At VOCAL, we can guide organisations through the Carer Positive accreditation process; an initiative delivered by Carers Scotland that helps to create working environments that are supportive for unpaid carers.
With 270,000 working carers in Scotland, it’s vital that employers are equipped to provide support. Having a supportive employer can help carers to continue in their caring role while avoiding burnout and maintaining their wellbeing. This also has benefits for businesses, including retention of staff and reduced absences.
We recently worked with Midlothian charity Bright Sparks , providing them with advice, resources, and examples to help them achieve their Carer Positive accreditation.
Bright Sparks supports children and young people in Midlothian who live with Additional Support Needs. They provide recreational facilities, activities, and community sessions. Jennifer Martin, Operations Manager at Bright Sparks, said:
“We wanted to identify the carers working in our charity and wanted to explore how we could improve the working environment for them.”
This led to a connection with Denise, VOCAL Midlothian’s Partnership Training Officer, who worked with Jennifer and the team throughout the accreditation process.
VOCAL supported Bright Sparks in the development of their Carer’s Leave policy, discussing the benefits of Carer’s Leave and providing examples of how a policy could look in practice. We also provided examples and advice on the implementation of a Carer Passport scheme. A Carer Passport is a document which can:
- Increase identification and support for carers
- Provide information and context to managers about an employee’s caring role
- Reduce the need for carers to repeat information
As well as supporting the implementation of policies, VOCAL helped Bright Sparks to collate and review the evidence required to achieve their accreditation.
Denise, VOCAL Partnership Training Officer, said:
“Jennifer aspired to make a positive difference to working carers at Bright Sparks, both now and in years to come, but she wasn’t sure where to start.
“It was an absolute pleasure to provide support to Jennifer and the team to realise this ambition, and become an example of good practice for other small businesses and third sector organisations.”.”
VOCAL can support organisations of any size to make embed carer-friendly practices, as Bright Sparks has done. If you have any staff based in Edinburgh or Midlothian, then we can help you create a carer-friendly workplace.
Get in touch with ku.gro.lacov@sreyolpme to discuss how VOCAL can help.
