Mental Health Respite: Carer Support

About Mental Health Respite: Carer Support

Mental Health Respite: Carer Support is an Australian Government Initiative, funded by the Department of Social Services, to assist carers of people with mental illness to sustain their caring roles and maintain connection with their communities, by increasing access to flexible, innovative carer support services.

The Carers NSW Mental Health Respite: Carer Support service provides carers of people with a mental illness with:

• one on one support
• access to counselling
• opportunities to take a break from caring
• access to respite

Mental Health Respite: Carer Support can help carers to deal with some of the challenges of their caring role and be better supported in their caring role now and into the future.

Eligibility for the program

Mental Health Respite: Carer Support is for anyone who supports a family member or friend with a mental illness, such as depression, schizophrenia or anxiety, or an undiagnosed mental illness.

Carers might be supporting a son or daughter, partner, parent, sibling, or someone else close to them.  Anyone can be a carer, including children and young people.

Carers NSW Mental Health Respite: Carer Support program is for people living in the following local government areas:

• Randwick
• Botany Bay
• Newcastle
• Maitland
• Cessnock and Cessnock region
• Port Stephens
• Branxton: Greta, Pokolbin
• Glendale: Cardiff, Hillsborough
• Kurri Kurri: Abermain

For more information or to join the program, please call us on 02 9280 4744. Carers who do not live in the areas listed above can also call the 02 9280 4744 to find out more about similar supports across NSW and Australia.

Why carers need support

Research shows how important carers and families are in supporting people living with mental illness, and assisting them in their recovery journeys.

Caring can be rewarding, but it can also be challenging. It can be difficult to cope and to stay connected to friends, family and the community. Families and carers of people with mental illness face unique challenges. They often need support to help their loved one on their recovery journey.

Carers might need help to:

• come to terms with the mental illness
• understand the mental illness and how it can be managed
• understand and access treatment and support
• know how to support recovery
• deal with the impacts of mental illness
• take a break from their caring role
• understand and access the NDIS

Carers NSW Mental Health Respite: Carer Support Evaluation 2015

From February to June 2015 Carers NSW undertook an evaluation project of the Mental Health Respite: Carer Support (MHR: CS) Program. The evaluation examined the achievements, impact, relevance, sustainability and efficiency of the program in delivering respite and support services to carers of people living with mental illness.

The evaluation focused on a sample of carers who had participated in or were currently involved in the program, and with service providers who have worked with Carers NSW over the previous eighteen months.

Read the full report.