Support
Rethink Mental Illness has a network of over 140 support groups which bring carers and people with mental illness together to share information and experiences.
Around half of our carer groups are run by service staff, many as part of a dedicated carer support service. One such service is the Warwickshire Carers Information and Support Service (CISS), which provides information as well as practical and emotional support to mental health carers throughout the county of Warwickshire.
Run in partnership with Warwickshire County Council and Warwickshire PCT, this specialised service gives carers the chance to decide how they get support, such as through tailored information, social events or their monthly carer group meeting.
Warwickshire CISS grew out of consultation with carers funded through the carers grant. We identified a need for a specialist service for mental illness carers, and the CISS meets that need in a way that generic carer services just couldn’t. Carers really value the tailored support and information the service offers, and it gives us great value for money. Warwickshire County Council now commission generic carer services, but further consultation has shown that we need to maintain a service with Rethink’s unique understanding of the needs of mental illness carers.
Lorna Ferguson, Lead Commissioner, Mental Health, Social Inclusion and Older People Mental Health AH&CS, Warwickshire County Council
Supporting one another in meetings is very valuable. A confidential forum in which carers can share their worries, problems and feel they are not alone is crucial for helping each other move along to a better place. Our group is led by an excellent Rethink staff member who keeps us in touch with latest developments in many areas through her own attendance at meetings and contact with Rethink [and by] bringing in a wide range of speakers.
Jenny, user of Warwickshire Carer Information and Support Service
