60% of people will be a carer at some point in their lives. Their hard work and dedication saves worldwide economies billions each year and improves the lives of those they care for.
Helen Hill, Chief People Officer and Diverse Ability Network sponsor said, 'We recognise the huge amount that carers bring to our communities and that every caring situation, and the individuals involved, are different. At DWF we want to support our colleagues in discussing caring responsibilities and in finding flexible and innovative ways to offer assistance. For Carers Week 2022, we have launched new resources for carers and their line managers, to empower more conversations about caring in the workplace.'
Supported
Our Carers Hub, new for June 2022, includes the following to support for both colleagues and managers.
- Details of support external support events such as 'Care for a Cuppa' run by Carers UK.
- Details of the internal support available such as our family friendly policy including carers and emergency leave provisions as well as our flexible working policy.
- Examples of specific carers support available via our Employee Assistance Programme to show the bredth of support available for topics such as choosing care homes or carers plus diagnosis support and end of life support. It also provides councilling and wellness advice for carers.
- A guide to talking about caring including tips for colleagues and managers.
Valued
To show our support for and provide additional resources to our carers, DWF continues to partner with Employers for Carers in 2023. This provides all colleagues with access to Employers For Carers guides, workbooks and eLearning. We also work with Working Families with an aim to encouraging a better work-life balance and removing barriers for working people with caring responsibilities.
In addition, The DWF Foundation has helped fund various charitable projects that support carers throughout the UK. Examples include the Cheshire Young Carers who used their funding for school holiday respite programmes for young carers, so they can enjoy much needed fun-filled activities away from their caring role and have fun being children.
Visible
Whilst we have provided a number of support resources, we often find that personal stories and practical advice from people with first-hand experience can be even more powerful in educating others and providing role models for impacted individuals.
Our DWF Carers Network provides a forum for carers to provide advice to one another, share resources and signpost each to relevant support. Members are also engaged for their feedback on initiatives to support carers.
We are also developing a series of case study stories to share via our Carers Hub to provide inspiration and examples of how to manage caring responsibilities.