According to the Live-in Care Hub, one of the most common concerns for people considering applying for live-in care jobs is whether or not they will be entitled to time off when they are living in their client’s home. Many potential live-in carers are put off by the thought of not having any real time off or potentially working every day because they are living with their client.
There is legislation which outlines how many hours a person can work every week and how much time off a worker is legally entitled to. However, care workers are often exempt from this legislation and it does not always apply due to the continuous nature of care work.
Therefore, it is important to understand your rights as a live-in carer and also set out your time off at the start of your employment term.
Your legal entitlement
Although care workers, and especially live-in care workers, are exempt from certain working hours legislation, you are still legally entitled to time off. For every 24hours you are working, you are entitled to at least 2 hours break. As a live-in carer, this time can be taken away from the home if you so choose. This is to ensure that you are getting enough rest in order for you to care for yourself and for your client effectively.
Most other workers are entitled to 20 minutes paid break for every 6 hours that they work. This is one of the parts of working time regulations which care workers are often exempt from however as the nature of the work does not always mean that it is safe to take regular breaks. During times such as these, you may be entitled to “compensatory rest” instead.
All “workers” are entitled to 28 days paid holiday leave per year, pro rata if you work part-time hours. If your live-in care role is full time and you work with the same client for a year then you will also be entitled to holiday but you will, of course, need to arrange this with your client so that appropriate cover can be arranged.
Building time off into your employment contract
Before you begin work with your live-in care client, you should compose a contract of employment with your client, their family and your home care agency. This contract should outline the days which you will be expected to work. Live-in carers usually work and live with their clients between 4 and 7 days a week and this will depend on the level of care that your client requires. If you are not contracted to be in the home for the full week then you will have specific days off every week.
If your client requires you to be in their home 7 days a week then it is a good idea to write down set periods of time off each week in your contract. This allows both you and your client to plan accordingly. For example, you may request two half days off during the week in which your client’s family can arrange alternative care for their family member. Once you have this time off agreed in your contract then you will be entitled to it each week.
