Carers UK success

Carers UK makes a difference to carers' lives.  We are proud of the rights and improvements we have won for carers.

Rights for carers

"Unsung heroes" and "the forgotten army" are terms that have often been used to describe carers. They conjure up old-fashioned ideas of people who want sympathy or charity. But carers tell us they just want the same rights and choices that other people have - the right to live a normal life.

Carers UK is focussed on winning carers' rights and tackling the inequalities that many carers face.  We have been at the forefront of securing the first ever legal rights for carers. These include :

• the Carers (Recognition and Services) Act 1995
• the Carers and Disabled Children Act 2000
• the Carers (Equal Opportunities) Act 2004
• the Work and Families Act 2006
  

Each year we run Carers Rights Day to ensure carers are informed about their rights. We recently ran a campaign to let carers know about their rights under the Human Rights Act.

Tackling poverty

Carers UK's Fair Deal Campaign in 2001 revealed that many carers are struggling to make ends meet, with problems paying fuel bills and carrying out essential repairs to their home.  Many are unable to make provision for their retirement, storing up poverty in later life. The campaign resulted in:

• a £200 million package of rises in carers' benefits in 2002 that saw carers premium, paid to the poorest carers, almost double.
  
• a 50% rise in the earning limits for carers allowance meaning more carers could access part-time work without it affecting their benefits
  
• improvements to pension provision for carers including the introduction of the second state pension for carers
  
• carers over the age of 65 being able to claim entitlement to the main carer's benefit for the first time, allowing some to claim a carer addition to their pension credit

However, despite these wins financial support for carers is simply not good enough. In 2007 we launched our Real change not short change campaign to improve carer finances and overhaul carer benefits. more...

Improving support for carers

Carers told us that they felt ignored and invisible when dealing with health services. They also told us how important it was to get a regular break. As a direct result of work by Carers UK :

• dedicated funding was given to local councils to develop services to support carers. By 2005 this grant was worth £185 million each year
• new GP contracts provide a financial incentive to identify and support carers
• new guidance issued to hospitals draws directly on Carers UK's work on hospital discharge - how carers should be involved in making decisions about the care of a patient when they are coming out of hospital

Choices about work and caring

Many carers are forced to give up work through caring.  Carers UK has been at the forefront of work around employment. Our make WORK work campaign has secured new rights. This has resulted in

• carers having rights to time off to deal with emergencies
  
• 2.6 million carers will benefit from the right to request flexible working
  

Improving recognition of carers

Before 1980 the word 'carer' wasn't even in the Oxford English Dictionary. Carers UK has done much to raise the awareness of caring as one of the key social issues for the 21st century. We have campaigned hard for financial recognition of carers and the Pensions Act is an enormous milestone in carers' rights, meaning that for the first time a lifetime of caring is treated on a par with a lifetime of paid work by the state pension system.

Carer-led campaigning

Carers UK's campaigns are successful because they are based on carers' real life experiences.  In 2005 our Back Me Up campaign highlighted the lack of support for carers dealing with emergencies and the devastating impact this can have. Here's how the campaign worked :

• carers brought the issue to the attention of Carers UK
• Carers UK carried out a reserach survey to assess the extent of the problem. 2000 carers responded
• carers agreed to be media case studies, telling often personal and harrowing stories to help us get the point across
• carers provided solutions by sharing examples of how they have tackled the problem locally such as setting up emergency support schemes
• carers are taking Carers UK's campaign to their local councils, lobbying for the setting up of such schemes.
  
• At the end of 2006 there are almost twice as many carer emergency schemes in operation as there were 18 months ago when Back Me Up was launched.

In response, the Government has announced £25 million to set up home based emergency respite support in every area in England.

Local support services

Access to local support for carers is critical. So is a local voice for carers. Many of Carers UK's branches and members have been involved in establishing dedicated carers' organisations in their local area. These have provided support, information and in some cases centres where carers can meet face to face. Thanks to the tireless campaigning of  these carers almost every area of the UK now has a dedicated local carers organisation providing much needed information and practical help to thousands of carers. Twenty years ago these sorts of services were almost unheard of.

Find your local carers service. more...

Building a carers' movement

All of these achievements would not have been possible without the support of thousands of individual carers and organisations supporting carers.  Many have had their voices heard in the media, helping to keep carers' issues in the public eye and winning over hearts and minds. It is these carers that make the real difference.

The Future

The work of Carers UK is far from over.  There is still enormous change required before carers are fully recognised and supported. See the key areas we are fighting for. more...