative effects from the weather, the UKHSA recommends people keep out of the sun between 11am and 3pm on the hottest days if possible, drink plenty of liquids and wear sunscreen and protective clothing when outside. It also recommends looking out for older people, in particular, as they are especially affected by the heat. People aged 65 and over make up most of those dying during extreme weather events such as heatwaves.
