Employment
Find out about employment support, whether you are in work or looking for work or giving up work to care
Juggling a caring role with and a job can be overwhelming, however, support should be available in your place of work.
There are certain statutory employment rights, that as a Carer, you should be aware of:
- The right to time off in an emergency
- The right to request flexible working hours
- The right to parental leave if you are a parent
- The right to not be discriminated against or harassed under the Equality act
You may not be covered by these if you are self employed or on a short term contract. In this event you should seek advice.
Flexible working arrangements can be requested after you have been in employment for 26 weeks. You should submit your request in writing and your employer should give reasonable consideration to your request.
You can read the government information about flexible working here
What if you need to give up work to care full time?
Sometimes it becomes necessary to leave your employment to care full time.
Before you make that decision, it is a good idea to speak with your employer first to see if there is a way that you can stay in work e.g. discuss the possibility of flexible working. There will, inevitably, be financial implications to giving up work, so be sure that you have considered all the factors.
It is possible that you may be able to claim Carers Allowance, however, if you leave your employment voluntarily, you may need to show that you did so with ‘good reason’.
Consider having a benefit check before you make any final decisions to find out what you may entitled to.
Getting back to work
Whether you are looking for volunteering opportunities to ease yourself back into a working environment and to gain or enhance your skills, or your want support around updating your C.V or brushing up on interview skills, we can help you on your way back to employment.
Contact our office to find out more.
