Proposals considered by government would strengthen protections for parents forced to become full-time carers
Thousands of parents who are forced to become full-time carers after their child becomes seriously ill would be entitled to financial support and job protections under new “Hugh’s law” proposals being floated by the government.
Hugh’s law is named after Hugh Menai-Davis, who was six when he died in 2021 just under a year after being diagnosed with a rare form of cancer and undergoing 10 months of intensive treatment, much of it in hospital.
Hugh’s parents, Ceri and Frances Menai-Davis, subsequently launched a campaign to fight for extra employment protections for parents whose lives are turned upside down when their child becomes seriously ill.
The proposal is one of a number of pay and workplace changes designed to help unpaid carers return to work, include a right to paid carer’s leave, and a new maternity leave-style “right to return” to work after a period of intensive caring.
Launching the consultation, starting on Tuesday, the employment rights minister, Kate Dearden, said: “Whether you’re caring for an elderly parent, a partner with a long-term illness, or a child fighting a serious disease, you shouldn’t have to choose between your job and those you love.”
Ministers are concerned too many unpaid carers find it impossible to balance work and caring responsibilities, and as a result either reduce their hours or quit paid work completely, costing the economy...
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