Project engages with employers to support carers
Employers, carers and MSPs have joined to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Carer Positive employer awards scheme.
The Carer Positive: 10 Years of Carer Friendly Employers event at the Scottish Parliament was sponsored by Michelle Thompson MSP and supported by Centrica.
This project, run by Carers Scotland, engages with employers to help them build workplace support for members of staff who have caring responsibilities in their home lives.
Employers committed to this support can then be recognised with a Carer Positive award and can progress through the award tiers as this support grows and develops within the organisation.
The awards programme is a Scottish Government initiative, launched during Carers Week in June 2014. It is funded by the Scottish Government, making the scheme completely free for employers to participate in.
Research from 2019 showed that 600 carers across the UK leave employment every day to care, so support which allows them to stay in work can be hugely valuable. As well as providing financial stability, employment provides carers with opportunities for fulfilling career aspirations, wider social interaction, and a life outside of their caring role.
Over 270 organisations have now been recognised with a Carer Positive award and we were thrilled to announce during the event that over half a million employees are now represented within these workplaces, benefiting from workplace cultures and practice which value and support carers.
Loss of staff due to the pressures of caring also has huge implications for staff retention and a loss of skills and experience across the labour market, with the number only set to rise as our population grows older and we work for longer.
Sue McLintock, manager of the Carer Positive Awards at Carers Scotland, said: “We know from employers and carers alike just how important workplace support and recognition is, and that this can be crucial in enabling staff to effectively manage their dual employment and caring responsibilities.
"We have seen so much good practice developed by our Carer Positive employers over the past 10 years and look forward to supporting many more organisations across Scotland in the coming years”.
