Who is the carer?

Activity one powerpoint

Who is the carer?

• Sue (besides being a parent) and also Frank (a young carer besides being a student)

• Nita is a parent• Jill and Afram are care workers, and Mary is a nurse

What is the minimum age requirement for a carer?• Carers get into the role often without choice

or age considerations.• Carers are known to range from 5 to 95.

There is no age restriction.• Young carers are often hidden from society

and generally unsupported by society• Unlike a carer, the minimum age requirement

for a care worker is 16 yrs

What are the maximum statutory hours for a carer• None exist. Many carers often cite

working 24/7• Many carers find themselves in poor

health and are potential patients in waiting

• In contrast, most full-time workers in the health and social care sectors are contracted to work a 37hr week

What is the minimum paid holiday entitlement for a carer?• None exists at the moment. Some carers

often go without any respite or holiday for many years

• However, in recent years, some carers have been able to access direct payments for a holiday or respite activity (following a carer’s assessment)

• Most full-time employees in the care sector get a minimum 4 weeks + bank holidays paid

What pension provision is on offer to carers?• Most carers do not have access to a

pension fund similar to public or private sector

• Public sector workers benefit from an index linked fund and private sector workers benefit from either company pensions or use income to contribute/top up their plan

• ‘Non-working’ carers often have anxieties about their deteriorating financial situation

• Some carers may not even automatically receive the full basic state pension

What are the training requirements for a carer? • Almost all carers start without any formal

training for their role• Carers find themselves having to ‘muddle

through’ without adequate information or support before becoming experts in many aspects of the role

• Carers are often vulnerable, have little or no protection to health and safety issues compared to care workers

What are the training requirements for a carer? • 96% of carers providing regular and

substantial care say it has negatively affected their health

• 55% of substantial and regular carers have significant health problems as a result of their caring tasks

• 86% of carers asked had experienced stress anxiety or depression

• By contrast, all care workers and nursing staff have to undergo formal training

All figures from “Sick, tired and caring: the impact of unpaid caring on health and long term conditions”  Carers UK December 2010.

What career opportunities exist for carers?• No career structure exists at the moment

although many carers develop considerable skills and knowledge.

• Some carers do take up part time in voluntary organisations and public sector services as a result of the skills and knowledge acquired

• Some of the work taken up in the voluntary sector is unpaid.