Mental Health Carers NSW

Carers are highly motivated and are passionate about learning new things and skills to improve the lives not just of those they care for but for their communities too. We can be great resources for our communities if we are supported and given the tools to do so!

Lived experience is at the core of our work. We know that to drive systemic change, people need to hear carer voices and learn about their experiences.

Since 2021, we have linked over 150 carers to organisations for lived experience representation and consultations, 200 carers have completed our training, ran numerous webinars, paid feedback opportunities, and we have developed numerous new resources for carers. We believe that an informed and engaged network of carers is vital for the community and for mental health services.

Individual Membership Form

Organisational Membership Form

Our Goals

  • Empower carers, families, and friends to build their skills and confidence so they can support themselves, their loved ones, and their communities.
  • Connect people with one another in meaningful ways for support, research, advocacy, and wellbeing.
  • To encourage organisations to recognise the benefits of engaging with carers and their lived experience.

What We Do

  • Bring people together through an advocacy platform that drives systemic change.
  • Develop training, information, resources, and group meetings so that members can build their skills, learn, and share experiences and information.
  • Link members with lived experience with organisations for opportunities to share experiences, provide feedback, and represent carers.
  • Partner with organisations to deliver quality research and programs for carers.

Who Can Join

The Mental Health Carer Advocacy Network is MHCN’s core membership platform. It is free to join and open to everyone, but with a focus on the needs and experiences of:

  • Mental health carers, families, and friends – people who provide care, love, and support, or have connections with people who experience mental health issues, illness, or emotional distress.
  • Peer workers (carer and consumer) – people who provide paid or voluntary social, emotional, and practical support to clients in need.
  • Interested community members – people who are interested in learning about mental health, caring, and mental health services.
  • Government and Non-Government Organisations – services and professionals interested in engaging with people with lived experience, collaborating with MHCN, and advertising their work.

What You Will Get

Individual Members (Carers, Families, Friends, Peer Workers, and Community Members)

  • Newsletters and updates about the issues you want to hear about.
  • Alerts about opportunities for consultation and lived experience representation.
  • Peak Speaks webinar series to learn about mental health, services, and wellbeing.
  • Training and education programs to build your skills and knowledge.
  • Lived experience leadership and mentoring programs.
  • Access to MHCN’s carer holiday grants, The Eunice Lonergan Carer Respite Grants Program.
  • Monthly Carer Connections meetings.
  • Membership of MHCN.

Organisational Members (Government and Non-Government Organisations)

  • Access to and opportunities to collaborate on specialist carer lived experience research and engagement.
  • Be connected to carers with a range of lived experience for consultations, representation, and feedback.
  • Opportunity to partner with MHCN on policy work, training, events, and projects
  • Advertise your work to targeted audiences and be featured in our news.
  • Access to carer stories.

Individuals

For carers, peer workers, families, and community members

Become an Individual Member

Organisations

For government and non-government organisations

Become an Organisational Member

Are you ready to help us advocate for carers and drive systemic change?

Please fill out the relevant membership form.

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