Carer’s Leave Bill becomes an Act!

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On 24 May the Carer’s Leave Bill received Royal Assent and the law could come into force as early as April 2024.

The legislation will see employees across Great Britain gain a landmark new right to take up to one week of unpaid Carer’s Leave.

Carers UK has been leading the campaign to get this vital support for working carers and are here to help you make sure you are ready for when the law is in place.

Employers for Carers will be offering practical support to you, as members, to implement the new Act. This support will include updated EfC membership resources such as e-learning, guides and toolkits, as well as latest news, information and briefings.

We will also be providing a stand-alone set of resources to support implementation including additional training sessions and webinars.

The Carer’s Leave Act 2023 received Royal Assent in May 2023 and the law will be enacted in 2024, by which time you need to be prepared to deliver changes to the way you offer support to all unpaid carers in your workforce.

Supporting carers in your Workplace

More than one in seven people in any workplace is a carer. By working with Carers UK to get ready for the introduction of this law, you’ll be showing your staff that you value them as employees and recognise the unique challenges they face when also caring for someone.

What the new law will do

  • introduce a new and flexible entitlement to one week’s unpaid leave per year for employees who are providing or arranging care for a relative or dependant
  • be available from the first day of their employment
  • allow employees to take the leave flexibly for planned and foreseen caring commitments
  • offer the same employment protections to employees taking this leave that are associated with other forms of family-related leave, meaning they will be protected from dismissal or any detriment because of having taken time off.

Support from Carers UK

With in-house teams working with both employers and policy makers – and as a charity with the needs of carers at the heart of everything we do – Carers UK is uniquely placed to support you in making sure you are up-to-speed with your legal requirements under the Act.

Register your interest to hear more about these on the Carers UK website: Register for more info on The Carer’s Leave Act