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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.
 

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:a self-advocacy guide for carers  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. 

The guide stems from work carried out by Carers Scotland and the Scottish Government from 2011, and each guide reflects the situation for carers in each UK nation. 

Updated in 2020, the guides are packed with new information on carers’ rights, as well as how to speak up and look after your wellbeing. For useful accompanying resources, such as a complaints letter template, see the links below. 

 

Main guide 

Click the relevant link below to download the Being Heard  guide:
 

Being Heard - a self-advocacy guide for carers - England 

Being Heard - a self-advocacy guide for carers - Wales - English   

Being Heard - a self-advocacy guide for carers - Wales - Welsh

Being Heard - a self-advocacy guide for carers - Scotland   

Being Heard - a self-advocacy guide for carers - Northern Ireland 

 

You can order printed copies from our  online shop.  

 

Other useful resources

The guide also features extra resources to download: 

Watch the following video about self-advocacy:

Latest updates

Press Release
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Unpaid carers are increasingly caring for longer hours each week, facing mounting personal costs as a result of growing caring responsibilities
21 October 25
Unpaid carers, whose finances, health and ability to work are already impacted by their caring responsibilities, say the pressure of caring is unrelenting – with over half (52%) experiencing a rise in the number of hours they spend caring each week in the last year. 
Press Release
Winners of Carers UK’s first-ever carer awards revealed
17 October 25
A celebratory gala, held by Carers UK and supported by Phoenix, honoured the remarkable contributions of individuals and organisations across the nation who make life better for unpaid carers.  
News
60th Anniversary Stories: A Chorus of Carers (Poem)
13 October 25
To mark Carers UK's 60th Anniversary in Scotland, we are using our platform to share the stories of carers across the nation, illustrating the diverse range of carer experiences in 2025.
Press Release
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Carers UK welcomes the opportunity to engage with the government's 10 Year Workforce Plan
26 September 25
The 10 Year Workforce Plan will support the 10 Year Health Plan, published in July this year. Its aim is to ensure that the NHS has the right people, in the right roles, with the right skills.

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