Until now, the right to request flexible working only applied to parents of children under 6 or a disabled child under 18.
A carer is defined as:
An employee who is or expects to be caring for an adult who:
1. is married to, or the partner or civil partner of the employee; or
2. is a “near relative” of the employee (defined as a mother, father, adopter, guardian, parent-in-law, step-parent, son, step-son, daughter, step-daughter, brother, brother-in-law, sister, sister-in-law, uncle, aunt or grandparent). This includes adoptive relationships and relationships of the full blood or half blood or, in the case of an adoptive person, such of those relationships as would exist but for the adoption; or
3. falls into neither category but lives at the same address as the employee.
While the “caring” is not defined in the legislation, some guidance has been provided by the DTI which indicates that there is a wide range of activities which will count, including:
• help with mobility or personal or nursing care.
• help with giving/supervising the taking of medication or accompanying to hospital or doctor’s appointments;
• assisting in “household tasks”. This included shopping, cooking and cleaning; and
• providing emotional support or keeping the person company.
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