Equality Act 2010 - Guidance for Unpaid Carers
The new Equality Act 2010 combines and enhances previous equality legislation, ensuring a fairer deal for unpaid carers holding down a job as well as carer responsibilities.
The Equality Act brings together nine separate pieces of legislation into one single Act simplifying the law and strengthening it in important ways to help tackle discrimination and inequality.
Implementation of the majority of the Equality Act will begin on 1 October 2010. Equality Act 2010: What do I need to know? is a series of summary guides and "Quick Start" guides to the key changes in the law, produced by the Government Equalities Office in partnership with the British Chambers of Commerce, Citizens Advice, ACAS and the Equality and Diversity Forum, to support implementation of the Act. These simple guides set out clearly what the new laws will mean for business, the public sector, the voluntary sector and the public, helping people understand their new responsibilities and rights in the work place and when providing or accessing goods or services
The Employers for Carers website can offer useful information for the employers of carers in the workplace, and could be a good resource for your employer to look at.
The Employers for Carers Website comments that most people's lives will include at least one episode of caring. Already 1 in 7 in any workforce will be caring for someone who is ill, frail or has a disability. But with the number of carers in the UK set to rise from 6 million to 9 million over the next 30 years, the proportion of carers in the workforce is also likely to increase significantly.