Carers and Caring Responsibilities

The Equality Act

Under the Equality Act 2010, it is illegal to discriminate against a carer because of their responsibilities as a carer. If someone looks after an individual who is elderly or disabled, the law will protect them against discrimination or harassment because of their caring responsibilities. This is because they are associated with someone who is protected by the law because of their age or disability.

What is a carer?

A carer is anyone, a children or an adult, who looks after a family member, partner or friend who needs help because of their illness, frailty, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction and cannot cope without their support. They care for them unpaid. In the UK, 1 in 8 adults are carers which equates to around 6.5 million people. On average, women can expect to take on caring responsibilities over a decade earlier than men. Half of women will care by the age of 46, compared to half of men who can expect to care at 57.

We often think about caring responsibilities falling on younger people with families, but anyone can have unpaid caring responsibilities. As individuals age, and their parents or relatives age and require more caring support, these responsibilities can also fall to colleagues in these situations. It is important for leaders to understand and support their team members with caring responsibilities.

Caring responsibilities are not the same as parenting responsibilities. There are different needs for each. Being a parent or carer can be a wonderful and fulfilling experience but at times, it can also be daunting and overwhelming for individuals to balance their caring responsibility with work life. Being a carer is a characteristic that is not fixed – circumstances and situations can change, and quickly. Anyone can find themselves suddenly needing to adapt to manage additional or new caring responsibilities. If you are a manager of someone who is a carer or working in a team with a carer, holding an understanding of the challenges carers face will help you support your colleagues.

Balancing caring responsibilities with work

The issues faced by carers are vast and varied. Many carers, students or staff, struggle to balance their caring responsibilities with their employment or studies. Student carers often struggle financially. To provide the best support to carers, the needs of carers must be understood and recognized.

It can be difficult to balance caring responsibilities with work. This can have negative consequences, such as low quality of life, burnout, poor physical and mental health and financial issues. The financial impact of caring can also be detrimental to the carer’s mental health. A study found that 43% of carers said that their financial circumstances were affecting their health. Carers who provide round-the-clock care are more than twice as likely to be in bad health than non-carers.

Carers may also feel excluded, as they may not be able to join social activities, or able to travel for conferences due to financial issues. It can be difficult to take time away from caring responsibilities due to the everyday demands of this support. This can lead to feelings of loneliness and isolation. Some carers may not have a strong sense of belonging in academia as they may be limited in their ability to socialise with their colleagues. This inability to socialise may be misunderstand this as the colleague being distant or disengaged so it’s important that we understand the impact a caring role has on the day-to-day life of a carer.

Career progression for carers

There will be a growing number of carers in academia, due to the ageing population and the rising number of carers over the last decade. Caring responsibilities can impact career trajectories. For some carers, it is not viable to be work full-time. Part-time work may help them meet the demands of caring and work, but this can have a negative effect on career progression. Be mindful of your expectations around colleagues and postgraduate students who may work part-time. They won’t have the same opportunity as someone working full-time. This does not mean they are working less hard or be any less deserving of career opportunities.

Of course, some people may not disclose their caring responsibilities out of fear it may impact how they are perceived by peers and team leads, and ultimately reduce their career prospects. They may be worried that seeking formal help may make them appear to be less suitable for a career in academia, which has a reputation for requiring committed people who are able to work long hours. Leaders must try and dispel this perception and culture and reinforce to team members that it is okay to have other priorities outside of work – this does not make colleagues who are carers any less committed to their roles. This sets an example and will encourage others to do the same in their teams.

Conference attendance for carers

It can be difficult for parents to attend conferences around their childcare but it may also be difficult for careers too. Conferences provide a valuable space for networking, collaboration opportunities, learning and inspiration. They are not always accessible, as they can often require a few days’ commitment, travel and money. This may not be viable for academics who provide round-the-clock care without help from others.

If you are involved in arranging a conference at your institution, think about how these are accessible for carers. For example, when and where are these hosted, can they also be streamed online? Find out more ways to create inclusive conferences for people with caring responsibilities in the conference organisers guide from Warwick University which is part of their In Two Places at Once project.

You can also consider what other ways you can support the development of your colleagues. You could also think about what funding is available that might support any members of your team who are carers – there are increasing numbers of small grant schemes (e.g., British Academy Additional need funding), and many funders now allow for additional costs for conference travel at the application stage. You could also see what institutional policies and grants are available and ensure these are communicated to your team.

