• Login
    • Advanced search
    • Title
    • Channel
    • Module
  • Home
  • Industry
    •  

      • Aerospace, Defense, and Government Services
      • Automotive
      • Consumer
      • Manufacturing and Industrials
      • Education
      • Energy and Natural Resources
      • Financial Institutions
    •  

      • Insurance
      • Life Sciences and Health Care
      • Private Capital
      • Real Estate
      • Sports, Media and Entertainment
      • Technology and Telecoms
      • Transport and Logistics
  • Practice
    • Corporate & Finance

      • Banking and Loan Finance
      • Blockchain
      • Business Restructuring and Insolvency
      • Capital Markets
      • Corporate Governance and Public Company Representation
      • Infrastructure, Energy, Resources, and Projects
      • Leveraged and Acquisition Finance
      • Mergers and Acquisitions
      • Pensions
      • Private Equity, Venture Capital and Investment Funds
      • Real Estate
      • Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)
      • Tax
      • Transfer Pricing
    • Global Regulatory

      • Administrative and Public Law
      • Antitrust and Competition
      • Communications, Internet, and Media
      • Education
      • Energy Regulatory
      • Environment and Natural Resources
      • Financial Services
      • Food Law
      • Gaming Law
      • Government Contracts and Public Procurement
      • Government Relations and Public Affairs
      • Health
      • Immigration
      • International Trade and Investment
      • Medical Device and Technology Regulatory
      • New Nuclear
      • Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology Regulatory
      • Privacy and Cybersecurity
      • Space and Satellite
      • Strategic Operations, Agreements and Regulation
      • Transportation Regulatory
    • Intellectual Property

      • Copyright
      • Designs
      • Domain Names
      • IP and Technology Transactions
      • IP Enforcement
      • Patents
      • Trade Secrets and Confidential Know-how
      • Trademarks and Brands
      • Unfair Competition
    • Litigation, Arbitration, and Employment

      • Business and Human Rights
      • Construction and Engineering
      • Corporate and Securities Litigation
      • Employment
      • International Arbitration
      • Investigations, White Collar, and Fraud
      • Products Law
      • Risks, Disputes, and Litigation
  • Comparative guides
  • Engage Premium
  • Login
  • Register
Hogan Lovells Engage 5.6.14
      • Title
      • Channel
      • Module
    • Hit ENTER to search in content
    • Advanced search
    • Login
  • Home
  • Industry
    •  

      • Aerospace, Defense, and Government Services
      • Automotive
      • Consumer
      • Manufacturing and Industrials
      • Education
      • Energy and Natural Resources
      • Financial Institutions
    •  

      • Insurance
      • Life Sciences and Health Care
      • Private Capital
      • Real Estate
      • Sports, Media and Entertainment
      • Technology and Telecoms
      • Transport and Logistics
  • Practice
    • Corporate & Finance

      • Banking and Loan Finance
      • Blockchain
      • Business Restructuring and Insolvency
      • Capital Markets
      • Corporate Governance and Public Company Representation
      • Infrastructure, Energy, Resources, and Projects
      • Leveraged and Acquisition Finance
      • Mergers and Acquisitions
      • Pensions
      • Private Equity, Venture Capital and Investment Funds
      • Real Estate
      • Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)
      • Tax
      • Transfer Pricing
    • Global Regulatory

      • Administrative and Public Law
      • Antitrust and Competition
      • Communications, Internet, and Media
      • Education
      • Energy Regulatory
      • Environment and Natural Resources
      • Financial Services
      • Food Law
      • Gaming Law
      • Government Contracts and Public Procurement
      • Government Relations and Public Affairs
      • Health
      • Immigration
      • International Trade and Investment
      • Medical Device and Technology Regulatory
      • New Nuclear
      • Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology Regulatory
      • Privacy and Cybersecurity
      • Space and Satellite
      • Strategic Operations, Agreements and Regulation
      • Transportation Regulatory
    • Intellectual Property

      • Copyright
      • Designs
      • Domain Names
      • IP and Technology Transactions
      • IP Enforcement
      • Patents
      • Trade Secrets and Confidential Know-how
      • Trademarks and Brands
      • Unfair Competition
    • Litigation, Arbitration, and Employment

      • Business and Human Rights
      • Construction and Engineering
      • Corporate and Securities Litigation
      • Employment
      • International Arbitration
      • Investigations, White Collar, and Fraud
      • Products Law
      • Risks, Disputes, and Litigation
  • Comparative guides
  • Engage Premium
  • Login
  • Register
  1. News
  2. New right to unpaid carer’s leave for UK employees

New right to unpaid carer’s leave for UK employees

28 September 2021
    • Share by email
    • Share on
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • Get link
    • Get QR Code
    • Download
    • Print

In the government’s response to the carer’s leave consultation it confirms that it will introduce five days’ unpaid carer’s leave per year for employees. This will be a day one right that employees can take on a flexible basis to provide assistance to a dependant with long-term care needs. Some notice requirements will apply but employees will be able to self-certify that they are entitled to take leave. The right will be introduced when parliamentary time allows.

Index
  1. What happened
    1. Next steps

What happened

According to the government, approximately five million people in the UK provide unpaid support to an elderly or disabled relative or friend. Nearly half of those people juggle their caring responsibilities with paid employment. An aging population means that these numbers will continue to increase.

In its response to the carer’s leave consultation conducted in 2020, the government has confirmed its intention to introduce five days’ unpaid carer’s leave per year to help unpaid carers balance their work and caring responsibilities. Under the proposals employees will:

  • Be entitled to carer’s leave as a day one right;
  • Be able to take leave to provide care for a dependant with a long-term care need;
  • Have the ability to use leave flexibly, in periods of half or full days up to the five day maximum;
  • Need to give their employer the same amount of notice to take leave as they would have to give to take a period of statutory holiday (broadly twice as much notice as the period of leave requested);
  • Self-certify their entitlement to leave; and
  • Be protected against detrimental treatment or dismissal because they have taken or sought to take leave.

The definition of dependants will reflect the one already used in relation to the right to take unpaid time off to care for dependants. This includes someone’s spouse or civil partner, parents or children and others who reasonably rely on the employee for care. However, carer’s leave will only be available where the person to whom care is being provided has a long-term care need such as a long-term illness or injury, a disability or issues related to old age.

Next steps

Carer’s leave forms part of a package of new family friendly rights the government is intending to introduce. These include an expanded right to request flexible working, extended redundancy protection for pregnant workers and new parents and neonatal leave and pay. Carer’s leave will be introduced when parliamentary time allows, which looks unlikely to be before mid- to late 2022 at the earliest. 

 

 

Authored by Jo Broadbent and Stefan Martin.

Contacts
Ed Bowyer
Partner
London
Stefan Martin
Partner
London
Index
  1. What happened
    1. Next steps
Additional Resources
  • Government consultation response
Keywords Carer's Leave, Government Consultation, Family Friendly Rights, Time Off For Dependants
Languages English
Topics Employment
Countries United Kingdom
Delete Comment ?

Are you sure want to delete comment ?

Get link
Embed
Share by email
Get QR Code

Scan this QR Code to share this content