Who is a carer?

I look after someone.  Am I a carer?

A carer is anyone who provides regular unpaid care to one or more people who cannot manage without their help. This could be due to age, physical or mental illness, addiction or disability. Often people don’t think of themselves as ‘carers’.

Carers can be wives, partners, husbands, sons, daughters, parents or friends and neighbours - people who find themselves caring for someone and simply get on with what needs to be done.

We know that friends and family who care for their loved ones play a crucial role in our society. We're committed to supporting carers so that people can continue in their caring role but also have a life of their own.

Can I get help as a carer?

Yes. There's lots of support available to all adult carers of people living in Tower Hamlets. There's also lots of support for young carers too.

If you're an adult and want to talk through the things you need help with and the support you may benefit from in more detail, it may be worth getting a Carer Needs Assessment. If you're a young carer see the Young Carer page.

What are our future plans to help carers?

• Our 2016-19 Carer Strategy sets out how the council, health services and others plan to support carers and what priorities we're working towards
• Our 2018-19 Carer Action Plan sets out the action we'll take over the coming year to support carers 
• Our Carer Dignity Charter sets out how we expect health, social care and other services to work with carers 

What does the law say?

The Care Act  and the Children and Families Act came into law in 2014. The laws introduced new changes for carers. Essentially, they put carers on an equal footing with the people they care for. The Carers Trust has useful information on what the Care Act means for carers.