We offer a range of support services to help carers, most of which are free to carers even if the person you support has to fund their own care.

You might be unsure if this service is for you. Find out more about what it means to be a carer.

A number of helpful videos have been created about becoming and being a Mental Health carer:

Find our guide to practical skills and learning opportunities for carers. If you'd like to receive this in another format, please get in touch.

Getting the right support for the person you care for, and support your in your caring role can make things easier for you. Find out more about how to access support for the person you care for.

If the person you care for is currently in hospital, you may be interested in Home First, a system which supports the discharge from hospital and recovery from home.

There is also a helpful leaflet which can help to direct you to support within the community, which can help you or the person you care for stay well at home.

A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) is a legal document where you can give another person the authority to make certain decisions on your behalf.

The person you care for may also want to set up a Lasting Power of Attorney so that it is easier for your to make decisions for them if they can't do this for themselves in the future.

People on low incomes may be be able to apply for a reduced fee or you may be exempt from paying for the fee to register the Power of Attorney document if you receive certain means tested benefits.

You can look up helpful information about specific health conditions on the NHS website.

You may also wish to read the NHS document 'A practical guide to healthy caring.' for hints and tips on healthy caring.

You do not have to tell your employer about your caring responsibilies, but you do have certain rights as an employee. These include the right to request flexible working or time off in emergencies.

The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) are able to provide information and advice to both employers and employees about carers rights within the workplace.

The Carers Trust have produced a ‘Getting into Work: a Guide for Young Adult Carers in England’ handbook. This gives young adult carers information and advice about how to overcome difficulties they may face in finding and staying in exployment, applying jobs, and balancing work with a caring role.

Carers UK have designed a new e-learning programme which provides a helpful starting point if you are wondering what skills you've gained from caring.

The uCan project by WISE Ability is a project which supports people to achive their employment, training and education goals.

Looking after someone is a huge part of life, but it is inevitable that your caring role may change over time. You may not be able to look after the person you care for at home, or there may be a time when you have to think about life after the death of the person you cared for.