Carer support

We were established over 30 years ago by carers and our aim is to give them, and those they care for, a voice in every aspect of mental health provision. We believe that carers play an invaluable role in helping people recover from severe mental illness and that they should be acknowledged, valued and supported. We recognise that they are central to the delivery of mental health care and that many carers have developed high levels of expertise gained from years of experience.

Our carer support services operate within our own Quality Assurance Programme and offer a range of support mechanisms, including:

• helplines 
• home visits
• a respite service which provides a member of staff to spend time with the person being cared for while the carer takes a break
• a service which provides high quality respite breaks in a country hotel setting for people with severe mental illness and their carers
• assistance to carers in accessing Carer Assessments with local authorities
• a network of over 130 support groups which bring carers and people with severe mental illness together to help them share information and experience
• services dedicated to black and minority ethnic communities
• the Carers' Education and Training Programme which is an expert carers' course designed for those caring for people with a severe and enduring mental illness. It aims to convey a sense of optimism and hope while offering education and training based around the day-to-day practicalities of caring for someone with a mental illness. The Programme covers all of the issues that affect carers including information on medication, rights and coping strategies
• information and support for carers on our website

We know it is important to carers that they are provided with good quality information which they can rely on. Our National Advice Service provides expert advice and information to help carers and people with mental illness make sense of the often confusing world of mental health. We also publish research based on the experiences of carers, rights-based information, and other publications on all aspects of caring and the issues surrounding it.

As well as providing support for carers, we develop and deliver training for mental health professionals to help them work in partnership with carers. We also promote carers issues at a national level and support their involvement in local planning and development.

We are committed to working in partnership with those who use our services and their carers. We have a dedicated User and Carer Involvement Team to encourage them to take part in every aspect of our work and the majority of our Board of Trustees are people who have used mental health services or who care for a family member with severe mental illness.

What people say about our carer support services