Schemes aimed at helping the millions of people who juggle work with caring responsibilities are to be trialled, including the promotion of flexible working.

The Government is to spend £1.6 million in nine areas of England on support such as volunteers to ease the pressure of caring, a system of email alerts and a “pop-up” centre to help carers set up in self-employment.

Minister for Women and Equalities, Nicky Morgan said: “Women often find themselves caring for both older relatives and children. Juggling work and caring can be enormously stressful. These pilot projects are designed to test how that pressure can be eased and allow people to balance their caring responsibilities with their jobs and families.

“Carers who feel forced to leave their jobs are a real loss to the workforce and economy. We want to give people the peace of mind about their loved ones that helps them keep their jobs.”

Care and Support Minister Norman Lamb said: “Too many carers find it difficult to balance their important caring roles with their work commitments. This has costly implications not only for them, but for our businesses and economy too.”

The pilot sites are in North Tyneside, Northamptonshire, Cheshire West, Gateshead, Bury, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Staffordshire and Stoke, and Sefton.

More than three million workers have family caring responsibilities out of 5.4 million carers in England.