Aims of the policy or strategy
To introduce paid leave provision for employees who are Shared Lives Carers for Dorset Council.
The proposal is to offer the following paid leave options
- up to 5 days paid leave per year for the initial training/assessments (pro rata for part timers)
- plus up to 5 days paid leave per year (pro rata for part timers) for reviews, attendance at shared lives panels etc.
The paid leave can be taken as individual whole day, or part days, or in a block of 5 days and will be in addition to existing provisions such as the right to request flexible working, flexi-time and/or unpaid leave provisions (e.g. Parental Leave or Time off for dependants) which can also be requested as and when needed
Background to the proposal
Dorset Council do not currently offer any paid leave provision for employees who are Shared Lives carers.
To become a Shared Lives carer there is a period of initial training followed by the need for on-going reviews and assessments etc.
It is hoped that by introducing a paid leave provision to support Dorset Council employees who are considering becoming or are already a Shared Lives carer, that this might encourage an increase in interest and help, in part, to address our current and on-ongoing Shared Lives carer shortage.
Dorset Council are currently running a campaign to recruit more Shared Lives carers. More carers are needed, otherwise some Dorset residents with care and support needs would be placed in supported living or residential care.
There are currently 54 Shared Lives carers in Dorset across 44 households, providing a service to 57 people with care and support needs. National benchmarking suggest that Shared Lives schemes support around 10% of the population of people who have a learning disability who are provided with support under the Care Act. In Dorset the figure is a little over 5% (52 of 968), as the council has never taken a targeted approach to encourage people to become shared lives carers, as such the introduction of this paid leave provision is a step forward to helping develop the scheme significantly in Dorset.
We are currently running a campaign to recruit Shared Lives carers in Dorset which is being promoted both internally and externally. There is currently only one Shared Lives carer who is also an employee of the council.
There is currently no paid leave provision to support our employees who are Shared Lives carers. This is out of line with the offer to Foster carers in our own and several other councils. This proposal would align the provisions, as this will be a new policy, it will be kept under review.
Intelligence and Communication
Data, information, evidence and research used and how it has influenced the decision-making process
We used the following data and feedback to inform the proposal
- Vivienne Broadhurst (Acting Executive Director People – Adults & Housing); Cllr Laura Miller (Portfolio holder for Adult Social Care and Health) and Richard Christian (Specialist Manager, Learning Disability – Adult Care) have all confirmed that they support the proposal of enhancing our employee provision and their recommendation in terms of amount of time needed have helped to inform the proposal
- other Councils were contacted to see what provisions they offer their employees who are Shared Lives carers, they told us
Devon no provision for paid leave
Somerset no provision for paid leave
Wiltshire up to 9 days paid leave per year consisting of
-
up to 3 days assessment/initial training prior to approval
-
up to 1 day to attend approving shared lives panel
-
up to 5 days in total to attend meetings related to being a shared lives carer
Bristol Currently there is no specific paid leave provision for Shared Lives Carers. Emergency Carers Leave may be applicable depending on the circumstance.
The Shared Lives service are currently running a campaign to recruit Shared Lives carers in Dorset, which is being promoted both internally and externally, a recent Q&A session was held for carer recruitment, which generated a lot of interest and a number of applications were made. We are aware that there is currently only one shared lives carer who is an employee of the council. The Shared Lives service will review its recruitment campaign internally to include information about paid leave provision, if this proposal is agreed.
The new provision will be kept under review and as part of that we will consider any additional support that may be needed.
Trade unions will be updated on the proposal and their comments will help to inform the final policy/guidance
This data told us that
That the current practice of not offering any form of paid leave to support employees who are Shared Lives carers was not aligned to our provision of providing paid leave to foster carers and could therefore be inhibiting our ability to attract Shared Lives carers that are employees of the Council.
That the council’s need to attract Shared Lives carers is an on-going one and there is potential to develop the scheme significantly in Dorset. The Shared Lives Service will be reviewing its recruitment campaign both internally and externally to encourage applications from all individuals who might be interested in making room in their homes and their hearts for an adult with care and support needs. The founding principles of Shared Lives are that people from different backgrounds choose to live and share their lives together.
Engagement or consultation that has taken place as part of this EqIA
The proposed new provision has been discussed with the Green Book Trade Unions and they have confirmed their support and appreciation of the recommendations made in this report.
Feedback and communication
The new provision will be actively communicated and promoted across the organisation.
Assessment
Impacts of the policy or strategy
| Impacts on who or what | Effect | Details |
|---|---|---|
|
Age: Disability: (including physical, mental, sensory and progressive conditions) Gender Reassignment & Gender Identity: Pregnancy and maternity: Race and Ethnicity: Religion or belief: Sexual orientation Sex (consider both men and women): Marriage or civil partnership:
|
Neutral |
This provision will be offered to all employees who are Shared Lives carers irrespective of any protected characteristic |
|
Carers: |
Unclear as we do not hold employee data for this group |
The provision of paid leave may assist employees thinking about becoming a Shared Lives carer to balance caring commitments |
|
Rural isolation: |
Unclear - we do not hold employee data for this group |
This provision will be offered to all employees who are Shared Lives Carers including those experiencing rural isolation. |
|
Single parent families |
Unclear - we do not hold employee data for this group |
The provision of paid leave may assist employees thinking about becoming a Shared Lives carer to balance childcare commitments |
|
Social & economic deprivation |
Unclear – we do not hold employee data for this group |
The provision of paid leave may support and assist employees thinking about becoming a Shared Lives carer that may not have been able to for economic reasons associated with taking unpaid leave to undertake the necessary training |
|
Armed Forces communities |
Unclear – we do not hold employee data for this group |
This provision will be offered to all employees who are Shared Lives carers including ex-armed forces |
Key to effects or impacts
Positive - the proposal eliminates discrimination, advances equality of opportunity and/or fosters good relations with protected groups.
Negative - protected characteristic group(s) could be disadvantaged or discriminated against
Neutral - no change/ no assessed significant impact of protected characteristic groups
Negative - protected characteristic group(s) could be disadvantaged or discriminated against
Action plan
| Issue | Action to be taken | Person responsible | Date to be completed by |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Level of employee data held by Dorset Council. |
To keep this under review and where possible seek to improve this. To regularly review the take up of the new provision to assess the impact and whether it increases the number of Shared Lives carers who are our employees. |
Corporate Director for HR & OD |
Annually |
|
Increasing awareness of new & existing provisions to support employees who are Shared Lives carers |
To liaise with the Communications team to develop a communications plan which ensures raised awareness of the new and existing provision and that it is applicable to all employees. |
Corporate Director for HR & OD |
April 2021 |
|
Shared Lives recruitment campaign |
The Shared Lives Team will review their recruitment campaign, if this provision is adopted, to include information in internal communications |
Shared Lives Team |
May 2021 |
People who have agreed the EQIA
Officer completing this EqIA Sam Dewar
Date: 31 March 2021
Equality Lead Susan Ward-Rice
Date: 28 April 2021
Equality & Diversity Action Group Chair Rebecca Forrester
Date 28 April 2021