Mental Health Carers NSW (formerly Arafmi NSW) is a non-government organization that provides systemic advocacy and support for families, relatives and friends of people who experience mental illness, living in NSW.
MHCN reaches out with friendship and understanding to all whose lives are touched by a mental health problem. We aim to maintain and improve existing levels of support services to all relatives and friends of people with a mental illness.
As the peak body for mental health carers in NSW, MHCN is regularly asked to provide feedback on policies and services on behalf of carers to the NSW Ministry of Health and to Local Health Districts. By influencing changes in policy, legislation and service provision, MHCN makes a positive difference to the mental health system for carers. In order to provide accurate and representative feedback, MHCN talks to people with lived carer experience across NSW.
MHCN currently facilitates the following Peak Advisory Committees to focus on specific issues impacting the lives of different carer communities:
- General Carer Peak Advisory Committee
- Younger Persons Carer Peak Advisory Committee
- Older Persons Carer Peak Advisory Committee
- Alcohol & Drug Carer Peak Advisory Committee
These Committees exist of people with lived experience as carers of a person with a mental illness, consumers, or professional working in the mental health sector. If you are interested in getting involved in one or more of these Committees to contribute your valuable experience to our advocacy efforts, please contact Committee Secretariat Laura Knight on laura.knight@arafmi.org or (02) 9332 0777