Support for carers

• ‘Carers’
• Support from your relative’s mental health team and other carers
• Training for carers
• Support from social services
• Government support for carers

‘Carers’

‘Carers’ is a term used to describe people who are supporting someone who needs help on a regular basis because they have a mental health problem, a physical disability, a learning disability, or find it difficult to cope alone for another reason, and who are unpaid. It is also used to describe people who are not related to an individual at all, and are paid professionals.

Carers of people with psychosis are most often family members, and some of them do not like the term ‘carer’.

You will come across the term, however, in government policies and laws, and also when dealing with mental health professionals.

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Support from your relative’s mental health team and other carers

Family members can play an important role in supporting someone with psychosis. Mental health professionals involved in the care and treatment of your relative should give you information and advice on how you can offer appropriate support.

The mental health team involved in supporting your relative should also include you in discussions about treatment and care, unless your relative asks them not to (see Confidentiality page). If you support someone with schizophrenia, you should be offered family intervention as part of the package of care given to your relatives (see Family therapy page).

Living with someone with psychosis can be demanding and difficult. People can feel incredibly worried and anxious, sometimes frustrated, or angry, or resentful. Relatives may feel guilty, feeling somehow responsible for the illness, or ashamed.

Your caring and supporting role may begin to dominate your life. It is important that you get support to help you deal with the range of emotions you may feel, and with the day-to-day practicalities of living with someone with psychosis. Maintaining your own interests, keeping a job, or having time away will help you to cope more effectively and tolerantly with the difficult symptoms and problems that may arise. This means there will less tension in the house and fewer arguments – a calm and supportive atmosphere will help people recover more quickly and stay well.

Meeting with and sharing experiences with other people in the same situation can be helpful and your relative’s mental health professionals should be able to tell you about local carers’ groups. Alternatively, you can find out if there is a Rethink carers’ group near to where you live by visiting their website.

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Training for carers

Rethink runs a training programme for carers, offering information and support, and giving them skills to help them in their caring role. To find out more about the Carers Education and Training Programme, ring 0845 456 0455.

Some NHS Mental Health Trusts have developed their own training programmes for families and friends who are supporting people with mental health problems. Ask the mental health professionals involved in your relative’s care if there are any such schemes in your area.

Caring with Confidence is a free training programme for carers set up by the government. It aims to give carers useful information, ideas and tips through the internet, work books at home, or through local group sessions.

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Support from social services

Your local social services department will assess your needs as a carer, and offer you help to enable you to look after yourself, lead your own life, and give effective support to your relative.

Three pieces of law give carers a right to have an assessment of their own needs (The Carers (Recognition and Services) Act 1995, Carers and Disabled Children Act 2000 and Carers Equal Opportunities Act 2004). Everyone who looks after a relative or friend who cannot manage without their help is entitled to have an assessment. To arrange an assessment, contact your local council’s social services department. You can also ask your GP to do this for you.

You can find details of your local social services authority by visiting the DirectGov website.

Help offered to you may include ‘respite care’ to allow you to have a break from your caring responsibilities. This could involve someone coming to your home to provide support for your relative for a short period while you get a break, for example. Some social services departments may charge for services they arrange, and you may be asked about your financial circumstances. If you need financial help, you can get direct payments from your local council to buy services that the assessment says you need to support you in your caring role.

To find out more about carers assessments, visit Carers UK, or The Princess Royal Trust for Carers.

Once an assessment has been carried out, you should be given a copy of it, and also be given a copy of the plan that details the services you will be offered.

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Government support for carers

Carers at the heart of 21^st century families and communities: a caring system on your side, a life of your own was published by the Department of Health in 2008 and set out the government’s plans to support carers.

This document defines a carer as someone who ‘spends a significant proportion of their life providing unpaid support to family or potentially friends. This could be caring for a relative, partner or friend who is ill, frail, disabled or has a mental health or substance misuse problem.’

Carers at the heart of 21^st century families and communities is part of the government’s New Deal for Carers.

Another strand of the New Deal is an information helpline and website. This is Carers Direct on the NHS Choices website. The national helpline is 0808 802 0202.

Caring with Confidence, a training programme for carers, is also part of the New Deal.

The Department of Health set up a ‘Standing Commission on Carers’ in 2007 to advise on government plans to support carers. You can read a report of the Commission’s work between 2007 and 2009.