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Report: Evaluation of the Carers in Employment (CiE) Project

This Institute for Employment Studies (IES) report identifies what employers and policymakers can do to support carers to balance work and care.

Report: Evaluation of the Carers in Employment (CiE) Project 1

This report presents the findings from the IES evaluation of the government-funded Carers in Employment (CiE) project which operated from 2015 to 2017. The project aimed to examine ‘what works’ in supporting carers to remain in or return to employment.

Key findings

  • The CiE project helped some employers to support carers more effectively, particularly smaller employers lacking HR policies and practices, by raising awareness of work and care issues and highlighting relevant responsibilities, such asconsidering requests for flexible working.
  • For larger or geographically dispersed organisations, the report recommends that a national engagement strategy be developed to work with large employers and ensure that appropriate carer-friendly HR policies and practices are put in place at a local level.
  • The project also revealed the issue of identifying ‘hidden’ carers. Some carers do not disclose their care responsibilities and work needs to be done to identify those not receiving, but most likely to benefit from, support.  
  • Among employers, the report recommends that workplaces promote cultures which embrace and meet the diverse needs of workers, including carers, in order to encourage carers to disclose their status and make the most of available support.