Family carers are the main source of care provision for those in need of care due to a
long-term illness, disability or frailty living in the community. Currently, approximately
4.1% of the Irish population are carers (CSO 2012), however the demand for care is
expected to soon exceed supply, and an unpaid ‘care gap’ is predicted (Pickard
2015). Should no action be taken, a minimum of 15% of care will go uncovered by
2020 (European Commission 2015). One proposal by EU policymakers to increase
the supply of care, is to support carers who combine care with employment. The
WHO recognises the importance of introducing measures aimed at reconciling the
conflicting pressures of paid work and care for carers. Some studies suggest that
reconciling work with care results in poor health, depression, diabetes, hypertension,
or pulmonary disease in carers (Albert et al. 2010), while others suggest that carers
are happier, financially secure, and less socially excluded (Eurofound 2015).
In line with Healthy Ireland 2013–2025 and the National Carers’ Strategy, this project
aims to design, develop and co-create an evidence-based, workplace-based
CAREWELL programme to promote health and self-care among working family
carers (WFCs). Work package (WP) 1 will synthesise the extant evidence from the
literature on health, work and caregiving and examine workplace policies and
guidelines; WP 2 will involve semi-structured interviews with employers and focus
groups with WFCs and a web-based cross-sectional survey of both employers and
carers. The data collected will be synthesised and presented at a validation workshop
involving all key stakeholders, who will engage with the design of the CAREWELL
programme. WP 3 will involve a feasibility study to assess the impact of the
programme on the self-care behaviours of WFCs. The findings will provide
importance preliminary evidence on the feasibility of the programme for WFCs.
