»ÆÉ«¶ÌÊÓƵ Parent and Carer Staff Network
Welcome to the Parent and Carer Network!
The network was established in 2020 as a response to the challenges of staff balancing their professional lives with their caring responsibilities during the pandemic. Since then we have worked to provide a collective voice to ensure the experiences of carers are represented and respected within the University. It is also a place of support where staff can share ideas and experiences. Going forward we will continue this dual role of support and advocacy. Membership is diverse including academics and professional services staff on all types of contracts. Caring responsibilities also range from first time parents to those caring for disabled relatives. We welcome everyone!
We also have a Lending Library where you can borrow books about a range of topics related to caring. Just contact us to borrow a book and we can put it in the internal mail.
As a Staff Network for Parents and Carers we are constantly engaged with ways to make caring visible and supported. For example:
- Ensuring issues affecting carers are discussed at all levels of the University. This includes Gender Equality Groups, the roundtable on Women Professors, Athena Swan and regular meetings with the EDI team.
- We feed into important discussion about HR policy around flexible working, maternity/paternity leave and other related issues.
- Holding events that are useful to our members.
- Working with the National Network for Carers in HE to share good practice and policy.
- Offering a buddy system or mentor for those who need support.
How can you get involved?
Some members are happy to be part of the network and receive updates and emails notifying them of events and activities. There is also a more proactive working group where members can be part of shaping the network and contributing to policy and initiatives within the University. This group meets termly in an informal way.
To join the network, working group or ask any questions then email the chair Hannah Mason-Bish to be added to the mailing list. E-mail h.mason-bish@sussex.ac.uk
Past Events:
- July 2025 – Sustain Yourself This Summer: Wellbeing Webinar for Busy Parents with Dr Caroline Boyd
- February 2025 – Advocating For Yourself – webinar with Dr Krystal Wilkinson
- February 2025 – Cake and Chat
- June 2024 – Who Cares for Carers? With Sara Challice
Who’s Who:
Chair and Founder – Hannah Mason-Bish (Associate Professor, LPS)
“I set up with Network with Tamsin Hinton-Smith during 2020 when I was struggling to balance my caring responsibilities and my professional role during the pandemic. We started the network as a means of supporting colleagues but also to push the University into thinking about how carers need support. Since then we’ve worked on policy around maternity pay, Athena Swan, support for returners and promotion. I’m committed to ensuring that »ÆÉ«¶ÌÊÓƵ is a place where carers can thrive, not just survive.”
Steering Group:
Judith Townend, is a Reader in Digital Society and Justice:
“I have a long-held interest in equality and inclusion, both in terms of research and policy work, but also in terms of improving policies and practice in the workplace. It can take time and stubbornness, but it is possible to make small changes that improve working conditions for the better: for example, after learning that not all colleagues qualified for full Maternity pay, I worked with other colleagues and our UCU branch to encourage the University to introduce Day 1 eligibility, which they have now done (an important provision given employment precarity in HE, especially for early career researchers). But there’s so much more to be done, to encourage better practice here and in Higher Education more broadly.”
Laura Kounine:
Laura is Senior Lecturer in Early Modern History and is the mother of two young children. She is keen to fight for better rights for returning carers at the University, in order to challenge discriminatory practices and help close the gender pay gap. In particular, she would like to see a policy of implementing research leave following parental leave; more financial support for returning carers; and better flexible working agreements for working parents. More broadly, she would like to see a cultural shift in which working parents feel supported and valued, rather than feeling like they have to fight the system.
Sian Thomas:
“I have 2 adult children, one of whom cannot live independently, and a teen who is autistic . I’ve experienced the impact that good support from my managers has had on my ability to thrive in the workplace and I think it’s really important that we equip all managers to understand the issues that carers face, have the right conversations and know how to support all their staff.”
Paven Basuita, is a Law Lecturer with two young children:
“I love being back at work after having my children but am also daunted by juggling work and home life, especially as my oldest child starts primary school. I would like for us all to be happy and fulfilled at work while also being able to look after our families (and ourselves) – and I believe that is possible!”
Melanie Hart-Murison is both a parent and a carer:
“Whilst I work in what appears to be a very supportive team, I have found navigating the University policies and systems really challenging, and lacking real clarity or support for others in a similar position. A huge percentage of the PS staff workforce is female, and colleagues all have the same issues around childcare, appointments, start and finish times. Some of this can change with a change of manager and this happens all too often, so I want to be part of the network to ensure that there is clarity, stability and fairness for parent carers.”
University Policies and Support:
Please visit: Carers : Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
External Resources and Support:
Carers UK -
Carers Trust -
West »ÆÉ«¶ÌÊÓƵ Carers Support -
Care for Carers East »ÆÉ«¶ÌÊÓƵ -
Carents (for those caring for parents)
Amaze »ÆÉ«¶ÌÊÓƵ (for parents of disabled children) -
Other East »ÆÉ«¶ÌÊÓƵ support for children/young people -