You can read the latest issue of the Mental Health Carers Voice August 2023 Update

Hi valued carers,

As August comes to a close, we’re happy to bring you another whirlwind of updates from the world of mental health carer policy and advocacy. Buckle up, because this month has been nothing short of insightful and impactful (all our months are, but you know what we mean…):

• We marked our inaugural presence at theMHS (The Mental Health Services Learning Network) conference, where we delved into networking, collaboration, and learnings about the intersection of human rights and mental health care. We gained greater insights into the rights of carers in mental health care and the indispensable value of lived experiences across all levels of governance. These discussions will undoubtedly translate to our work on various submissions and committees.
• We played a pivotal role in the interview panel for two significant positions – the Lived Experience Directors for MHJHADS and the Office of Mental Health and Wellbeing. MHCV is pleased to be part of shaping leadership that resonates with our commitment to valuing the voice of lived experience
• We have heard loud and clear through our consultations for the recent federal inquiry that more services and workplaces need further education on the caring role and how to best support carers. We’re proud to say that Carers ACT have finished developing our own carer awareness training and MHCV has already delivered carer awareness training to staff at MHJHADS twice! The feedback from both sessions has been wonderful and we will be continuously working to improve them for future delivery to other organisations.
• We’ve amplified our voice through comprehensive submissions to three pivotal consultations. We’ve voiced your perspectives on the recognition of unpaid carers in a federal inquiry, the Education Act amendments, and the mental health commissioning feedback paper for carers.

We’re also very excited to share that our strategic forum, ‘Reaching the Peak Together,’ is coming up next month. We want to invite all mental health carers to join us for one of the two sessions, and contribute your valuable voices to shape our policy and advocacy strategy for the next three years. Read more about the event below!

As always, your voice is vital to the work we do and if you have anything you wish to share please feel free to contact us via email mhcarers@carersact.org.au.

All the best,

Catherine Joseph and Catherine Vonarx,

The Mental Health Carers Voice Team