Each year Carers UK promotes Carers Rights Day where they’re joined by hundreds of organisations and thousands of individuals raising awareness of caring, helping to identify carers and signposting them to information, advice and support.

This year's theme is Recognising your rights.

If you are an unpaid carer, you’re entitled to certain rights which may help you access services, look after your health and wellbeing or could provide vital information and support in looking after your partner, family member or friend.

Carers UK constantly campaigns for better rights for the UK’s unpaid carers, including securing landmark new rights for those juggling work with their caring responsibilities. And they’ll carry on working to see new or improved rights established, to help make life better for carers.

Every day, 12,000 people become unpaid carers for a partner, family member or a friend – many of whom don’t see themselves as carers, often unaware of their legal rights and what they’re entitled to in terms of support and benefits. This year’s theme is ‘recognising your rights’ – and Carers UK's aim is to help carers recognise and understand their rights, and to access the support available to them, whenever they need it.

As a carer, knowing your rights empowers you with information about what you’re entitled to. This helps you feel confident asking for what you need, as well as challenging things when your rights are not being met – whether that be in the workplace or education, in accessing health or social care, or when interacting with other professionals or at home.

Do you know your rights?

The Carers (Scotland) Act 2016 came into force on the 1st April 2018. The Act provides new rights to carers in a number of areas. These include:

• a duty for local authorities to provide support to carers, based on the carer’s identified needs which meet the local eligibility criteria

• a right to an adult carer support plan and young carer statement to identify your needs and personal outcomes. (This is available to carers of all ages, no matter how many hours of care they provide and whether or not the person they care for provides care)

• a requirement for local authorities to have an information and advice service for carers which provides information and advice on, amongst other things, emergency and future care planning, advocacy, income maximisation and carers’ rights

• a duty on the NHS to inform and involve you if the person you care for is discharged from hospital

Further information:

*You can download the Carers' Charter, which tells you all about the rights of carers under the Act.

*To view Carers Scotland 'Looking after someone' guide 2024/25, please click HERE.

*Carers UK also have a useful website with further information on your rights as a carer.

*Shared Care Scotland have a useful guide about your rights as a carer. This can be viewed HERE.

Being Heard

Caring can be rewarding but also very isolating. You may not know what help to ask for, how to ask, or indeed who to ask.

Being Heard is Carers UK's self-advocacy guide for carers. Self-advocacy is about speaking up for yourself. It’s about getting your voice heard and effectively communicating your own interests. Their guide has been designed to help you communicate your needs with professionals, understand your rights and look after your wellbeing.

For useful accompanying resources, such as a complaints letter template, click HERE.

Click HERE to download the Being Heard guide for Scotland.

Financial assistance

As a carer the main benefit that you may be entitled to is Carer Support Payment. The person you care for may be entitled to Personal Independence Payments (PIP) or Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or Pension Age Disability Payment. The PIP or DLA are sometimes known as gateway benefits as they open other avenues of support to you.

Check out the website below that gives you more information on different allowances and benefits that you could apply for.

Benefits | Finances | Pensions - Carers UK

Applying for some of these benefits may seem daunting so if you require support with this, Shetland Islands Citizens Advice Bureau can assist carers and those being cared for. You can also check out the following page: Funding & Benefits | Voluntary Action Shetland - Virtual Carers Centre (shetlandcarers.org) for more details on what CAB can do to help and other benefits.