Carers Rights Day 2025

Every year, Carers Rights Day provides a national moment to recognise the millions of unpaid carers who support family members, friends, or neighbours with illness, disability, mental-health needs, frailty, or long-term conditions. In the UK today, estimates suggest there are over 10 million unpaid carers, many juggling care with employment, study, or their own health challenges. Their contribution is enormous, yet often invisible. Without them, health and social-care systems would face unsustainable pressure.

Carers Rights Day 2025, led by Carers UK, invites us to “Know your rights, use your rights”, to raise awareness of carers' legal entitlements, strengthen public understanding, and ensure carers have the practical support they need. For regulated organisations, particularly those in health, social care, education, housing, and community services, this awareness day is far more than symbolic. It highlights a crucial compliance and workforce issue: carers are essential partners in care delivery, but they are also individuals whose rights must be respected, protected, and proactively supported.

In this blog, Anna Nova Galeon will explore what Carers Rights Day means for regulated organisations, the core rights carers hold in the UK, the current pressures facing carers, and what employers and service-providers must do to strengthen inclusion, wellbeing, legal compliance, and organisational resilience.

Who counts as a Carer? 

A Carer is anyone who provides unpaid support to someone who could not manage without help due to:

• Disability

• Physical or mental ill-health

• Dementia or cognitive impairment

• Substance misuse

• Frailty due to age

• A long-term health condition.

Many carers do not see themselves as “Carers”, they view it as part of family life or simply helping a friend. This invisibility means they often miss out on support. For regulated organisations, this is a critical consideration: carers may be staff members, service users, learners, or family partners involved in care planning and decision-making.

Recognising carers early is essential for safeguarding, equality, wellbeing, and compliance purposes.

Understanding Carers’ Rights in the UK

Carers in the UK have several key rights protected by law, including:

1. The Right to a Carer’s Assessment (Care Act 2014)

All unpaid carers, regardless of income or hours of care, have the right to request a Carer’s Assessment from their local authority. This assessment explores their needs, capacity, and well-being, identifying whether additional support is required.

2. The Right to Support for Their Own Well-being

Under the Care Act, Carers' wellbeing should be considered equally to the wellbeing of the person they care for. This includes:

• Physical and mental health

• Work–life balance

• Relationships and social engagement

• Ability to engage in education or employment.

3. Employment Rights

Working carers have statutory rights such as:

• The right to request flexible working

• Protection from discrimination by virtue of caring responsibilities

• Time off for dependants

• New Carer’s Leave provisions (introduced in 2024) granting up to one week of unpaid leave per year.

4. The Right to Be Involved in Care Planning

Carers should be included in:

• Discharge planning

• Care reviews

• Safeguarding discussions where appropriate

• Decisions around person-centred support.

For regulated providers, recognising these rights is vital for compliance and ethical practice.

Why Carers' Rights Day matters for regulated organisations

Carers play an integral role across regulated sectors, influencing quality, outcomes, and workforce stability. Supporting carers is not simply a moral responsibility; it is a compliance requirement and a strategic organisational priority.

Carers as partners in care

Regulators emphasise personalised, co-produced care. Carers often hold critical knowledge about:

• The person’s health history

• Communication preferences

• Behavioural triggers

• Medication routines

• Safety risks

• Cultural and relational factors.

Failing to engage them can lead to errors, safeguarding concerns, or poor outcomes.

Workforce implications

Across health, social care, education, and local authorities, many employees balance professional duties with unpaid caring responsibilities. Without proper support, this can lead to:

• Burnout

• Absenteeism

• Stress-related illness

• Reduced retention

• Lower productivity.

Workplace carer support is therefore a workforce wellbeing and retention strategy—not a “nice-to-have”.

Regulatory frameworks demand proactive support

Key frameworks stress carers' involvement and well-being:

• Care Quality Commission (CQC) Single Assessment Framework (SAF) - Requires providers to demonstrate how they involve families and carers, promote dignity, and support people's networks

• Ofsted Education Inspection Framework (EIF) - Focuses on pastoral support, safeguarding, and inclusion, including networks for students and families

• Equality Act 2010 - Protects carers from discrimination by association

• Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 - Requires employers to manage stress and workload risks, including those with caring responsibilities.

