Carers Rights Day brings organisations across the UK together to help carers in their local community find out how to get the help and support they are entitled to. The theme for this year’s campaign is helping carers recognise the rights they have.
Every day, 12,000 people become unpaid carers for a partner, family member or a friend – many of whom don’t see themselves as carers, often unaware of their legal rights and what they’re entitled to in terms of support and benefits. This year’s theme is ‘recognising your rights’ – and our aim is to help carers recognise and understand their rights, and to access the support available to them, whenever they need it.
As a carer, knowing your rights empowers you with information about what you’re entitled to. This helps you feel confident asking for what you need, as well as challenging things when your rights are not being met – whether that be in the workplace or education, in accessing health or social care, or when interacting with other professionals or at home.
What’s on
See what events are happening across Dorset on Carers Rights Day 2024
Snowfall in some parts of the county is causing hazardous road conditions and there is ongoing traffic disruption due to the weather. Some events below may have been cancelled as a result so we urge carers to check with the event organiser before travel.
Some of the events are in person and some are online. If you are unable to attend any of the events detailed in the calendar, need some help, or would like more information about support available to you such as a support groups or a Carers Assessment, please get in touch.
BRIDGIT online carer support tool
Bridgit Care are celebrating Carers Rights Day with some exciting updates to support you! With the new legislation introduced this year, it’s more important than ever to stay informed about your rights as a carer. This includes information about new laws such as the right to take at least one week of unpaid leave right from the beginning of when your employment starts.
We’ve launched two fantastic new resources to help carers:
- The carers rights module packed with everything carers need to know about their rights, including the latest updates for 2024. Access this by clicking the module ‘carers rights’ under the ‘caring’ category
- Personalised support toolkit – A quick and easy tool that creates a personalised PDF support plan based on carers’ answers to a few simple questions
To give you a glimpse, we’ve attached two short videos showing how the carers rights module works on both PC and mobile phone. We’ve designed it to be simple, accessible, and super helpful!
(Please note the videos are silent).
BRIDGIT is a new website for Carers who are comfortable accessing the internet. There are useful informative videos as well as information about events and local organisations to support you. If you have not informed your GP or Carer Support Dorset of your caring role you can use Bridgit to do this.
You can also upload a photograph to obtain a Carer Friendly ID Card and start a Carers Assessment in your own words for submission to Dorset Council. Watch the video to see what Bridgit can do, or visit the website to get started.
Alternatively, if you want to talk to someone please contact Carer Support Dorset 0800 368 8349 Dorset Council’s lead carer organisation.
Support and contact
If you are looking after someone who relies on your help for everyday tasks, your local carer support organisation is here for you.
Young carers
If you are a young carer, there is help and support for you through the Young Carers Service. They can talk to you and try to help work out what support you and your family might need.
