Sheffield Occupational Health Advisory Services delivers new employability service to Carers and former Carers

30th April 2026

Connect to Work Sheffield focuses on reaching groups who face complex barriers and challenges. SOHAS will focus on carers/ex-carers because our expertise sits exactly where carers most often struggle, the interface between work, health and retention.

Sheffield Occupational Health Advisory Service (SOHAS) has recently joined Sheffield City Council and partner organisations to deliver the Connect to Work Sheffield project, which is part of Pathways to Work and aims to support 1,600 people into work between 2025 – 2030. Connect to Work Sheffield focuses on reaching groups who face complex barriers and challenges. SOHAS will focus on carers/ex-carers because our expertise sits exactly where carers most often struggle, the interface between work, health and retention. Our experience shows that carers do not usually leave work because they can’t do the job; they leave because job design, workplace expectations and management practices do not adapt to caring realities.

Carers UK 2025 research found that 1 in 10 people in Sheffield are an unpaid carer for a relative and suggests that 73 of 2.6 million carers in the UK struggle to balance work and care, with 40 leaving employment completely and equates to 600 per day. Long breaks from paid work can lead to outdated skills, weaker CVs, and loss of confidence; the evidence shows the longer carers are out of the labour market, the harder it is to re engage.

Many carers underestimate or struggle to articulate the employable skills developed through caring (time management, advocacy, coordination), so they present as “low experience” even after years of complex unpaid work. Anxiety about interviews and explaining career gaps or caring responsibilities can itself feel like a major barrier, with some carers reporting “enormous anxiety” at the prospect of employer contact SOHAS’s model is built around IPS principles including, rapid job matching and early employer-facing problem solving to prevent avoidable job loss. To refer a carer to our Job Coach, simply following the link: https://bit.ly/CarersSheff and make a 30-minute introductory appointment today! Sheffield Occupational Health Advisory Service (SOHAS) provides independent, free, confidential, and accessible support to individuals living or working in Sheffield. Our services include advice on workplace health issues, helping people improve their conditions at work, and providing advocacy for those whose health is affected by their job. SOHAS has been helping over 60,000 people since its inception in 1978 and offers support for various health-related issues, including mental and physical health challenges. For more information, please visit our website: SOHAS - www.sohas.co.uk