OVERCOMING BARRIERS: UNPAID CARE AND EMPLOYMENT, FOLLOW-ON STUDY, V 1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Overcoming Barriers: Unpaid Care and Employment in England, Follow-on Study - A Study Following-up Employees Providing Unpaid Care for Family or Friends, to Examine the Effectiveness of Social Care Support
IRAS ID
169564
Contact name
Linda Pickard
Contact email
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 7 months, 31 days
Research summary
This research is concerned with ‘working carers’, employees who provide unpaid care to family or friends in need of help because of sickness or disability. The study focuses on overcoming the barriers faced by working carers to remaining in employment.
The research is set in the context of policy recommendations in England to support working carers. There is increasing emphasis in government policy on paid support and services for the cared-for person as a means of supporting working carers. However, there is a need for more evidence about the effectiveness of ‘replacement care’ of this kind.
Our research is a 20-month project, funded by the National Institute for Health Research School for Social Care Research (NIHR SSCR). The study is being carried out by the Personal Social Services Research Unit (PSSRU) at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).
The research builds on an earlier study on unpaid care and employment carried out at the PSSRU at LSE. Using data collected at one point in time, the earlier study found some evidence that ‘replacement care’ is effective in supporting working carers. However, the study suggested that further longitudinal research, carried out over a period of time, was now needed to help establish causation.
The new study addresses the following research question: how effective is ‘replacement care’ in supporting working carers to remain in employment over time? Primary data that have already been collected from working carers in the earlier study will form the baseline (or ‘time 1’) data in the new study. Indeed, our primary data allow for a ‘natural experiment’ in social care practice. 371 working carers, who completed a questionnaire on working and caring in 2013, will be invited to complete a ‘time 2’ questionnaire and take part in a telephone interview in 2015.
REC name
Social Care REC
REC reference
15/IEC08/0002
Date of REC Opinion
16 Jan 2015
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion