In its Next Steps to Make Work Pay plan, the Government promised to review the implementation of carer’s leave, which was introduced into law in April 2024, and the benefits and impact of making it a paid right. It has now published the terms of reference for that review.
This review will look at what’s going well with the current carer’s leave entitlement and whether there are any barriers to specific groups of unpaid carers understanding or using it.
It will also examine options for different models of paid carer’s leave, while being mindful of the impact of any changes on employers, particularly small businesses, and consider the options and principles for additional interventions. This could include extensions to the current unpaid entitlement, which may also help unpaid carers enter, remain and progress in the workplace. Finally, it will look to identify options with low or no cost to businesses and the exchequer and appropriate routes for implementation.
The review will consider the merits of further policy development such as the introduction of:
a paid leave entitlement
a one-off, extended unpaid leave entitlement
a paid leave entitlement for the parents of seriously ill children
other situational paid leave entitlements to support carers in specific circumstances (such as individuals providing end of life care).
A consultation on employment support for unpaid carers and support for parents of seriously ill children will be launched as part of this.
This review will involve three phases:
phase one: evidence will be gathered and stakeholders, including employers, will be engaged with (winter 2025/26)
phase two: development and consultation will take place (winter 2025/26 to autumn 2026).
phase three: the final report will be published (autumn 2026 to winter 2026/27).
