Law

Provides an overview of carers in the UK.

Looks at a government backed private member's bill which is seeking to extend the rights of carers.

Outlines ongoing research into the way care in mental health is constructed by professionals in law and policy, and the impact of those constructions for people who find themselves identified as 'carer' or 'cared for'. The research also looks at how people construct and experience care within their partnerships.

Luke Clements is full of praise for the guidance accompanying the Carers and Disabled Children Act, which spells out, among other things, which carers are entitled to assessments and services.

This book reports on the first research study to reflect the experiences of carers of people with learning disabilities following the implementation of the 1995 Carers Act.

This article explores the potential impact of the mental health and mental incapacity law reforms on carers. The reform proposals anticipate a number of overlapping and at times conflicting roles for carers (including those of gatekeeper, decision-making proxy and advocate), which is suggestive of an ongoing ambivalence toward the caring role at the level of ethics, policy and strategic planning.

The Mental Capacity Act comes into full effect on 1 October 2007. This article aims to provide answers to some of the most frequent voiced questions and misapprehensions from mental health service users, carers, and practitioners about what the Act will mean to them.

Independent assessment and access to direct payments are among the new rights accorded to carers under the Carers and Disabled Children Act 2000.

The author looks at three areas of the Care and Support Bill: the rights of carers, rights to funded advocacy and eligibility. Under the Bill carers will have rights to funding for services for the first time and there will be funding for independent advocates for those who will struggle to navigate the social care system alone. However, as the author explains, eligibility criteria may mean that people with moderate needs will fall outside the system.