Commenting on the Resolution Foundation’s publication of a new book ‘Unsung Britain,’ Helen Walker, Chief Executive of Carers UK, said: 

"'Unsung Britain' is the latest evidence of the profound impact being an unpaid carer can have on the poorest families who are already struggling on low incomes.  

"Providing increasing hours of unpaid care and support to someone who is unwell, frail or disabled means you are less likely to be in work, and increasingly likely to be in poverty and in ill-health yourself.  

"This up-to-date analysis is an important illustration of why this must be urgently addressed. Unpaid carers should be given the support they need to stay in work and in good health. In recent years, policy changes have rightly helped younger families to be able to balance work and care more easily through better childcare and greater workplace flexibility, enabling many more parents to able to manage this successfully. The same commitment should be shown to unpaid carers who currently save the UK economy £184 billion a year.  

"With minimal support, unpaid carers can find themselves under extreme pressures. Paid carer's leave would help many more carers on low incomes to feel they can afford to stay in work. Greater understanding of the growing demands of unpaid care, flexibility from more employers to retain talent and significantly more investment in social care are essential to support carers and their families and help keep people out of poverty."