Carer support case-study: Lambeth Carers’ Education and Training Programme (CETP)

Rethink has developed a thought-provoking and practical course for carers of people with severe mental illness, including schizophrenia, which addresses many of the issues faced by carers, educates them and enables them to meet others in a similar situation – so promoting social contact and helping reduce isolation.

The course – called the Carers’ Education and Training Programme, or CETP – is relevant to Standard Six of the National Service Framework for Mental Health, and is the result of the merger of two successful regional programmes that have been cited as models of good practice.

It is a 12-week programme where groups of up to 12 carers meet for half a day or one evening per week. Each week’s meeting will have a particular mental health topic focus, such as:

• severe mental illness definitions and treatments
  
• recovery
  
• the carer’s journey
  
• impact on the family
  
• coping with positive and negative symptoms
  
• coping in a crisis

The penultimate session is a panel session where carers are invited to ask questions of key local stakeholders and professionals. This gives them the opportunity to practice speaking in a formal setting with health professionals, which will help them later in their role as carer.

The course is run by up to four leaders – a Rethink carer support officer/CETP co-ordinator, a local carer and local professionals including a mental health nurse, a mental health social worker or occupational therapist.

In Lambeth the first course began in January 2007 and two more are planned for later in the year. About half of the attendees are from the borough’s black and minority ethnic population – a group which includes a high proportion of those with mental health problems in the area.
“We have had excellent feedback from carers so far,” said Carmel Cannon, manager of the programme. “The weekly structure has worked well as it has given people time to digest theinformation between meetings. Part of the course is on how to work with professionals and this has been well received – people have been gaining useful skills.”

Rethink has been commissioned to run the course three times a year for three years and similar courses are running on a regional basis across England. Some graduates of these courses go on to represent carers on various local and national forums, and others have been employed by Rethink and other organisations in roles such as mental health carers’ support.

Another area which runs the course is Ealing in west London, where the Rethink Carers’ Support Service provides carers with support, advice, information, and advocacy to help to reduce the isolation and burden of care they can feel. As well as the training course, support also includes help in accessing local services; representation of carers’ views at planning meetings and at a strategic level; respite grants to allow the carer to take a break and three support groups which meet monthly and allow carers to meet one another in a relaxed and social environment.