News

More than half of all carers have either given up their jobs or work fewer hours because of their caring responsibilities, the largest ever survey into carers' employment and skills has revealed.

The report by Carers' Advice and Resource Establishment, Sandwell (Cares), finds that 63 per cent of carers felt there were barriers to them developing their skills.

It also reveals that nearly half of all 25- to 40-year-old carers surveyed felt they needed to learn information technology skills, while 20 per cent said they needed help form-filling and letter writing.

Cares won the carers' category at last week's Community Care Awards 2002 (see pages 12-13).

- The Learning and Skills Needs of Carers from 0121 558 7003.