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National Carers Rights Day - supporting unpaid carers.

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21 November 2024

Today, November 21st, is national ‘Carers Rights’ day.

Despite recent changes to Carers Allowance, allowing them to work more hours while still claiming the benefit, unpaid carers still find themselves faced with economic hardship, social isolation and difficulties sustaining employment.

Some facts about Carers:

  • The most recent Census 2021 puts the estimated number of unpaid carers at 5 million in England and Wales. This, together with ONS Census data for Scotland and Northern Ireland, suggests that the number of unpaid carers across the UK is 5.8 million.
  • This means that around 9% of people are providing unpaid care. However, Carers UK research in 2022 estimates the number of unpaid carers could be as high as 10.6 million (Carers UK, Carers Week 2022 research report).
  • 4.7% of the population in England and Wales are providing 20 hours or more of care a week.
  • Over the period 2010-2020, every year, 4.3 million people became unpaid carers – 12,000 people a day (Petrillo and Bennett, 2022).
  • 59% of unpaid carers are women (Census 2021). Women are more likely to become carers and to provide more hours of unpaid care than men. More women than men provide high intensity care at ages when they would expect to be in paid work (Petrillo and Bennett, 2022)
  • One in seven people in the workplace in the UK are juggling work and care (Carers UK, Juggling Work and Care, 2019).
  • Between 2010-2020, people aged 46-65 were the largest age group to become unpaid carers. 41% of people who became unpaid carers were in this age group (Petrillo and Bennett, 2022).

If you want to know more about the impact of caring on employment, and what the government needs to do to support carers in the workplace, read the latest report from Carers UK, published today. It can be found here .

For more information about carers benefits click here . 

For more information about employment rights for carers click here . 

Finally, for more information about support for carers in general click here, here or call the Carers UK Helpline on 0808 808 7777 Monday to Friday 9am-6pm.

You are not alone. If you need help, help is out there.

End.

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