Robert Anderson EUROFOUND President, Eurocarers

1. COFACE Seminar Dependent persons in the EuropeanUnion: who cares about family carers?Sofia, 20 October 2009 Robert Anderson EUROFOUND President, Eurocarers

2. Informal carers: key relationships People with disabilities Informal Formal Carers providers Family Employment Government

3. 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.

4. High levels of informal care-giving ‘Extra family responsibilities because they look after someone who has a long-term illness, who is handicapped or elderly’ 1 in 4 in NMS10 and CC3 1 in 5 in EU15 Care is predominantly to family members, especially in NMS

5. 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

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

7. Carers in the EU policy debate • Role and contribution of family carers begins to be visible • Recruiting and retaining an adequately qualified and skilled care workforce • Training and social protection for both formal and informal carers • Measures to reconcile employment with family care • Sustainability and quality of the care workforce

8. 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

9. 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

10. Flexible time arrangements • Flexible working time arrangements are in operation in almost half (48%) of companies with 10 or more employees in Europe. • A larger proportion of companies in the services sector (50%) than in industry (43%) report the existence of some form of flexibility. • The two main reasons cited by managers (and workers) for introducing flexible working arrangements were ‘enabling employees to better combine work and family (or personal) life’ (68%) and ‘better adaptation of working hours to the establishment’s workload’ (47%). ECS, 2005

11. Availability of long-term leave options,public and private sector (%) Source: EWST, 2004-5 (21 countries)

12. Future for family care depends in part on futurefor 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.”

13. 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

14. 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

15. Strengthening co-operation in the EU Promote awareness and debate on care and its importance in the European model of society – Research, Health programmes. Use structural funds (specially Social Fund) for training of both formal and informal carers. Protect employment and promote equal opportunities for carers in employment – role for social partners as well as Employment policy Protect the rights of carers and provide support to organisations representing interest of carers eg through PROGRESS programme. Use the OMC for Social Protection to share best practice on how to optimise support for informal carers.

16. Eurocarers European non-governmental association working for carers Established 2005 – 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 • To improve the personal, economic and social situation of carers

17. Eurocarers represents: • Carers for people of all ages, not only older people • Carers of all ages and not only family carers, thus including 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, but they do not have an employment contract

18. Eurocarers – Current priorities 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