This year, Carers Rights Day is on Thursday 19 November – and this year’s theme is "Someone you know is a carer – but do they know it yet?"
This year, Carers First are focusing on recognising carers in the workplace by sharing helpful resources for carers in employment and professionals who may employ carers.
In the UK, 1 in 5 employees juggle caring and paid employment. Balancing work and caring can be quite a challenge. That's why Carers First has created resources aimed at helping and supporting carers to obtain the recognition and assistance they deserve in the workplace. You can find a Carer’s Passport guide, CVs and transferable skills toolkit, and employers booklet on their website.
Ellie, Project Officer at Carers First, is also a carer herself and has shared her experience of looking after her husband, who sadly passed away in 2024, and caring for her daughter Alice.
Her husband Rob lived with Motor Neuron Disease for five years before his death. When he began to lose the use of his hands and his legs, Ellie had to step in a lot more often to complete household tasks while maintaining a high-pressure job as a marketing director.
After experiencing a difficult transition period, from leaving full-time employment due to stress and stepping into caring full-time, Ellie had gained access to emotional support in the form of therapy, counselling and coffee groups, from the hospice where Rob was receiving care. This moment changed everything, and after three and a half years without adequate support from organisations, Ellie finally felt as though she was being heard by someone who had the tools and knowledge to help her process everything she had been going through.
“Once you find [the support], it is amazing. As a carer, you must shout out about what’s going on and get people to help you. Adapting to caring was a big challenge, suddenly I found myself feeling incapable and without the knowledge when it came to caring. I didn’t know what help I was entitled to, or what being a carer meant. I wish I knew then, what I know now, about the support available to me.”
Ellie continues to care for her daughter Alice, who has autism, and has found that the flexibility and genuine understanding offered to her at work has helped tremendously with finding a work-life balance, something she believes every carer should have access to.
Ensuring that carers know their rights early in their caring journey and are aware of the support they are entitled to is very important to Ellie. She speaks about initially being hesitant to share her caring situation with her past employer, in fear that it might affect her career. It was only when she revealed this to her employer that she realised how much support she could have been benefitting from, such as reduced or rearranged working hours, and other accommodations to help her feel supported.
“Suddenly your life becomes easier when you use the help you have available to you. Reaching out is always the better thing to do.”
Online Help and Advice
Visit our online support section where we have provided advice and guidance on a range of relevant topics to help you in your caring role.