Eurocarers Autumn Seminar A future for care: a future for carers in Europe

1. Eurocarers Autumn SeminarA future for care: a futurefor carers in Europe Brussels, 16 November 2009

2. Welcome from Rob Andersonand the other members ofEurocarers Executive Committee

3. Executive CommitteePresident: Rob AndersonSecretary: Frank GoodwinTreasurer: Liam O’SullivanVice-President Research: Giovanni LamuraVice-President Carer Organisations:Henk BakkerodeMembers: Areti Efthymiou; Sebastian FischerAdvisers: Christine Marking; Marja Pijl

4. Activities since AGM in May 2009 • Legal and administrative matters e.g. banking • Membership, organisation and funding • Liaison with EU institutions, especially Parliament • Co-operation with EU-level NGOs • Development of communication, especially website, briefing documents, information materials • Presentations in Czech and Swedish Presidencies; seminar • Preparation of research and consultation documents

5. Eurocarers European level non-governmental association working for carers Members are representatives from carers’ organisations and research groups Aims: • To represent and provide a voice for carers in the EU • To advance informal care and the interests of carers • To improve the personal, economic and social situation of carers Methods – Research – Policy - Advocacy

6. Eurocarers represents: • Carers for people of all ages, both adults and children • Carers of all ages, including family, friends, neighbours, volunteers • Carers of people with psychological as well as physical disabilities (although this is often a false distinction) • Carers who are essentially unpaid, although they may receive dedicated social security benefits, they do not have an employment contract

7. Carers: Key relationships People with disabilities Formal providers Carers Family Government Workplace

8. Human resources for care Formal providers + Informal carers – should be coordinated and mutually supportive – high commitment to care. Dominance of family and informal care in most Member States eg. UK (Public Accounts Committee, Sept 2009): 6 million unpaid carers provide care worth an estimated £23 billion p.a. – And receive benefits worth £2bn p.a.; EU – 80% of care hours are provided by informal care (Background Paper) But concerns (eg in the 2009 Communication on Alzheimer's disease) about shortages of carers, lack of support for informal carers, and risk of social exclusion for carers.

9. Caring and working • Around half of carers under 65 combine care with employment • 10% to 15% of employees are providing eldercare, especially older (female) workers • But among those with eldercare responsibilities only half of women but 9 out of 10 men (are able to) work full-time

10. Impacts on employment • Career development and promotion • Financial disadvantage • Access to training and skills development • Stress, sickness and absenteeism European Foundation research: 25% of female carers and 15% of male carers reported that care limited their employment opportunities

11. Measures in the workplaceto support carers • Policies: work organisation, working time, homeworking • Services: information, development of community services • Benefits: insurance, leave entitlements • Support: from colleagues and managers

12. Carers in the EU policy debate • Role and contribution of family carers begins to be visible, especially in long-term care • Recruiting and retaining an adequately qualified and skilled care workforce - employment • Training and social protection for both formal and informal carers • Equal opportunities: Measures to reconcile employment with family care • Sustainability and quality of the health and care workforce

13. Public policy measures to support family care • Information and awareness raising • Cash benefits to informal caregivers • Provision of training courses • Availability of respite services • Social security contributions eg pensions • Greater flexibility in packaging of care services

14. Future for family care depends inpart on future for formal care But: • Workforce is ageing • Relatively high levels of reported stress • Labour supply bottlenecks and staff shortages • Recruitment and integration of workers from other countries “…the quality of service depends to a large extent on the motivation and the quality of the personnel.”

15. Measures to improve image andattractiveness of care work • Promote public debate on societal significance of care • Emphasise meaningful work and job enrichment • Enable flexible employment and work-life balance • Opportunities to gain qualifications through training • Increase rates of pay

16. Some issues for further development in EU • Responding to the reconciliation of employment with care for dependent adults/older people • Ensuring that leave and flexible working arrangements are available to all groups of workers • Increasing availability and affordability of care services for both children and dependent older people – more focus on labour supply in care services • Recognising important variations between countries in both problems and preferences

17. Current priorities for Eurocarers • The contribution of unpaid carers – the role that carers play and its importance to our societies • Income and the impact of caring – on the economic situation of carers and their families as well as the benefits to the state • Reconciling employment with care responsibilities • Access to and availability of effective support – the right to respite care or leave; assistive technologies; high quality care services