Each year Carers UK holds a Carers Rights Day to:
Estimates suggest that 40-60% of disability benefits go unclaimed. There are no firm statistics on the takeup of carers’ benefits but it is estimated that £660 million of carers' benefits goes unclaimed each year.
Every year, more than 2 million people become carers for the first time. Those new to caring need straightforward and accessible information about their entitlements. Time after time carers say they need clear information and this is what Carers’ Rights Day is about.
Access to practical support can be vital in maintaining carers’ health and well-being and can help to ensure that they are not isolated and socially excluded. This might include time off, help with lifting and bathing, equipment or adaptations to the home or access to leisure activities for their disabled son or daughter.
Carers want the same life chances that other people enjoy - good health, financial security, the right to a family life, opportunities to work and pursue their own interests. But the reality for many carers is vastly different. Carers Rights Day raises awareness of the needs of carers with policy makers and professionals.
Last year there were more than 1,180 Carers Rights Day events taking place across the UK. MPs, AMs, MSP, MLAs, councillors, mayors, employers, benefits advisors, celebrities, social workers, doctors, practice managers, the Pension Service, Jobcentre Plus, charity workers and of course carers ran and took part in awareness-raising and information delivering activities for carers, making Carers Rights Day 2007 the UK's biggest ever single day of carers' rights events.
The events which took place included benefits checks, questions and answers sessions with MPs and the social services, Christmas lunches for carers, advice sessions, employment rights workshops and the launch of the new Looking after Someone guide to carers' rights and benefits.
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