What is the Emergency and Discount East Sussex Carers Card?

Updated

The Emergency and Discount East Sussex Carers Card is a card offered by Care for the Carers, the unpaid carers' charity for East Sussex, to people who look after a friend, family member or neighbour who could not cope without their support. It serves two stated purposes: emergency planning and discounts. You apply through the Care for the Carers website (cftc.org.uk), where the card appears as one of the main routes into the charity's support. It is aimed at unpaid carers in East Sussex, not at paid care workers.

Who the card is for

Care for the Carers frames its whole service around unpaid carers in East Sussex, and its homepage highlights the scale of the group: "1 in 10 people in East Sussex care for someone." The site's own definition of a carer is broad — "Do you look after a friend, family member or neighbour who could not cope without your support?" If that describes you and you are in East Sussex, the Carers Card is presented as relevant to you.

Two conditions follow from that:

  • Unpaid. The charity supports unpaid carers, so the card is not a credential for employed care staff.
  • East Sussex. The organisation describes itself as supporting carers in East Sussex, and the card is named for that area.

What the card is for

The website lists the card under the heading "Carers Card" with the description: "Apply for an Emergency and Discount East Sussex Carers Card." That gives you the two functions named by the charity itself:

Purpose What it signals
Emergency The card is tied to planning for what happens to the person you care for if you are suddenly unavailable
Discount The card is also intended to give carers access to discounts

The site does not, on the pages available here, spell out which discounts or which emergency scheme the card connects to. Treat the card as the entry point and confirm the specifics with Care for the Carers directly rather than assuming a particular list of offers.

How to apply

The application route is the charity's own website:

  1. Go to cftc.org.uk.
  2. Find the "Carers Card" section on the homepage.
  3. Follow the "Find out more" link to reach the application information.
  4. If anything is unclear — eligibility, what the emergency element covers, which discounts apply — contact the Carers Hub before or during applying.

The charity gives two contact routes for its Carers Hub: phone 01323 738390 or email [email protected]. The Hub is described as the place for services, guidance and information, so it is the right first stop for card questions.

What to check before you rely on it

Because the site's own description of the card is short, verify these points with the Carers Hub:

  • Whether you need to be registered with Care for the Carers first, or whether the card application is separate.
  • What the "emergency" element actually provides — for example, whether it supports a plan for the person you care for if you cannot be there.
  • Which discounts the card carries and where they are accepted.
  • Whether there is any cost to the card. The website material here does not state a price either way, so do not assume it is free.

Where the card sits in the wider service

The Carers Card is one of several things Care for the Carers offers. The homepage also points to:

  • Get help and advice — the main route for support and information.
  • Volunteering — opportunities to support carers.
  • Carer resources and online help — self-service information.
  • Donations — funding the charity's work with carers.

The charity also runs campaigns and events, including Carers Week (8–14 June 2026) and a Young Carers Appeal 2026, and it invites carers across East Sussex to help shape its future services. If you are applying for the card, those pages are worth a look for context on what else is available to you.

If your situation is urgent or you are unsure whether you count as a carer under the charity's definition, call the Carers Hub on 01323 738390 rather than working it out from the website alone.