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Press release
Carers Trust and Phoenix Group have launched a two-year partnership focused on helping unpaid carers with employment. The partnership will see the launch of a carers employability programme, a research project examining the cost of locking carers out of employment, plus volunteering opportunities for Phoenix Group colleagues.
There are around six million people in the UK who care for a family member or friend with an illness, disability, mental health condition or addiction1. Carers Trust research shows around two-thirds of these carers have had to cut back on working hours or give up employment completely because of the difficulty of balancing care with their career2.
The partnership with Carers Trust, a UK charity for unpaid carers, and Phoenix Group, the UK's largest long-term savings and retirement business, aims to help address that challenge by joining forces.
The partnership, which is part of Phoenix Group’s Caring for Carers initiative3 will launch a two-year carers employability programme at Camden Carers Centre in London, helping carers to boost their employment opportunities and skills.
It will support carers before they enter the workforce, helping them to build their confidence. Carers will be offered one-to-one support, coaching and opportunities for group training. They will also be helped with access to local employability, mental health and wellbeing support.
Allegra Lynch, CEO of Camden Carers, said: “Camden Carers are excited to be working with Carers Trust and Phoenix Group as part of this programme. Supporting carers who want to balance having a career with caring is vital. Focusing on what carers want to achieve and finding creative and realistic ways to help carers work towards their career goals, however big or small, can make a real difference to the lives of the people we work with.”
Later in the partnership, research will be carried out on the economic cost of carers being excluded from the workforce, including lost labour, earnings, productivity and tax. The results will be used to show the benefits of investing in carer employability and the value of support to help carers stay in work.
Phoenix Group colleagues, who can each have three days paid leave to take part in volunteering activities, will be able to use their leave to support opportunities at Carers Trust’s 130-strong network of local carers centres around the UK, passing on their skills and expertise by supporting their local communities.
Leo Visconti, Executive Director of Income Generation and Engagement at Carers Trust, said: “We’re delighted that Phoenix Group is partnering with us on this vital project. Carers have immense value for employers and a host of sought after skills. Yet many are forced to cut back on paid work or even give up their jobs completely because of their caring responsibilities. This project will not only support carers with employment but also show the true cost of excluding them from the workforce. That will be crucial in our ongoing mission to transform carers’ lives.”
Mary Bright, Group Head of Social Sustainability at Phoenix Group, said: “Ensuring unpaid carers can remain in work is crucial to enabling them to earn and build financial resilience. We know that carers are at particular risk of falling out of working and becoming financially vulnerable, especially in later life, due to the demands of juggling work and care. Phoenix Group research found that a significant cohort (45%) of unpaid carers over 55 struggle to afford daily living costs because they are out of work with caring responsibilities4.
“The partnership with Carers Trust will enable us to support the important work they do and help carers remain in and enter fulfilling employment. However, even those carers who remain in employment often face challenges due to caring demands and can be forced to reduce their hours and earning potential, diminishing their ability to save for retirement. It’s therefore crucial businesses support carers by having a comprehensive flexible work policy in place and that those businesses, that can, offer 10 days paid carer’s leave a year.”
Notes to editors
1 Figures from the most 2021 Census for England and Wales, and the 2022 Scotland Census.
2 Figures from 2022 Carers Trust survey of 2,675 unpaid carers in the UK.
3 Phoenix Group launched its ‘Caring for Carers’ initiative in June 2024 which sees it linking with charities across the UK that focus on caring and it announced a new partnership with Carers UK. The initiative aims to help millions of people who work and care for someone to better balance some of the challenges they might face, be they personal, financial, professional or emotional.
4 Nationally representative survey of 2,000 working aged unpaid carers carried out by Opinium, on behalf of Phoenix Group, on 16th September-23rd September 2024.
How Phoenix Group supports its colleagues who are carers
Phoenix Group has been working to raise awareness of the challenges faced by working carers and has taken a number of steps to support its colleagues which it encourages other businesses to consider too. These include:
About Carers Trust
Carers Trust is the UK charity working to transform the lives of unpaid carers across the UK. It partners with its network of local carer organisations to provide funding and support, deliver innovative and evidence-based programmes and raise awareness & influence policy. Last year it reached over one million unpaid carers.
To find your nearest local carer organisation for advice and support, visit carers.org
Enquiries for Carers Trust:
Mark Chandler
Media & PR Manager
07712 427 808
mchandler@carers.org
