Skip to the content
Choose your content
UK NI Scotland Wales

Join us Login Forum Media centre
Choose your content
UK NI Scotland Wales

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
Dummy image
Too many barriers in the way of older carers on low incomes claiming their entitlements to extra cash
01 May 25

65,000 carers are likely to be eligible for Pension Credit, but are not receiving it

Press Release
Dummy image
Carers UK announces its first-ever carer awards
30 April 25

Carers UK is encouraging community groups, organisations and employers to enter its exciting new awards programme to recognise and celebrate…

Press Release
Dummy image
Carers UK responds to DWP announcement of aim to tackle all Carer’s Allowance overpayment alerts
15 April 25

Carers UK responds to Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) announcement that it will aim to tackle all Carer's Allowance…

News
Dummy image
Carer Poverty Coalition responds to Government's welfare reform Green Paper
14 April 25

It's extremely worrying that some measures within the Green Paper on Welfare Reform changing disability and health benefits will actively…

Got a question about caring?

Every day we hear from people who need help with looking after a friend or family member

Become a member for free

Joining Carers UK is free and takes just a few minutes.

Back to top