Homecare Association response to the Director of Labour Market Enforcement Call for Evidence

In this response we highlight key priorities for the new Fair Work Agency.

In summary:

"Homecare workers must receive at least the Minimum Wage for all working time, including travel and training. Employers must pay overseas recruits at least the minimum salary threshold and protect them from modern slavery. Enforcing accurate holiday pay, sick pay, and gender pay parity is vital. Changing the way public bodies buy care is key. Zero-hours commissioning for contact time only at low fee rates leads to zero-hours employment for contact time only at low wage rates. Unregulated care is growing because of a loophole that lets individual care workers avoid oversight. A review of the care regulatory framework is necessary."