Policy Brief: Care/Work Policies for Managing Routine and Unpredictable Caregiving

An overview of policies and supports available help families manage care/work responsibilities and obligations in Canada

Download policy brief

Employed parents of young children must manage a variety of routine day-to-day caregiving responsibilities. These can be predictable, such as school or child care pickups, or unpredictable, such as caring for a sick child or coping with child care disruptions. Care/work policies, including flexible work arrangements, family responsibility leave, and sick leave, can play a critical role in enabling parents and other caregivers to meet these demands.

This policy brief reviews the current regulations for key employment rights in relation to routine caregiving responsibilities under the Canada Labour Code and provincial/territorial employment standards. It also uses data from the 2023 Canadian Survey on Early Learning and Child Care to shed light on parents’ access to provisions that support caregiving.

The analysis shows that access to provisions for time off work and flexible work options are limited, uneven, and inequitable. Providing more comprehensive and equitable access to flexible work and leave options is essential to enable parents in Canada to effectively manage employment and caregiving responsibilities.

This policy brief builds on our growing understanding of the Family Work component of the Vanier Institute’s Family Diversities and Wellbeing Framework.

Cai, M., Lero, D., & Fuller, S. (2025). Care/work policies for managing routine and unpredictable caregiving [Policy brief]. The Vanier Institute of the Family. https://doi.org/10.61959/ESNT2797E