Being Heard is our 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. Our guide has been designed to help you communicate your needs with professionals, understand your rights and look after your wellbeing.
Main guides
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 can help you get your voice heard when you care for someone. Self advocacy is also about being able to have your own needs listened to, as well as speaking up for the person you care for.
As well as being a solid source of information on your rights as a carer, the guides offer helpful tips on how to speak up and look after your wellbeing. For useful accompanying resources, such as a complaints letter template, see the links below.
Click the relevant link below to download the Being Heard guide:
We have some printed copies which you can order from our online shop.
Other useful resources
The guide also features extra resources to explore:
- Complaints letter template
- Mindfulness hub
- Reflecting on events
- Watch our animated film about self-advocacy
Watch our video for more self-advocacy tips
This is for general information purposes only. Correct at time of recording (October 2023).
Download for your nation
Being Heard - England
PDF(7614.0MB)
DownloadBeing Heard - Wales
PDF(3249.4MB)
DownloadBeing Heard - NI
PDF(3217.3MB)
DownloadBeing Heard - Scotland
PDF(3419.0MB)
DownloadBeing Heard - Welsh
PDF(3265.7MB)
DownloadLatest updates
New Report Highlights Urgent Need to Address Poverty Among Unpaid Carers in Wales / Adroddiad Newydd Yn Amlygu Angen Brys i Fynd i'r Afael â Thlodi Ymysg Gofalwyr Di-dâl yng Nghymru
1.2 million unpaid carers across the UK are living in poverty, with 1 in 10 of all carers in deep poverty
28% unpaid carers across Scotland are living in poverty, with 1 in 12 in deep poverty
Press Release for Poverty and financial hardship of unpaid carers in Scotland report 2024.
Carers UK responds to Lord Ara Darzi's independent investigation into the state of the NHS
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