Carers (Equal Opportunities) Act 2004
Encyclopedia
The Carers Act 2004 (c 15) is an Act
of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
aimed at helping carers achieve fair access to training, work and leisure opportunities. It was introduced as a Private Member's Bill
by Dr. Hywel Francis
and sponsored in the House of Lords by Lord Ashley of Stoke. 5.2 million people in England and Wales identified themselves in the 2001 Census as providing unpaid care to support family members, friends, neighbours or others because of long-term physical or mental ill-health, disability or old age. That represented nearly 10 per cent of the population and of those, 21 per cent (1.09 million) provided care for 50 or more hours per week.
The Act requires assessments to be offered to carers, to consider the needs of carers in relation to leisure, education, training and work. Not all carers will wish to pursue all of these opportunities but practitioners completing assessments with the carer should be able to signpost carers to other relevant agencies.
The following orders have been made under section 6(2):
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
aimed at helping carers achieve fair access to training, work and leisure opportunities. It was introduced as a Private Member's Bill
Private Member's Bill
A member of parliament’s legislative motion, called a private member's bill or a member's bill in some parliaments, is a proposed law introduced by a member of a legislature. In most countries with a parliamentary system, most bills are proposed by the government, not by individual members of the...
by Dr. Hywel Francis
Hywel Francis
Dr Hywel Francis is a Welsh Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Aberavon since 2001.-Background:...
and sponsored in the House of Lords by Lord Ashley of Stoke. 5.2 million people in England and Wales identified themselves in the 2001 Census as providing unpaid care to support family members, friends, neighbours or others because of long-term physical or mental ill-health, disability or old age. That represented nearly 10 per cent of the population and of those, 21 per cent (1.09 million) provided care for 50 or more hours per week.
The Act requires assessments to be offered to carers, to consider the needs of carers in relation to leisure, education, training and work. Not all carers will wish to pursue all of these opportunities but practitioners completing assessments with the carer should be able to signpost carers to other relevant agencies.
Section 6 - Short title, commencement and extent
This section came into force on 22 July 2004.The following orders have been made under section 6(2):
- The Carers (Equal Opportunities) Act 2004 (Commencement) (England) Order 2005 (S.I. 2005/876 (C. 37))
- The Carers (Equal Opportunities) Act 2004 (Commencement) (Wales) Order 2005 (S.I. 2005/1153 (W. 70) (C. 53))
Content
The Act- places a duty on local authorities to tell carers about their rights,
- places a duty on local authorities to consider whether the carer works or wishes to work, wishes to study or have some leisure activities, when they are carrying out a carer's assessment,
- gives local authorities strong powers to enlist the help of health, housing and education authorities in providing support for carers.
External links
- Explanatory notes to the Carers (Equal Opportunities) Act 2004.