Carers Rights Day provides an opportunity for organisations to review, strengthen, and evidence compliance in these areas.

Current pressures facing Carers in 2025

Carers UK reports increasing strain on carers due to:

• Rising care needs - More people living longer with complex conditions, increasing intensity of care required

• Workforce shortages - Gaps in the regulated workforce mean that unpaid carers are often expected to bridge support gaps

• Financial pressure - Many carers reduce working hours or struggle to remain in employment

• Mental and emotional strain - High levels of stress, anxiety, loneliness, and guilt remain common

• Fragmented systems - Carers often struggle with navigating health, social care, and welfare systems, especially during moments of crisis or transition.

For organisations, acknowledging these pressures is the first step in creating responsive, compassionate systems of support.

Practical steps organisations can take to support Carers

Carers Rights Day 2025 is a chance for regulated organisations to strengthen carer-inclusive practice. Here are practical, compliance-aligned steps to consider:

Become a Carer-friendly employer

Introduce or strengthen:

• Flexible working policies

• Predictable shifts and rotas

• Hybrid working options

• Emergency leave arrangements

• Mental health and wellbeing support

• Sign-posting to Carer’s Leave entitlements.

This reduces the risk of burnout and demonstrates good governance.

Improve Carer identification

Implement routine questions during: admissions, enrolment, onboarding, assessments, and reviews. Recognising carers early enables tailored support and improved safeguarding.

Involve Carers in decision-making

Carers should be engaged in:

• Care plans

• Medication discussions

• Discharge arrangements

• Care transitions

• Education or behaviour plans

• Risk assessments.

This aligns with CQC’s themes of “Safe”, “Effective”, and “Caring”.

Provide training on Carer awareness and rights

Staff should understand:

• Legal entitlements

• Confidentiality and consent

• Carers’ emotional and practical needs

• Communication strategies

• How to complete or refer for a Carer’s Assessment.

This supports consistent, person-centred practice.

Offer digital solutions to reduce administrative burden

Digital systems can help streamline communication, consent, care plans, and record-keeping. Platforms such as ComplyPlus™ support organisations to manage documentation, ensure evidence of compliance, and reduce administrative workload.

Strengthen well-being support

Provide access to:

• Counselling

• Stress-management resources

• Peer groups

• EAP services

• Financial and welfare guidance.

Supporting carer wellbeing directly benefits retention, productivity, and organisational performance.

Carers, safeguarding and risk management

Carers play an essential role in safeguarding adults and children. Their perspectives help identify:

• Early signs of neglect or stress

• Changes in health or behaviour

• Unsafe practices

• Care transitions that risk harm

• Deteriorating conditions.

Strong relationships with carers strengthen early intervention, risk assessment, and safer decision-making. Regulated organisations should routinely involve carers in safeguarding inquiries and ensure they understand reporting processes.

Carers Rights Day 2025 - A reminder to recommit to inclusion and partnership

Carers Rights Day is not only about raising awareness; it is about action, about recognising unpaid carers, reducing inequalities, improving communication, promoting staff wellbeing, strengthening compliance and governance, and delivering better outcomes for people who use services. By ensuring carers know their rights and are supported to use them, organisations enhance both quality and resilience.

Strengthen Carer support and compliance with ComplyPlus™

At The Mandatory Training Group, we are committed to promoting compassion, dignity, and high-quality care across health, social care, education, housing, and other regulated sectors. Carers Rights Day 2025 reinforces the need for strong systems, confident staff, and robust governance frameworks.

Our ComplyPlus™ digital compliance helps organisations:

• Streamline mandatory, statutory, and role-specific training

• Evidence compliance with CQC, Ofsted, and other regulators

• Manage documents, policies, and audits

• Support staff wellbeing through accessible learning

• Strengthen safety, quality, and organisational culture

• Improve communication and record-keeping.

Together, we can build carer-inclusive, compassionate, and compliant organisations where carers feel valued, supported, and empowered, today and every day.