What are my rights?

Carers’ Rights

The Care Act 2014 provides carers with certain rights, and it is useful to be aware of these and how they can support you in your caring role.

Carer’s Assessment

If you are looking after someone who can’t manage without your help and they live in East Sussex you can approach Adult Social Care and ask for a Carer’s Assessment. You could be caring for someone in your family, a partner, a friend or neighbour.

If you are sharing caring responsibilities with another person, including a child under 18 you can each have a Carer’s Assessment.

You can have an assessment even if the person you care for does not meet the eligibility criteria, or has chosen not to seek support from Adult Social Care.

You can complete the assessment online here,  face to face or over the phone. You can contact Health and Social Care Connect to ask for an assessment. If a worker from Adult Social Care comes to the home of the person you care to carry out a face-to-face assessment, you can ask them to look at your needs as a joint assessment. Please contact Health and Social Care Connect by phoning 0345 60 80 191 (calls are charged at your phone company’s local rate and may be recorded.) Textphone: 01323 466630, email HSCC@eastsussex.gov.uk, or text message 07797 878111.

Our Carers Hub team are here to support you with understanding your rights as a carer, and in supporting you to navigate health and social care systems.  Get in touch on 01323 738390, email us on info@cftc.org.uk, or text us on 07860 077300.

Read our useful guide to carers rights here. For more information about what’s involved in a Carer’s Assessment, download our fact sheet here and there is also a Carers UK fact sheet here

Request for a flexible working pattern and taking time off in emergencies

As an unpaid carer you have a right to request flexible working, time off in emergencies and parental leave.

The Employment Rights Act 1996 gives all employees the right to take a ‘reasonable’ amount of time off work in order to deal with an emergency involving a dependant. It is at the discretion of the employer, whether or not the time off is paid or unpaid.

A law has been passed that gives you the right to ask your employer for flexible working from day one of your employment if you live in England, Scotland or Wales. This came into force from 6 April 2024.

You also have the right not to be discriminated against or dismissed because you have made the request.

To find out more about flexible working and your rights, visit the Carers UK website

Financial entitlements

It is important to know what benefits you and the person you care for are entitled to. It might make a difference to your pension entitlements in the future or bring in extra money to help pay for care. To find out what benefits you may be entitled to, call HARC on 01424 428375 or call Carers UK Adviceline on 0808 808 7777.

Further information

Further information about the Care Act is here and fact sheets on finances, housing and looking after yourself is available on the Carers UK website.

How Care for the Carers can help you

If you would like to know more about your rights as a carer, guidance through the health and social care system, or help to find out about welfare rights, training, and development opportunities contact us.