Welcome to the Carers’ Union

 Owned and run by carers, for carers

Welcome to the website of the Carers’ Union! We exist to campaign for better rights, support and information for you the unpaid carer. We aim to deliver the promise of the 2008 National Strategy - a life of your own. Why a Carers’ Union? Because we treat our members as a WORKFORCE, not cases for charity or means tested benefits and services. Charity can only take us so far – what we’re aiming to provide is an independent voice, independently resourced, owned and run by carers themselves. Our members are the best people to set the agenda.

The Carers’ Union supplies what has been missing from carer provision: collective and individual representation, mutual support, joint enterprise, co-ordinated campaigning, and financial independence. Together we can have an influential voice. We have long been an essential part of the economics of the country – we now need to be a part of its politics. The two go together.

Unpaid carers in the UK are a genuine workforce and an essential part of the economy, saving an estimated £119bn a year. Yet even with 2 National Strategies (and a Refresh!) having come and gone, plus an avalanche of welfare reform, carers have still been left with the highly flawed and paltry Carers Allowance (currently only £58.45 and partly means tested). Don’t believe for a moment that successive governments don’t realise what an insult carers feel this to be, given they often have to work 24/7 to support the person they look after.

Now is the time for us to unite, to act and speak as one. We have been made many promises over the years but the help and support has often been denied, cut or never materialised. Care provision is already decreasing as a result of the cuts and we will need to be ready to fight for our rights together. The Carers’ Union sees care as an essential part of our daily lives, something we need to put a higher value on, and will campaign for higher standards in care and proper recognition of unpaid carers and the services they provide. As individual carers we can’t expect to change the way things are – together we cannot fail to! For more on the importance of caring and you the carer read this message from Secretary Simon Wagener

Sign up Now and get 3 Months Free!

If you join now you will qualify for more than a £10 discount on your membership. Members who join for a minimum of 6 months will pay nothing for the first 3 months. (Those who join via Paypal, we will refund your payment(s).) This offer is being made in partnership with the Merseyside & Cheshire Health Services branch of UNITE.

Why Should I Join the Carers’ Union?

10 reasons:

• It is an investment in your future and the futures of all UK carers. For a small subscription each (about 80p a week) we can press our case for reform, better support and fairer benefits. The Carers’ Union believes we can win together.
• It is an insurance policy against future uncertainty. Our members may never need our services, but they will always be there when needed.
• Because we are based on mutual ownership you will belong to an organisation that belongs to you. Each member has equal rights, one share and one vote.
• Because we are independent we are free to campaign. We do not rely on outside funding or need subsidising by public money from local authorities or health bodies. Nor are we tied to fixed periods that funding often covers, typically 3 years. If enough people join we will always be here.
• You will be supporting the broader aims of the union playing a full role in reforming the care system.
• Your subscription can help in supporting other members in need.
• You will have advice and information on hand.
• You will have representation and assistance through the complicated benefits and services procedures, including personalisation.
• You will be helping us to work towards the goal of giving unpaid carers more control over their lives.
• Because you have your hands full with your caring role and don’t have the time to fight your own battles, let us do it for you!

If you are an unpaid carer/former carer in the UK aged 16 or over you can be a full member immediately. If not you can become a supporter and receive regular updates.

Please feel free to contact us to tell us what you want to see on this website – your views are essential to help us deliver the best possible service.