The Carers, Employment and Services Study (CES)
Completed research project: the Carers, Employment and Services Study (CES)
- Funded by Carers UK (via EU EQUAL ESF, ACE2).
This major project was undertaken in partnership with Carers UK, via its Action for Carers and Employment (ACE2) project, funded through the EU EQUAL Community Initiative Programme.
CIRCLE was the main research partner in ACE2, which included local authorities, a wide range of voluntary organisations, independent providers of care and government agencies.
The study included a survey of over 1900 carers in England, Scotland and Wales, face-to-face interviews with 134 carers in 10 localities, extensive analysis of the 2001 Census and mapping of local support for carers in 10 local authorities.
The study's main outputs were published in fourteen reports in autumn 2007, supported by a major programme of dissemination activities via the CIRCLE CIC in Social Care.
The CES study highlighted the fact that caring is a valued and desirable part of normal, everyday life, affecting most people at some stage in the life course, although (unlike parenthood) it is rarely planned and can be associated with sadness or distress.
Key findings
Carers in the CES study emphasised the many difficulties they had experienced in obtaining the information and support they needed.
Among 'working carers' in the study ...
- most felt that they could rely on some support from their family and friends
- only about half said their employer was 'carer-friendly', with significant numbers experiencing some problems at work
- the majority – almost three-quarters of working carers – considered they did not have adequate support from formal social and public services to enable them to manage their dual work and caring roles
- some felt they were discriminated against by 'the system'.
The CES study demonstrated that an effective infrastructure for care is crucial for social and economic wellbeing. It concluded that carers, and those they care for, need ...
- supportive family, friends and neighbours, properly sustained by health and care services that offer carer support
- local care services which are accessible, flexible, affordable and reliable for users and carers
- housing, transport, leisure, education and employment systems which take care/caring into account
- workplace support which is universally available
- equal treatment to prevent discrimination against carers
- financial security, through access to employment, benefits, allowances, tax credits and pensions provision
- recognition, inclusion, dignity and respect for the contribution they make.
The study concluded that, to achieve a caring society in the 21st century, it was important to ...
- keep care by family/friends at the core, through support and respect for carers
- design services in ways which assist carers, treating them as equal partners
- harness expertise and technology to maximise independence and choice
- legislate to ensure carers cannot be discriminated against at work or elsewhere – prioritising flexible working arrangements for carers
- with employers and trade unions, develop systems of information and support for carers
- compensate carers for the extra costs of caring, through social transfers.
In Report 6 of the CES report series, we call for a new Social Contract for Care, comprising of ...
- effective national legal and fiscal frameworks, ensuring both equal treatment and financial security for carers
- an agreed set of core ethics, values and beliefs, guaranteeing dignity and respect as well as recognition and inclusion for carers
- well organised local infrastructures of support for carers
- shared responsibility between the state, employers, families and communities
This is needed to sustain the care of families and friends; engage health and social care providers; provide mainstream workplace and employer support for carers; and link effectively with other services, such as housing, transport, leisure, and inclusion.
Reports
The study findings have been widely disseminated in 2008-9 throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and have also been presented internationally in Brussels, Paris, New York, Toronto, Stockholm, Helsinki, Slovenia and Italy.
Researchers
Professor Sue Yeandle (study director)
Dr Cinnamon Bennett
Dr Lisa Buckner
Dr Gary Fry
Leah Harris
Christopher Price
Amanda Rodney