Family and Carer Mental Health Program

The Programs Aims

The program aims to improve the wellbeing and health outcomes of families and carers and the people they support.

This ensures that:

• Families and carers are included, where possible and appropriate, in the mental health care and recovery goals of the people they support.
• Families and carers have options for support and receive the support they need at the time they need it.
• Families and carers and have access to appropriate information in a medium that they can understand.
• Information and support are provided in an evidence-based, trauma-informed, culturally relevant and responsive, and cost-effective manner.
• Families and carers are included as partners in the planning, development, and evaluation of services.

Program Deliverers and Support Provided to Families and Carers

The program is delivered by a partnership between Local Health Districts (LHDs), the Justice Health and Forensic Mental Health Network (JHFMHN), and five community managed organisations (CMOs) :

• Stride (formerly Aftercare)
• CatholicCare Wilcannia-Forbes
• Mission Australia
• One Door Mental Health
• Uniting

More information on the Program, including a map and contact details of all locations, is located on the NSW Health website.

Family and Carer Mental Health Program details

Support includes:

• Offering education and training packages that teach families and carers about mental illness and its management, including how to help build coping skills and resilience.
• Providing information, resources, one-on-one support, advocacy and support groups.
• Supporting families and carers with additional needs and cultural diversity.
• Providing clinical services and delivering health promotion activities.

Support for Clinicians and Health Professionals

The program also supports clinicians and health professionals to:

• Consider the family and carer network or system throughout the consumer journey.
• Support consumers to involve their families and carers in the most appropriate way for both the consumer and the family and carer.
• Provide general information to families and carers, such as how the mental health system works, and fact sheets about different mental illnesses and treatments.
• Recognise family and carer needs, and provide information and/or referrals to help them access support, information, education, and advocacy.
• Recognise that the needs of families and carers change over time, and to respond to these changes.
• Recognise their own personal and organisational values and ensure that they operate to the benefit and not to the detriment of families, carers, and consumers.