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The highly successful Action for Carers and Employment - ACE National - partnership led by Carers UK carried out ground breaking work in supporting the inclusion of carers in training and work, funded by the European Social Fund's Equal Community Initiative Programme.
Three million of the six million carers in the UK juggle work and care-this means that one in seven people in the workforce is a carer. If carers are to continue to carry the lion's share of care whilst remaining active in the labour market, it is critical that there are good services to support them.
From 2002-2005, ACE National focused on the barriers facing individual carers who want to work, testing support such as pre-vocational training, tailored advice and guidance, targeted support services from mainstream employment services such as Jobcentre Plus and the promotion of carer-friendly policies and practices in the workplace.
ACE National’s focus from 2005-2007 was to explore the factors that influence why, how and if carers access alternative care services that enable them to work and use delivery partnerships to identify and enhance exisiting care services, and develop and test new care services, which enable carers to work.
The ACE National partnership also supported the participation of carers in planning the development and delivery of care service provision. ACE also developed a national policy partnership using lessons of the research and delivery partnerships to influence long term development and investment in the health and social care sector and wider cross cutting policy reform.
ACE National’s objectives were to:
