Are you a carer?

A carer is someone of any age who provides unpaid support to family or friends who could not manage without this level of help. This could be caring for a relative, partner of friend who is ill, physically disabled or has mental health problems.

Some carers dependent on their circumstances may be juggling paid work along with their unpaid caring responsibilities.

As a carer you have specific legal rights and entitlements. Knowing your rights can help you to get the support that you need to assist you in maintaining your role as a carer. These rights include:

The right to have your needs assessed by your local authority

The right to a direct payment so that you can have greater choice and control over the support you may require, and

Rights in the workplace.

Your right to an assessment as set out in the Carers and Disabled Children Act 2000. This states that all carers aged 16 or over, who provide a regular and substantial amount of care for somebody else aged 18 or over, have the right to an assessment of their needs as a carer. This is provided by the local authority as a way to see if they can offer any support to assist the carer in their caring role.

If you are a carer and are struggling to cope, need advice or simply don't know where to start when looking for additional forms of support for the person you are caring for, then contact ICS for advice and support.

Please have a look at the ICS services page to view the services that we have available.