Consultation on employment rights for unpaid carers and parents of seriously ill children
The government has launched a consultation on employment rights for unpaid carers and parents of seriously ill children, and we are seeking your views to inform our response on behalf of employers.
Forming part of the Employment Rights Act 2025, this consultation supports the government’s wider agenda to improve flexibility, fairness and support in the workplace, particularly for those balancing work with significant caring responsibilities.
About the consultation
The purpose of this consultation is to seek views on whether current employment rights sufficiently support unpaid carers and parents of seriously ill children to remain in work. The government is exploring whether improvements are needed to leave entitlements, workplace support, information and guidance. It is also seeking feedback on a possible new entitlement, known as 'Hugh’s Law', for parents of seriously ill children.
Unpaid carers currently have access to several employment rights designed to help them balance caring responsibilities with work. These include the statutory entitlement to unpaid carer’s leave and the right to time off for family and dependants, as well as wider workplace rights that apply to all employees, such as flexible working and annual leave. For further information on flexible working, please refer to section 33 of the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook, and for annual leave, please refer to section 13.
Have your say
Please complete our online survey to give your feedback by midday Friday 7 August 2026.
The consultation is split into three sections, and we are gathering your views on:
Chapter 1 – Information on unpaid carers
The questions in chapter 1 explore how employers and unpaid carers access information about carers' rights and available support, and what could be improved. It seeks feedback on the types of information, resources and guidance that would help employers better support carers in the workplace and enable more effective discussions about employees' caring responsibilities and support needs.
Chapter 2 – Employment rights for unpaid carers
The questions in chapter 2 aim to gather feedback on whether current employment rights for unpaid carers are working effectively and what improvements may be needed. They explore views on existing rights, including carer’s leave, and seeks feedback on whether additional employment protections or support measures would benefit carers and employers.
Chapter 3 – Employment rights for parents of seriously ill children (Hugh's Law)
The questions in chapter 3 aim to gather feedback on proposals for a new statutory entitlement to leave and pay for parents and primary caregivers of seriously ill children, named Hugh's Law.
They seek feedback on the challenges families face following a child's serious illness diagnosis, awareness of existing support, and how a new leave and pay entitlement could work in practice. The section also seeks views on eligibility, the appropriate level of leave and pay, and the potential impact on employers and employees.
Further information
In addition to the questions included in our survey, the government has published further consultation questions on its website. You can read these in full on the GOV.UK consultation web page. We encourage employers to share any additional comments if they feel it is necessary.
The effective date for these provisions is not confirmed; however, they are not expected to come into force until 2027.
Details of the Employment Rights Act 2025 roadmap and actions for employers.
