Rhondda Cynon Taf Council has teamed up with
Carers Wales to provide a FREE event for employers in the local area to support their staff who are unpaid carers.
The FREE virtual event takes place Tuesday 6 June, 9.30 am – 10.30 am. Please book your FREE place here.
Support offered to small and medium employers includes a comprehensive online solution that consists of:
- guides for managers and carers
- e-Learning for inductions and line managers
- advice and information on the law
- employer toolkits to help you develop your own carer-confident
- practices advice and information on good practice
Around 1 in 4 employees will be caring for someone who is older, disabled or seriously ill. With the number of carers in the UK set to rise from 6 million to 9 million over the next 30 years, the proportion of carers in your workforce is also likely to increase significantly.
Supporting carers to remain in work by providing flexible working and effective support structures, brings significant benefits to carers and their families, businesses, and the wider economy.
For employers, supporting unpaid carers has the following advantages:
- Attracting and retaining staff
- Reducing stress, sick leave, and absenteeism
- Reducing recruitment and training costs
- Increasing resilience and productivity
- Improving service delivery
- Producing cost savings
- Improving people management and staff morale
In the current economic climate, there has never been a more important time to focus on the benefits of retaining skilled workers, rather than incurring the costs of recruiting and retraining new staff.
Councillor Gareth Caple, Cabinet Member for Health & Social Care, said: "I am very pleased that Rhondda Cynon Taf Council has partnered with Carers Wales to provide this practical and comprehensive support for our local businesses.
"Unpaid carers play a vital role in our communities and our economy. They are very often overlooked, however, what they do for those they care for is invaluable. We want to support businesses to support their employees who have unpaid caring responsibilities.
"I urge all local businesses to attend the event to find out how they can better support their employees who are unpaid carers, and reap the benefit of retaining skilled and valued staff."
Research from the London School of Economics in 2018, found that the costs to the UK government of unpaid carers leaving employment exceeded £2.9 billion a year. With fewer young people entering the job market – and
- 71% of unpaid carers worry about juggling work and care.
- 53% of working carers say returning to workplace will be more challenging.
- 14% of working carers are at risk of reducing or giving up work if they are not allowed to work from home.
- One in three carers at risk of reducing or giving up work without adequate social care.
For further information, please contact: WorkingCarers@rctcbc.gov.uk
Posted on 26/05/2023