Consultation seeks views on employment rights for unpaid carers and parents of seriously ill children

11 June 2026 5 min read

At a glance

On 9 June 2026, the UK government launched a consultation (closing 1 September 2026) on enhancing employment rights for unpaid carers and parents of seriously ill children.
The proposals aim to assess whether current rights, including unpaid carer’s leave and flexible working, remain fit for purpose while balancing employer impact.
Potential reforms include extending unpaid carer’s leave, introducing paid carer’s leave, and creating a statutory 'right to return' following periods of absence.
The consultation also proposes one-off paid leave for parents of seriously ill children (Hugh’s Law), including consideration of scope, eligibility and pay.
Overall, the initiative forms part of the government’s broader 'Make Work Pay' agenda to support workforce participation and modernise working practices.

On 9 June 2026, as part of its Plan to Make Work Pay and Next Steps to Make Work Pay, the government published a new consultation paper on employment rights for unpaid carers and parents of seriously ill children. The consultation closes on 1 September 2026.

The paper says that supporting unpaid carers who want to work alongside their caring responsibilities is an important element of the government’s plans to modernise the world of work, ensuring that there are good jobs for unpaid carers, and a skilled workforce for employers.

The Carer’s Act 2023 already gives employees a right to unpaid time off to care for someone who is disabled, needs care because of old age or has a long-term health condition. However, the government is aiming to identify whether the existing measures remain fit for purpose, whilst also saying that any future reforms must strike the right balance between supporting unpaid carers and the impact on employers.

What rights do unpaid carers already have?

Unpaid carers already have a range of statutory rights including the following, which may be enhanced by some employers:

All carers

An entitlement to unpaid carer’s leave.

One week in each rolling 12-month period which can be taken in individual days or half-days or in a single block of a week.
The leave must be to provide or arrange care for a dependant with a long-term care need.
A request cannot be unreasonably refused.

A right to unpaid time off for emergency care of dependants.

Reasonable time off.
The leave must be necessary to deal with emergencies involving a dependant, such as illness or injury or an unexpected care need.
A reasonable and necessary request cannot be refused.

The right to request flexible working arrangements.

The right to request changes to hours, times or place of work. Two requests can be made in any 12 month period.
Employers may reject the request if one of eight statutory grounds applies (such as it not being possible to reorganise work amongst existing staff or there would be a detrimental impact on quality or performance) but must first consult with the employee before rejecting it.
Employers must respond to a request for flexible working withing two months.

Protection in the workplace against discrimination and discrimination by association.

Carers with children

Unpaid parental leave:

18 weeks leave per child up to the child’s 18^th birthday which must be taken as whole weeks rather than individual days. A maximum of four weeks’ leave can be taken in any particular year.
The leave must be for the purpose of caring for a child.
Employers can only postpone the leave unless if they have a significant business reason. Leave must be granted if it is being taken immediately after the birth of a child.

Neonatal care leave:

One week’s leave for every seven full continuous days a parent’s baby is in neonatal care, up to 12 weeks, which must be taken within 68 weeks of the child’s birth in blocks of at least one week while the child is in neonatal care (or up to a week afterwards) and thereafter in a single continuous block.
Neonatal care is paid at a statutory rate subject to certain eligibility conditions including having 26 weeks’ service.

What proposals does the consultation cover?

The consultation seeks views on:

Respondents’ experiences of accessing information and support for carers and what is useful to employers in understanding how they can help support unpaid carers.
Extending the existing entitlement of five days unpaid carer’s leave. It suggests six, seven, eight, nine or ten days, but also invites views on other durations.
In conjunction with a potential longer extension in carer’s leave, introducing a ‘right to return’ to work to protect the employee’s job during the period of absence.
Introducing a short period of paid carer’s leave, and the duration for, and rate at, which the leave should be paid.
Introducing one-off paid leave for the parents of seriously ill children (Hugh’s Law). It also asks for comments on the definition of ‘serious illness’ and how long the leave entitlement should be, and at what rate it should be paid.