Carers Rights Day 2025 theme announced as ‘Know your rights, use your rights’ 

Carers UK has launched the theme for this year’s Carers Rights Day on Thursday 20 November 2025 which is ‘Know your rights, use your rights’.  

Carers Rights Day is a national campaign raising awareness to help the UK’s 5.8 million unpaid carers better understand their legal rights and the support they’re entitled to.   

The average person has a 50:50 chance of caring for a family member or friend by the age of 50 – long before retirement age. This can have a considerable impact on your health, finances, employment and education opportunities.  

Knowing your rights as a carer can help if you’re juggling work and care or trying to access health and social care services. However, many people don’t realise that they are caring and miss out on vital support as a result.  

This year marks the 60th anniversary of Carers UK. Carers UK has constantly campaigned for better rights for the UK’s unpaid carers and a key moment in its history was the foundation of Carers Rights Day 25 years ago in November 2000.  

For Carers Rights Day, the charity would like members of the public, organisations and businesses to join in by helping to raise awareness within local communities.  

Helen Walker, Chief Executive of Carers UK, said: 

“57% of carers feel overwhelmed often or always. Many carers tell us that the burnout they feel doesn’t come from caring for someone, it comes from the battle to access support.  

“If you’re caring for someone, it’s important to know about your rights – this includes your employment rights, your right to request a Carer’s Assessment and to be consulted when the person you care for is discharged from hospital.  

“Unpaid carers play a crucial role in society. It’s widely agreed that our struggling health and social care system would collapse without them. Therefore, we need to see proper recognition and support in return.  

“We want unpaid carers to feel confident asking for what they need, and to have the ability to challenge things in circumstances when their rights are not being met.” 

For more information go to www.carersuk.org/news-and-campaigns/our-campaigns/carers-rights-day/