NI's unpaid carers 'being left behind' new carer's leave law

Unpaid carers in Northern Ireland are being left behind as a new employment law comes into force in the rest of the UK, campaigners say.

The law gives those caring for sick or disabled relatives or friends a right to five days' annual, unpaid leave.

It does not cover Northern Ireland as employment rules are devolved.

The Department for the Economy said it intends to bring forward an employment rights bill and that the right to carer's leave will be considered.

But charity Carers NI said one in three local carers are leaving work because of caring demands.

The charity has urged the economy minister to provide paid leave for carers in Northern Ireland.

There are more than 220,000 people providing unpaid care for sick or disabled family members and friends in Northern Ireland.

Helen Todd's role as an unpaid carer started in 2012 when her son Josh was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of four.

She and her husband David shared the caring responsibilities, but in 2017 David was diagnosed with brain cancer and severe-acquired brain injury.

Helen then became a sole carer for them both while working full-time.

"It was relentless," she said.

"It was overnight care. It was care during the day. It was hospital appointments. It was reviews. It was medical care.

"I used to joke about the fact that I would go to my full-time paid job to escape and have a break from my unpaid caring job, which was my other full-time job," she said.

The 42-year-old said she was "keeping two people alive".

"I wasn't being paid, it wasn't a choice. I was becoming an expert in people's care," she said.

In May 2023, David, who is now 44, went into a care home and Helen re-evaluated her life.

Despite loving her work and the company she was working for, she took a career break.

"Caring relentlessly for two people for six years and working full-time had taken its toll on me," she said.

"I was mentally and physically exhausted."

The Bangor woman started her own business, which meant she could work her own hours as well as make time for herself.

"I could go to the gym. I could go for a walk if I wanted to," she said.

She said she no longer had to rely on the generosity of her employers to give her short notice leave or to understand her situation.

Helen told Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster programme that carer's leave would have made a difference.

She "used to dread" getting an email or letter with another hospital appointment or review for David or Josh, and she allocated her annual leave "very carefully" to ensure she could cover their care, while also working out how to take time for herself.

"Knowing you've got time allocated where you're able to go 'that's for that hospital appointment' and you can use annual leave to do something nice for yourself is incredible."

From 6 April 2024, employees in England, Scotland, and Wales will be entitled to unpaid leave to give or arrange care for a 'dependant' who has:

The dependant does not have to be a family member. It can be anyone who relies on them for care.

Employees are entitled to carer's leave from their first day of work for their employer. Their employment rights (like holidays and returning to their job) are protected during carer's leave.

Employees can take up to one week of leave every 12 months.

Carers NI said the new law represents "a landmark change" which is going to benefit many unpaid carers.

But Craig Harrison from the organisation said it is also "financially penalising people for taking time away from work to provide care".

Campaigners in Northern Ireland not only want to see parity with the rest of the United Kingdom, but Mr Harrison said: "There's a really significant moral, financial and economic case for the economy minister to go one step further and to deliver that leave on a paid basis".

"Every year we see thousands of people across Northern Ireland who are forced out of work entirely, because that juggling act is too difficult," he said.

"Introducing some form of paid carer's leave could be a real game changer for those people and it would really give them the time and the space that they need to make their loved ones health appointments and other caring needs fit around work, without burning themselves out or without having to leave their jobs as a result."

Natasha McClelland, from Coleraine, works full-time and cares for two children who both have complex needs.

Her employer does provide extra support for staff with caring roles, giving her a "security net" and making an important difference to her being able to stay in a job.

"When caring emergencies happen, my stress levels are massive but knowing that I can use carer's leave means I can focus on that without worrying about work or losing wages ," she told BBC Radio Foyle.

"At the same time, this isn't a legal right in Northern Ireland and it very much limits career progression, because I know that other workplaces don't have the same policies or protections in place."

But she said it was time for politicians at Stormont to act.

"We constantly hear MLAs saying they support us, that without us the health service would collapse, but for me, actions speak louder than words.

"And if your actions don't match your words, then your words really do become meaningless."

The Department for the Economy said it "intends to bring forward an employment rights bill within the current assembly mandate to ensure the employment law framework remains fit for purpose and operates effectively for both businesses and their employees."

It added: "The right to carer's leave and a revision to the current flexible working arrangements to remove the current qualifying period before a flexible working request can be made are two of the issues that will be considered in that context."

For Helen Todd, the disparity between legislation in Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK is glaring.

"It's so frustrating that unpaid carers, that invisible workforce, are once again behind and being ignored," she said.