The UK government is considering proposals that would entitle thousands of parents forced to become full-time carers after their child becomes seriously ill to financial support and job protections. The proposals, known as 'Hugh's law', are named after Hugh Menai-Davis, who died in 2021 at age six, just under a year after being diagnosed with a rare form of cancer.
Background of Hugh's law
Hugh's parents, Ceri and Frances Menai-Davis, launched a campaign for extra employment protections after their son's death. The proposal is one of several pay and workplace changes designed to help unpaid carers return to work, including a right to paid carer's leave and a new 'right to return' to work after a period of intensive caring, similar to maternity leave.
Government consultation
Employment rights minister Kate Dearden launched a consultation on Tuesday, stating: '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 that too many unpaid carers find it impossible to balance work and caring responsibilities, leading them to reduce hours or quit paid work, costing the economy billions each year.
The Menai-Davises said the consultation represents a 'significant moment' for thousands of families facing the impossible choice between staying by their child's bedside or going to work to keep a roof over their head. Ceri Menai-Davis said: 'When Hugh was diagnosed with cancer, our world stopped overnight. We were suddenly expected to become full-time carers whilst trying to hold together our jobs, finances, family life and our own wellbeing.'
Scope of the problem
An estimated 11,000 children a year experience serious health conditions requiring substantial care involvement, with about 4,000 families experiencing hospital stays of at least two months. Under the proposal, eligible parents would get the legal right to time off during acute family crisis and access to minimum financial support and employment protection in line with premature birth and bereavement arrangements.
Frances Menai-Davis added: 'Hugh's law is not about special treatment. It is about recognising the reality that when a child is diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, the whole family enters crisis.'
International comparisons
According to Its Never You, which runs the Hugh's law campaign, Sweden offers 120 days a year of paid leave to care for sick children, California eight weeks of paid family leave, Canada 35 weeks of caregiver benefits, and France up to 310 days of financially assisted leave.
Helen Walker, chief executive of Carers UK, said: 'Too many carers currently have no choice but to reduce their hours or leave work altogether because workplace support and employment rights do not reflect the realities of caring.'
