Employers sign up to help staff who double as free home carers

Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform joins Irish Life, Irish Rail, Bank of Ireland, SETU as members of the Caring Employers programme

Department of Public Expenditure and Family Carers Ireland partnership: Adam Flanagan, Emma Gibson, Joanne Murphy, David Moloney, Catherine Cox, John Dunne, and Amy Burke.

One in five people will be in a caring role by 2030, making it vital for employers to offer supportive options to family carers, according to Family Carers Ireland.

The national charity, which supports Ireland’s 500,000 family carers, has signed a partnership with the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform (DPER) to provide practical supports for their staff who balance their jobs with home caring duties.

In a survey, 62% of the Department’s employees self-identified as a family carer. The national average is one in nine people, 250,000 people in the Irish workforce.

This covers care to children or adults with additional needs, physical or intellectual disabilities, frail older people, those with palliative care needs or those living with chronic illnesses, mental health challenges or addiction.

Catherine Cox, head of communications and policy with Family Carers Ireland, said: “We want to keep family carers in paid employment, so they avoid isolation and the dangers of falling off a financial cliff which can arise when having to give up work.

“We estimate that one in five people will be in a caring role by 2030 and we see from our survey that over 80% of respondents in the Department felt that it is likely or very likely that they will be in a caring role within the next five years.” 

The DPER joins Irish Life, Irish Rail, Bank of Ireland, SETU (Carlow and Waterford) as members of the Caring Employers programme, with more coming on board in the coming months. 

Micheál Mac Donnchadha, DPER staff member, said: “I’m very happy that the Department has signed up to the Caring Employers Programme. We are all likely to have responsibilities managing or planning the care for others at some point in our lives. It's reassuring to know that I have an employer who will support me.”

The ageing workforce in Ireland gives one insight on why initiatives like the Family Carers Ireland partnership with the DPER will become increasingly important.

A 2021 Department of Finance report noted that the old-age dependency ratio in Ireland —  the number of retirees vs workers — will double over the next 30 years, from 24% now to 47% by 2050, and 53% by 2070.

There current old-age dependency ratio of is four workers supporting each retiree. By 2050, there will be just over two people.

A few months ago, Bank of Ireland cited these numbers when issuing ‘Building Our Future’, a corporate banking report outlining plans for further investment in construction.

Bank of Ireland currently has €1.3bn in funding that will deliver over 19,000 new homes over the coming years. The bank expects to put more money into more diverse housing to reflect the population shift.

The bank hosted a discussion with a panel featuring speakers from Property Industry Ireland, the Residential Tenancies Board and UCD, along with economists and analysts.

There was a degree of consensus around the need for funding to deliver a more diversified range of property, with more US and UK-style retirement communities likely to help ease future pressure on private rental and social housing accommodation.

Initiatives like Family Carers Ireland will, no doubt, also be a crucial part of the overall mix of solutions.

Last year, Trinity College Dublin joined with Family Carers Ireland to produce a report estimating that Ireland’s 500,000 family carers provide 19 million hours of unpaid care. Replacing this care could cost the State up to €20bn.

The TCD study, Sept-Nov 2021, noted that the Covid-19 pandemic provided a flashpoint which exacerbated many pre-existing challenges faced by family carers.

TCD found that family carers were plugging gaps across health, social care and education care services. With fewer services coming through the door, the carers took on more work.

Family carers voluntarily shielded to protect their loved ones, all the while enduring a rise in negative physical, psychological and social well-being in themselves and in their care recipients.

It’s not about money. Family Carers Ireland believes more companies should join its Caring Employers programme, following Irish Life, Irish Rail, Bank of Ireland, SETU and the Department of Public Expenditure, to learn how they can be more supportive of any staff members doubling as family carers.

The DPER is collaborating with Family Carers Ireland to develop best practice guides for a carer-friendly workplace to ensure that staff, who are also in caring roles at home, are recognised, supported and accommodated in their professional careers.

Paschal Donohoe, Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform, said: “This partnership with Family Carers Ireland is a tangible demonstration of our commitment to providing inclusive leadership in building the workplace of the future.” 

The survey highlighted a substantial number of people within the Department who are balancing their day jobs with their caring responsibilities.