1. How many days of paid and/or unpaid leave per year can staff who are carers take?
Written in accordance with the legislation, one week unpaid leave in any 12 month rolling period.
2. When were the last changes made to the hours/days registered carers can take and what change was made?
The legislation came in from the 6th April 2024 and our policy was updated in line with this.
3. Is your organisation a Carer Confident employer?
No, Devon County Council (DCC) is a member of Employer for Carers (EfC).
4. How many staff members are registered carers in your organisation?
DCC does not hold this information.
5. How many days of paid and/or unpaid carer’s leave were taken on average per registered carer in 2023 and 2024?
DCC does not hold this information.
6. Was an Equality Impact Assessment completed for the policy?
No.
7. Was the policy reviewed alongside related policies, such as flexible working arrangements?
Yes.
8. Do managers receive training on the nature of being a carer and how best to support staff’s individual needs?
Managers are signposted to resources on the Carers webpage Carers in DCC.
9. If there is training, is it mandatory?
No.
10. Is there a Carers Network in the organisation? If there is, does it have a senior sponsor and what is their role within the organisation?
There are discussions about setting up a formal carers network as part of the review of staff networks and the development of staff forums.
There is also a Staff Carers community on Viva Engage which states it has 56 members and is a “community for staff who are also carers to share information, advice and support”.
11. Please provide a copy of your carers leave policy as a PDF and email/direct me to the policy. If there is not a stand-alone document, please provide the policies that contain and reference this, such as special leave or time off for dependents and a copy/link.
Please see the following link Carers Policy
12. Was the carer’s leave policy, or the policies that contain and reference this, co-produced with staff?
No as it was legislative and limited time to write the policy in time for 6 April – future new or updated policies will include employee feedback as part of the People Strategy commitment to include the ‘employee voice’.