Carers Rights Day 2024: How to recognise your rights as a carer

Run by Carers UK, each year, Carers Rights Day brings organisations across the UK together to help carers in their local community find out how to get the help and support they are entitled to. The theme for this year's campaign is recognising your rights.

Carers First aim to help carers to understand their rights, and to access the support available to them.

According to Carers First: “It is vital for carers to know their rights, to enable them to access the variety of support available when caring. In this checklist we outline carers rights which are defined in law to support carers in exercising their rights, and to ensure that carers and the person they care for get the support they need and deserve.”

Caring is a choice, and everyone has the right to choose to be a carer. Carers have the right to self-assess their ability to care and be supported to identify which needs of the person you are caring for they are willing and able to support.

The checklist also details a carer’s right to financial support. Jayne, a carer, contacted Carers First who guided her to the Household Fund.

She said: “Thanks to Carers First, I accessed the Household support fund. The fund helped my family pay the electricity bill and other essentials, due to the increase in prices we just couldn’t make up the difference quick enough.

“For us as a family it supported us to not stress and put in place the essentials that we needed, without that we would have been stuck and would need to have made more sacrifices.”

Carers also have the right to a Carer’s Assessment. No matter the level of care a person is providing, or how many hours they provide care, if they have needs which arise as a result of their caring role they have the right to request a Carer’s Assessment to determine their needs for support under the Care Act 2014.

The checklist also details the right to free NHS checks for some adult carers, as well as flu and Covid jabs for carers aged 16 or over.

The checklist also details important rights such as: The right to be identified as a carer, the right to protection from discrimination, the right to be included in care planning for the person you care for, and the right to Carer’s Leave.

Carers First provides a range of support for carers. The charity has been operating for more than 30 years, providing carers with personalised information and tailored support to meet their needs.

Carers First are available to help in one or more of the following areas: Looking after yourself, carers wellbeing assessments, connecting you with other carers, taking breaks, getting financial support, help with everyday tasks, planning ahead, handling legal matters, and managing work or education.

Carers First supports carers face to face in nine regions across the country and provides online support carers anywhere. Your donations will help us support more carers.

If you are caring for someone and would like to find out what support Carers First’s groups can offer, please visit our website www.carerfirst.org.uk or call our helpline on 0300 303 1555.