Online course hopes to make employers more aware of the challenges employees who are carers may face in balancing their caring and work roles

A new online course to help employers and managers support carers in their workforce has launched during Carers Week (8-14 June).

Caring Counts in the Workplace aims to teach employers and managers about the challenges employees who are carers may face in balancing their caring and work roles.

The course, which is free to take part in, was developed by the Open University in partnership with Equal Partners in Care (EPiC) and Carers Scotland.

It is built around the stories and experiences of carers, helps learners to understand the additional knowledge and skills carers can develop through their caring role and assists employers and managers to consider how they can develop a supportive working environment for their staff and recognise the additional value carers can bring to organisations.

Dr James Miller, director of The Open University in Scotland, said: “This course makes an important contribution to the Scottish Government’s ambition of seeing more carer-friendly workplaces.

“By focusing on the real life experiences of carers, it highlights the crucial role they play in society and will help Scottish employers to develop supportive workplaces in which carers will thrive.”

The course, which has five sessions, can be taken by individual learners or in groups and can be done in a single day or split over a few weeks.

It links to the criteria for the Carer Positive kitemark which is awarded to Scottish employers who are trying to develop carer-friendly workplaces.

Anyone interested in more information on the course should contact Lindsay Hewitt by emailing [email protected].