Caring for Carers - Business in the Community

Caring for Carers

Post author image. Guest Editor
June 9, 2025

Caring for Carers

Angela Watson, Business in the Community’s (BITC) Age Manager, writes about our employer support for working carers, including our innovative Let’s Care Together programme.

It’s Carers Week. This year’s theme focuses on ‘Caring About Equality’, shining the spotlight on the inequalities faced by unpaid carers such as poverty, social isolation, and poorer mental and physical health.

Supporting carers in the workplace

BITC is an established advocate for working carers. Our ground-breaking Who Cares? research found that almost half of all employees are combining paid work with caring responsibilities and highlighted how challenging balancing work with caring can be.


While the majority are looking after children, around a third of those carers are responsible for an adult of working age or older, often acting as ‘sandwich carers’ for both children and vulnerable adults. This is also backed up by Carers UK data, which shows that hundreds of working carers are reducing their hours or giving up work altogether every day

Employer support is essential, and BITC’s employer toolkit offers the practical guidance, insights and case studies employers need.

“What would make the biggest difference? If caring for ageing parents was given the same status as caring for children.” -Respondent to the BITC Who Cares? Survey

BITC’s Let’s Care Together programme

Following our research, we are pioneering the innovative Let’s Care Together programme in partnership with Simplyhealth. The programme offers carers of vulnerable adults one-to-one virtual befriending, delivered by trained volunteers, from employers who support the programme. Carers receive both practical advice on caring and help with their own health and wellbeing, along with essential guidance about local support networks, external resources and carer support services.

“I couldn’t do a lot of what I can now without his (my befriender’s) guidance and support. He helped me apply for a Family Fund, which means we can now go on holiday. We haven’t had one in years, it really means a lot.” - Let’s Care Together supported carer

Employers benefit, too. By referring employees as volunteers to the programme they demonstrate their commitment to community engagement and provide social value.

The employee carers gain support, whilst volunteers build skills through the training provided and by being able to put this into practice. Businesses also see employee engagement boosted by the meaningful volunteering opportunities provided in local communities.

“I’m hoping I can use my own experience to help someone else; being a carer can be very lonely. I hope I can be someone they can talk to and just be there for them to chat if they need it.” - Let’s Care Together volunteer befriender

Get involved

For carers

Find out more about how you can get support as part of BITC’s Let’s Care Together programme by downloading our beneficiary information pack.

For employers

Go to our website for information on how to join us. To partner with our Let’s Care Together programme and provide employee volunteers, or refer clients for support, please contact care@bitc.org.uk.

References

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