What are Carers' Rights?
If you look after someone, you have more rights than ever before.
Since the Care Act 2014 came into effect in April 2015, carers have more rights than ever before. The Act put carers on an equal footing with the people they care for, giving them new rights. This means you have the right to:
- An assessment of your own needs
- Support to meet your eligible needs
- Information and advice
It’s important to know your rights at every stage of your caring journey. Whether you’re at work, in a healthcare setting, talking with professionals, or at home.
It can take time to see yourself as a carer and even longer to realise you have specific rights. But knowing those rights is key to getting the help that can make a real difference to your health, wellbeing, and work-life balance.
Your Rights as a Carer:
- The right to choose whether or not to be a carer (although it may not feel like it).
- The right to decide how much care you can and want to give.
- The right to support in working out which of the cared-for person’s needs you can meet.
- The right for your views to be listened to by Social Services when planning support for the person you care for.
- The right to a Carer’s Assessment
- The right to Advocacy
- The right to take part in work, education, training, and leisure alongside caring.
- Employment rights, including carers leave and the right to request flexible working
- Protection under Civil Rights and Human Rights law.
- Extra protection under the Equality Act 2010.
How Do My Rights Help Me?
Carers' Right to Assessment
The Care Act 2014 gives carers the right to support from their local authority. A carer’s assessment is used to look at all your needs, including the things you would like to be able to do in your daily life. Your needs should be written down in a support plan.
Giving care and support to someone can have an impact on your life. It can affect your mental and physical health. You may feel tired, you may notice a significant impact on your relationships and social life and work and education may become harder to manage. The carer's assessment is aimed at identifying these adverse effects on you as a direct result of your caring role and developing a support plan to minimise the effects they have.
Read more about the assessment process for Adult Carers and Young Adult Carers
Get an assessment by speaking to:
Middlesbrough carers: Middlesbrough Adult Social Care Access Team- 01642 065070.
Redcar & Cleveland carers: Redcar & Cleveland Adult Social Care Access Team- 01642 771500.
If the person you care for lives in a different Local Authority Area from you, you will need to contact their Local Authority.
Rights in Employment
Combining work and caring can be stressful. Whether you're working because you're dependent on your income to support your family or because you love your job and want to build a career, caring for a family member or friend at the same time can make it difficult to focus on your job fully. You are not alone 5 million people in the UK are juggling caring responsibilities with work.
Know your rights. Find out more
Carers UK has put together a new short film series, Ally, Jane and Niki discuss how flexible working has helped them balance work with caring and offer their tips on how to start the discussion with an employer. Watch the first in the series here:
For further information about your general rights, see the gov.uk website.
As a working carer, you might need a range of support in the workplace, and often different levels of support at different times. Skills for Care have produced a helpful guide on Balancing Work and Care which is well worth a read, download the carer's guide:
Download our handy guide to Carers Rights in The Workplace
Rights in Health and Wellbeing
As a carer, you have the right to support, inclusion, and care for yourself not just for the person you look after.
Download our handy guide for Carers Rights in Health & Wellbeing
Free flu vaccination
Did you know you’re entitled to a free flu vaccination as a carer?
To make sure you’re invited for your vaccination, you’ll need to be registered with your GP as a carer.
You can fill in our GP Registration Form and hand it in at your surgery. This helps your GP understand your caring role and ensures you get the right support for your health and wellbeing.
Download the Carers GP Registration Form.
Protection from Discrimination
Carers have the right not to be discriminated against as a result of their caring role and “association” with a disabled person or someone with a long term health condition.
Financial Support
As a carer, there may be benefits, grants or other financial support available to you. You may be entitled to claim carers allowance, carer's credit, income support or universal credit. Find out more about financial support for carers.
Download our handy guide for Carers Rights in Welfare & Finances
Who Can Help Me?
There are local organisations waiting to listen and support you.
Carers Together
Carers Together offer friendly and confidential services that aim to ease the pressure of caring. The team are on hand to help carers with any issues they may face, including benefits, health problems, housing, training, employment, taking a break from caring or concerns about the person they care for. Find out more
Contact the team. Tel: 01642 488977 Email: info@carerstogether-rc.org.uk
Citizens Advice
Citizens Advice can give you clear advice and support with many of the challenges you may face as a carer. These include:
Welfare benefits. They can check what benefits you’re entitled to, help you fill in forms, and support you if you need to challenge a decision.
Debt. They can work with you to manage your debts by helping you boost your income and cut your spending to a level you can afford.
Employment. They can explain your rights at work as a carer, including protection from discrimination, and support you if you need to take a case to an employment tribunal.
Energy. They can help you find ways to reduce your energy bills and check if you can get support from energy schemes.
Middlesbrough Citizens Advice Bureau
Download the Citizens Advice help and support information for carers here
Redcar & Cleveland Citizens Advice Bureau
Adviceline: 03444111444 Office Tel: 01642 030000 E-mail: enquiries@rccitizensasvice.co.uk
Address: Redcar CAB, 17 Queen Street, Redcar, Cleveland, TS10 1AB.
The Junction Foundation
The Junction Foundation supports young carers, young adult carers and their families.
Contact the team. Tel: 01642 756000 Email: info@thejunctionfoundation.com
What to do if you feel you are not being heard?
The right to Advocacy.
Advocacy gives you the support you need to make your voice heard and make sure your rights are protected.
A general advocate helps to:
- find out information
- speak to professionals
- empower individuals to make their own informed decisions
- ensure individuals views and wishes are heard.
- support individuals to navigate through the health and social care system
- a general advocate cannot support with filling out forms, benefits our bidding for housing.
A general advocate could support you to ensure any concerns you or your loved one has about their care are listened too and heard. They can help you to understand legal processes, support you to access more services and provide support with a care act assessment.
Teesside Mind offer Advocacy. To find out more about the different types of advocacy available through the team click here.
All referrals for Teesside Mind are made to People First who run the advocacy hub, they can be made online or over the phone.
Website: www.wearepeoplefirst.co.uk Telephone: 03003038037
Carers UK has produced a handy self-advocacy guide to support you to understand and implement your rights and have the confidence to speak out and be heard. Download the guide.
