Draft a working carers policy covering leave, flexible working requests and manager escalation routes.
Human Resources & Personal Development
Supporting Working Carers and Parents Returning from Leave
Build a working carers policy and a structured return-from-leave programme, equipping managers to hold planning conversations that keep parents and carers engaged and progressing.
🗓️Duration5 training days
📚Content4 modules · 8 sessions
🎓On completionAccredited attendance certificate
About the programme
Course Overview
The months around parental leave and the ongoing pressure of caring for an ill, elderly or disabled relative are two of the highest-risk points for losing capable employees, often quietly, through resignation rather than open conflict. A rushed return-to-work conversation, an assumption that a parent no longer wants stretch assignments, or a lack of flexibility for a carer managing medical appointments can undo years of investment in someone's development. This course gives HR professionals and line managers a structured approach to supporting working carers and returning parents, from keeping-in-touch contact during leave through phased return planning to ongoing flexible working arrangements. Participants build a working carers policy, practise return-planning conversations using a structured template, and design manager guidance that treats caring responsibilities as a normal part of a sustainable career rather than a barrier to progression.
Expected Learning Outcomes
Plan keeping-in-touch contact during parental or carer's leave that respects boundaries while maintaining connection.
Structure a return-to-work conversation that agrees a phased return, workload and any needed adjustments.
Identify flexible working options suited to school-run, medical appointment and caring-shift constraints.
Coach managers to avoid assumptions that returning parents or carers want reduced responsibility or ambition.
Link carer and parental leave support to succession and development plans to prevent stalled progression.
Measure retention and progression outcomes for returning parents and working carers against wider workforce trends.
Who Should Attend
HR advisers designing family-friendly and carer support policies
Line managers preparing for a team member's return from parental or carer's leave
People and culture leaders addressing retention of experienced staff
Occupational health and employee assistance programme coordinators
Diversity and inclusion specialists focused on gender and caring responsibilities
Employee network leads representing parents and carers in the organisation
Course Modules
Select any module to see its sessions and points.
01Understanding the Working Carer and Parent Experience
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Mapping Caring Responsibilities Across the Workforce
- Distinguish parental leave, carer's leave and informal caring responsibilities and their differing support needs.
- Estimate the proportion of the workforce likely to be juggling paid work with caring duties at any time.
- Identify common pinch points, including school holidays, medical appointments and sudden care emergencies.
- Review exit interview and survey data for themes linking caring responsibilities to resignation decisions.
Session 2Setting Policy Foundations and Legal Context
- Summarise statutory entitlements for parental and carer's leave relevant to the organisation's operating locations.
- Align carer support with existing flexible working, sickness absence and reasonable adjustment procedures.
- Benchmark policy provisions, such as enhanced leave pay, against sector and competitor practice.
- Secure sponsorship from senior leadership for a working carers and returning parents programme.
02Supporting Leave and Planning the Return
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Maintaining Contact During Leave Without Overstepping
- Agree keeping-in-touch contact preferences with the employee before leave begins, including frequency and content.
- Share only relevant organisational updates during leave, avoiding pressure to engage with work tasks.
- Coordinate cover arrangements that protect the returning employee's role, projects and client relationships.
- Document agreed contact preferences so cover managers respect them consistently.
Session 2Structuring the Return-to-Work Conversation
- Use a structured template to plan a phased return covering hours, workload and any refresher training needed.
- Discuss changes that occurred during leave, including team, systems or reporting line changes, before day one.
- Agree a review point, typically at four to six weeks, to adjust the return plan based on early experience.
- Clarify how performance expectations will be set during the phased return period.
03Building Sustainable Flexible Working Arrangements
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Designing Flexible Working Options for Carers
- Match flexible working formats, including compressed hours, staggered start times and remote days, to caring patterns.
- Assess role suitability for flexible arrangements without defaulting to blanket refusals for operational roles.
- Draft a flexible working agreement that specifies review points and how cover will be arranged.
- Handle situations where team fairness concerns arise from one employee's flexible arrangement.
Session 2Managing Ongoing Caring Responsibilities and Emergencies
- Agree an approach for short-notice caring emergencies that balances employee need with operational cover.
- Signpost employees to carer's leave entitlements and external support services for ongoing caring situations.
- Review workload distribution periodically to prevent caring-related flexibility from concentrating extra work on colleagues.
- Train managers to hold sensitive conversations about escalating caring responsibilities without prying.
04Protecting Progression and Measuring Outcomes
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Keeping Development and Progression on Track
- Review development plans before and after leave to confirm ambitions and stretch assignments remain available.
- Challenge assumptions that returning parents or carers want reduced scope, visibility or promotion opportunities.
- Include employees on leave in relevant succession and talent conversations where appropriate and consented to.
- Set a follow-up check-in at six and twelve months to review progression against pre-leave plans.
Session 2Tracking Retention and Refining Support
- Track retention, promotion and engagement outcomes for returning parents and working carers against organisational averages.
- Gather feedback from recently returned employees on what support helped or was missing.
- Update manager guidance and policy wording based on recurring themes from feedback and outcome data.
- Report programme outcomes to senior leadership alongside wider diversity and retention metrics.
What the participant receives
4 course modules
A structured syllabus
8 training sessions
across 5 days
32 detailed points
Applied, detailed content
Accredited attendance certificate
On completing the programme
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