Targeted Community Care (Mental Health) Program – Mental Health Respite: Carer Support
What is Mental Health Respite: Carer Support?
Mental Health Respite: Carer Support provides a range of flexible respite and support options for carers and families ofpeople with severe mental illness and carers of people with an intellectual disability. The aim of these services is to provide support to assist carers and families to maintain their caring role.
Why is Mental Health Respite: Carer Support important?
Mental Health Respite: Carer Support is important because it responds to research that demonstrates the enormous role carers play in supporting people living with mental illness and the potential impacts on families and carers when family members experience mental illness. It is also clear from feedback received from carers that they require a range of flexible services that are targeted to meet their needs at different times.
What does Mental Health Respite: Carer Support deliver?
Service providers assess carers’ needs and develop care plans to meet the needs of the carer and care recipient. Support provided by Mental Health Respite: Carer Support services can be broadly grouped into three types:
· Relief from the caring role
o Breaks from the caring role, including respite.
· Carer support
o Counselling
o Practical assistance
o Social and recreational activities
o Advocacy services
o Peer support and mentoring, and
o Case management.
· Education, information and access
o Information and referral about mental health and carer support
o Carer education and training
o Education for families about mental illness and its impacts
o Mental health promotion, and
o Social inclusion activities.
Who can access Mental Health Respite: Carer Support?
Carers and their families who are providing care to a person with mental illness, or an intellectual disability.
How can Mental Health Respite: Carer Support be accessed?
The program has a “no wrong door” access policy. Mental Health Respite: Carer Support services are run by a wide variety of organisations and are located in metropolitan, rural and remote regions across Australia.
Services can be accessed directly from Mental Health Respite: Carer Support funded community-based organisations and/or Commonwealth Respite and Carelink Centres.
Provider contact details are available on the Department of Social Services website at
http://www.dss.gov.au/our-responsibilities/mental-health/programs-services/mental-health-respite-carer-support.
The Centres can be contacted through the toll-free number 1800052 222* (*Free local call. Mobile phones charged at mobilerates.)
Quick Facts
As of 30 June 2012, there were 195 Mental Health Respite: Carer Support services funded across Australia. Funding amounts vary according to the type of service delivered and service catchments.
$47.7 million was committed to these 195 services in 2011–12.
In July 2011 funding agreements were extended until June 2014.
Since its establishment in 2007, Mental Health Respite: Carer Support has assisted around 109,000 carers. Around 29,000 carers were assisted in 2011–12.
New Measures
Under National Mental Health Reforms announced in the 2011–12 Budget, $54.3 million has been allocated over five years to fund the expansion of Mental Health Respite: Carer Support services across Australia. This new funding will assist another 1,100 carers and families of people with amental illness.
A national counselling service and four services to support young carers of people with mental illness were funded from early 2012.
In April 2013, as part of a $121 million Targeted Community Care (Mental Health) Program announcement, funding was provided for:
· 24 new Mental Health Respite: Carer Support services, and
· expansion of seven existing services.
These new and expanded services will bring the total number of Mental Health Respite: Carer Support services to 219 across Australia.
Where can I get more information about the Targeted Community Care (Mental Health) Program?
More information is available on the Department of Social Services website athttp://www.dss.gov.au/our-responsibilities/mental-health/programs-services.
April 2013