Self-advocacy
for carers

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: 

• Complaints letter template 
• Mindfulness 
• Reflecting on events 
• Watch our animated film about self-advocacy