What actions can we all take? As a researcher, research enabler or leader in research

• Build a culture of healthy work-life balance. Try to set an example to other colleagues – take breaks and avoid sending emails on evenings and weekends where possible – or use the delay send option. This can encourage others to do the same.
• Understand what support is available. Find out what support is available to you or a colleague at your institution. This could be beneficial for yourself, or to even recommend to a colleague who could be a carer.

What additional actions can you take as a leader in research?

• Find out what support is available. For example, many universities have support networks or contacts, as well as policies and whether there are any internal policies that can help and support colleagues.
• Be open and understanding. Some people may feel hesitant to seek support out of fear they may not appear to be the “perfect” academic or researcher and it may impact their career. Let your team members know your door is open and that you are available to discuss support available to them.
• Build trust and get to know your team members. Find out if they have caring responsibilities and if there’s anything you can do to support them.
• Consider flexible working where possible. This will improve the accessibility of academia to colleagues and postgraduate students who must balance work with care. Have conversations about how you can support them to achieve their goals and successfully complete their work.
• Build a culture of healthy work-life balance. It’s important to remember that some colleagues may need to compress work to accommodate their caring responsibilities so flexibility may also be required.

Throughout this page we have linked to articles, studies and books which you can explore to increase your understanding of carers and the impact of caring responsibilities. You may also wish to check out our page about Allyship to help understand the various ways that we can be an ally to support our colleagues and students.

We recognise that not everyone has the same learning styles, so to complement some of the written information and resources listed throughout this section, below there are a range of articles and video resources are list below for you to engage with. This is just a selection to get you started to continue your education and explore ways of being an ally.

Guidance for support

• Carers and careers in higher education: what works?
• How can universities create a carer-friendly culture?
• Supporting Higher Education Students with Caring Responsibilities
• Carers: Getting Support in the Workplace
• Carers need more visibility in higher education
• Warwick University's In Two Places at Once Project
• Advice for supporting PGRs who are carers

Videos

• Carers and Careers in Academia: What works?
• Supporting carers in the workplace
• Building Support for Carers in the Workplace

Published research studies

• ‘You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours?’ Support to Academics who are carers in Higher Education – Moreau & Robertson, 2019
• Carefree conferences? Academics with caring responsibilities performing mobile academic subjectivities – Henderson, 2018

Feeds to follow

@NCLCarers (Twitter – External account)
@CarersTrust (Twitter – External account)
@carersweek (Twitter – External account)

Below you will find a list of services and resources available to colleagues and students at Newcastle University. You may find it useful to be aware of these either for yourself or to direct members of your team to.

The Carers’ Network

The Carers' Network offers support to colleagues or PGR students who are carers through informal events, such as lunches. You are a carer if you provide care and support to a relative, partner, child, friend, or neighbour who has a disability, health condition, is frail due to old age or is finding it hard to cope for other reasons. You can join the Carers’ Network mailing list by completing their online form.

Family Friendly Policies

The University recognises that families come in all shapes and sizes and that parenting and caring responsibilities impact on all aspects of an individual’s life. The Family Friendly Policies outline some main options available to you when trying to juggle your parenting and caring responsibilities with work or when life throws you the unexpected emergency. 

Newcastle University Carers Policy

The University launched a new Carers Policy in June 2022. The policy:

• Sets out what we mean by a carer and a dependant
• Outlines the situations that may lead to carers requiring time off work
• Provides details of both the Short-Term Carer's Leave and Long-Term Carer's Leave available
• Explains flexible working options that may be available to help carers fulfil their caring responsibilities
• Includes information about the Carer's Passport scheme and the Digital Resource for Carers, which is free for any colleague to access.

If you are a carer, the Carer’s Passport is designed to keep a record of your caring responsibilities and the agreements you’ve made with your line manager about what this means for work.

The University has consolidated relevant policies and resources that may help colleagues in a parenting and caring role.

Carers UK's Employer for Carers

There are a number of helpful resources for carers provided through the University's membership to Carers UK's Employer for Carers, a business forum that brings organisations striving to become carer-confident. These resources could help a colleague or student to better navigate and cope with a caring responsibility.