Mental Health Support
This priority relates to both supporting carers mental wellbeing and mental health services.
“Mental health is not isolated, it can exist alongside other things and conditions, and create caring needs.”
What matters to carers:
- Better knowledge of where to get initial support, support through any diagnosis, and where to get ongoing support.
- The possibility to have one point of contact and a shared plan in place to support the people we care for.
- Ensuring carers are listened to and involved as part of care and support planning.
- Carers are offered a carer assessment.
- Regular support for wellbeing; such as affordable or free counselling, welfare checks, activities that boost social connection and peer support.
- Mental health support that also reflects different identities and cultural needs, for instance, specialist groups for men, black carers, single parents, women and people that are LGBTQ+.
- Peer support to provide connection and friendship.
- Having a safe space to meet with other carers, particularly when the cared for is in crisis.
- Practical preventative support outside of statutory services, where carers, and the people they care for, can access further help and activities.
- Increased understanding of any respite offer, including safe spaces.
- Greater mental health support for families caring for autistic people, and recognition of the emotional challenges carers may have.
- Knowing what the support offer is when transitioning from Children's to Adults services.
- Joined up services supporting mental health, physical health, and other services such as substance misuse, if the person needs to draw on support from many services.
- Mental health champions in organisations, people are trained and informed when support is needed.
- All people and services take responsibility to reduce the stigma of mental health.