UK Consults on Expanding 5-Day Carer Leave, Weighs Paid Support at £123.25 a Week
Updated
Updated · Personnel Today · Jun 9
UK Consults on Expanding 5-Day Carer Leave, Weighs Paid Support at £123.25 a Week
3 articles · Updated · Personnel Today · Jun 9
Summary
1 September is the deadline for a UK consultation on stronger employment rights for unpaid carers and parents of seriously ill children, including longer leave and a new statutory right to return to work.
The Department for Work and Pensions is testing whether the current framework remains fit for purpose after the Carer’s Leave Act 2023 created a right to one week of unpaid leave each year.
Options include extending the existing five-day entitlement and introducing paid carer’s leave, with pay ranging from statutory sick pay levels of £123.25 a week to as much as 90% of wages.
A separate strand covers proposed “Hugh’s Law,” which would provide leave and financial support immediately after a child receives a serious illness diagnosis.
Employer groups backed the review but warned extra leave—especially if paid—could raise costs and operational strain, while pension provider Standard Life said stronger support could help carers stay in work and avoid poverty in retirement.