Jeremy Hunt, you missed a spot

I talk about #carers #upaidcarers #neurodiversity, #autismspectrumcondition, and dream of a #halfwayhouse.

Retirees, parents(let’s be honest, Mothers), those living with disabilities, and neurodiverse individuals requiring scaffolding and more than the average reasonable accommodations, in a nutshell, economically inactive members of the public are being mobilised this 2023 spring to get back to work in Jeremy Hunt’s plan, but he missed a spot Carers! Before you jump on the bandwagon of oh, you/they do so much already, how can(dare) you suggest such! It is worth remembering that what we do is emotionally draining but woefully unrecognised. As an unpaid Carer, you are probably your most effective employable self. You quickly pick up new skills, multitask to the nth level, and maintain a calm composure in a world of rhetoric. In this role, there is no margin for error as the stakes are high, but despite these good works, first impressions of a Carer are mostly (unconsciously) greeted with a platitude of pity and disdain. Politically correct statements made; nice to never see you again sums it up quite nicely in my two-year experience so far.

There is little joy to carry on in a solo career sponsored by sheer will. 

Going back to work or starting a business brings an escape, a balance and Jeremy Hunt had an opportunity to explore that and redefine work and what it would mean for Carers. 

Could work for Carers truly be the opening up of pandora’s box on efficiency and flexible working hours, a dabble into the true work/life balance where persons work to pay bills, as well as gain back some self-confidence and recharge to then carry on with the most significant role of their life? 

One thing a Carer brings to the table is bucketloads of empathy and snap decision-making on summarised information, which sounds like an ideal hire for most managerial roles.

I really need to be clear that this is not about shift work, zero-hours contracts, and volunteering; all have very strong elements of human resource exploitation and little support. I am talking about on-demand roles where a Carer with  5-10 years home brewed physiotherapy and or speech and language support could be recruited to work; this will require changing how hours are offered, safeguarding measures, on-the-job training, and pay, but all possible to get in the best talent. There is a whole host of admin roles Carers could fill at hours and locations suitable to them, especially in the Health and Education sectors. Those with Academic interests could be offered research and teaching opportunities without loans.

It will do wonders to know that as a Carer, you are seen as a Petri dish for innovation and not a putrid horror show.

 

Many also wish to start businesses or write that book, and they should be given the opportunity to do so; Social care needs to be designed with scaffolding in place to allow for this. This will not only uplift a Carer, but in the eyes of those being Cared for, they see an inclusive community member who isn't suppressed by the support they provide. Those being Cared for might be inspired to take on new challenges themselves, even if it simply means expanding their world. 

Finally, pay must be fair, not tied to hours or days or age, or gender but based on the experience brought in. An on-demand editor for a medical journal with what seems like a short burst of input should be treated with equal value etc.

Other roles that might suit a Carer and needs a massive pay uplift are those of muscle memory jobs that take you into a numb or reflective state, well mostly numb state but are the building blocks in society functioning. I am talking about factory work, sandwich makers, box folders, recycling sorters, archives management, data entry, transcripts and translations (the brain is still a muscle), parks and streets maintenance and management, cataloguing, system testing, bio sampling ...opportunities opportunities opportunities but these will only work if the mindset to Carers is overhauled and valued in pay and kind allowing for a complete open box approach to what it means to work. Is there anyone in politics currently up to the challenge? Definitely not Jeremy.

Written by Victoria Kio between the hours of 1:15 - 2:15 am on the 15th of March 2023 while managing covid like symptoms, late on her course work, and with just as active a day in her caring role, and yes, no pay.