The government has launched a new consultation on strengthening employment rights for unpaid carers and parents of seriously ill children. It builds on the Carer’s Leave Act 2023 and asks whether current entitlements – principally five days’ unpaid carer’s leave per year – remain fit for purpose, and what further measures might help unpaid carers stay in or return to work.
The consultation explores three main options for carer’s reform:
- Extended unpaid leave – increasing the current five-day entitlement, with the consultation seeking views on how many additional days would be appropriate.
- A “right to return” – a new statutory entitlement modelled on maternity leave, protecting an employee’s role during a longer absence for caring responsibilities.
- Paid carer’s leave – a short period of paid leave, with the consultation seeking views on duration and rate of pay (options include setting remuneration as high as 90% pay or, at the other end of the scale, aligning payment with statutory sick pay rates (currently £123.25/week)).