Carers Week Special (Part 1): Unseen realities of working and caring for neurodivergent children, with Caroline Withers, Michaela Gibson and Rachel Pears

Welcome to The Work Couch, the podcast where we discuss all things employment.

Content warning: The following content is about real experiences of caring and the pressures that can come with navigating systems around support for children, which some people might find distressing.

To mark Carers Week - and this year's theme of building carer-friendly communities - we are devoting a two-part conversation to colleagues who are balancing their work with caring for their neurodivergent children, and how employers can implement effective support at work.

In part one, we focus on the lived reality, what colleagues and line managers can often misunderstand, and what can make all the difference between someone staying and thriving at work or quietly stepping back, burning out or leaving altogether.

Host Ellie Gelder is joined by a panel of parent carers from across industry: Caroline Withers, Legal Director at Virgin Media O2 and trustee at Carers First, Michaela Gibson, Head of DEI at Standard Life and founder of Insurance Families Network, and Rachel Pears, Associate Director, Responsible Business & Employment Counsel, RPC. Together, they discuss:

• their own experiences as parent carers, including the associated unpredictability, hypervigilance and the need for real-time flexibility;
• how workplace culture and line manager response shape whether parent carers can stay and thrive in work;
• the importance of visibility and disclosing caring needs, while also protecting privacy and careers;
• intersectional nuances and harmful assumptions; and
• the employer benefits and practical tools that have helped them to stay, and progress, in their careers.

In Part 2, we'll explore what good employer support actually looks like in practice, and the legal considerations organisations should have on their radar.

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All information is correct at the time of recording. The Work Couch is not a substitute for legal advice.

To access further support, you may wish to visit: Carers UK, Carers First, Support SEND kids and for those of you working in the insurance sector, please visit Insurance Families Network.

References

1. Mind the caring gap: Exploring the impact of caring responsibilities in the legal sector (Report by RPC, LawCare and Next 100 Years, June 2024)
2. Government consultation: Make Work Pay: Employment rights for unpaid carers and parents of seriously ill children (Open until 1 September 2026)