What is a Carer? This is a very good question.
A Carer is someone who cares for someone – either a family member, relative, friend or a neighbour with a health condition or disability with various support. They could be of any age. I myself became a Carer for a Family member when I was aged 10 years old.
The person or persons they care for, may be on certain DWP benefits such as PIP, ESA, UC, DLA etc or may not be on any.
Since April 2015, in the UK, unpaid Carers have the rights to:
- have your views taken into consideration by health and social care services when supporting or treating the person you care for.
- have an assessment of your own needs as a carer (either jointly with the person you care for or separately) specific advice and information for carers that you can understand
- have your say if you are no longer prepared to care, or are not prepared to do an element of caring
- be helped to develop a carer’s support plan
- a personal budget to meet any ‘eligible needs’
- a choice as to how your personal budget is managed.
Carers Rights Day 2021 is on Thursday 25th November! Find out more at Carers UK
Not every Carer is entitled to Carers Allowance but this does not mean they cannot be registered as a Carer. This quite a misconception at the moment. If you are or know of someone who may be a Carer, then they can be referred (or self-refer) to their local Carers Hub.
Local Carers Hubs can offer a wide range of support for registered Carers, such as Carers ID Cards, access to Wellbeing Classes and Activities for Carers to enjoy, access to Carers discounts, access to Carers Wellbeing payments (dependent on the specific area that Local Carers Hub covers), advice and guidance. These can help improve the overall emotional, physical and mental wellbeing for Carers, because after all, all Carers sometimes need support too!
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