A Fair Deal for Family Carers

Unpaid carers are the backbone of Britain’s social care system. An estimated 11.5 million people are providing unpaid care across the country—services worth an astonishing £162 billion a year.

As our population continues to age and more people face long-term health challenges, the demand for unpaid carers will only increase. But rather than offering more support, the previous Conservative Government consistently took unpaid carers for granted, leaving many to struggle financially and emotionally.

Around 1 million unpaid carers are aged under 18. Young carers are almost twice as likely to be absent from schools than their peers, and young carers are significantly less likely to gain a degree. Young carers should be supported to have the same access to education, employment and life opportunities as their peers without caring responsibilities.

Our plan is simple: Give carers the financial and emotional support they need to care for their loved ones while living their own lives to the fullest. Our new policy would achieve this by:

• Stopping the Prosecution of Carers for Overpayments: We will end the scandal of carers being penalised for earning a little too much by stopping the pursuit of Carer’s Allowance overpayments.
   
• Raise the Earnings Limit: We will raise the amount carers can earn before losing their Carer’s Allowance to a much higher threshold, so they aren’t penalised for working. We will also introduce a taper to avoid a sudden cliff-edge removal of benefits, allowing carers to balance work and caregiving without fear of losing support.
   
• Increase Carer's Allowance: Raising the Carer’s Allowance by £20 a week, reducing the number of hours of care required to qualify for it, and extending eligibility will help more carers access the support they need and deserve.
   
• Introduce Paid Carer’s Leave: Building on the unpaid leave secured by Liberal Democrat MP Wendy Chamberlain, we will introduce paid carer’s leave and respite breaks so that unpaid carers no longer have to choose between their jobs and their caring responsibilities.
   
• Flexible Working as a ‘Day One’ Right: For unpaid carers, flexibility is key. We will make flexible working a right from day one of employment unless there are significant business reasons why it’s not possible.
   
• Support young carers: Support the Young Carers Covenant to break down the barriers to opportunity faced by young carers. Introduce a cross-government national All-Ages Carers Strategy.

Carers are not just support for their loved ones—they are the glue holding our fragile social care system together. They deserve more than token acknowledgements or empty promises. They deserve a government that will fight for them, that will ease their burdens, and that will give them the support they need to live their lives to the fullest.