You can read the latest issue of the Mental Health Carers Voicemail November/December Update  

As we approach the end of 2025, it’s a good moment to reflect on what has been a busy and rewarding year for MHCV. Together with carers, we strengthened the visibility and influence of mental health carers across the ACT, contributing to key policy and service discussions through the Mental Health Commissioning Advisory Group, the Chief Psychiatrist Advisory Committee, and ACTHD Safe Haven meetings, and helping shape the Office for Mental Health and Wellbeing’s commissioning questionnaire to better reflect carer needs.

We reviewed and provided feedback to ACT mental health services on mental health policies, procedures and models of care as a component of their continuous improvement. In addition, we lodged formal submissions on a range of issues including strategic service investment, child and youth mental health and suicide rates in the ACT. We also advocated for carer inclusion in major reforms such as a review of the Mental Health Act 2015 and the development of the ACT Regional Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan. We facilitated a Strategic Implementation Plan workshop to ensure trauma-informed, recovery-oriented models reflect lived and living experience.

Training and capability-building have been a major focus of 2025. We partnered with the Canberra Health Services Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services team to deliver Carer Experience Survey (CES) training, resulting in an 86% increase in staff confidence (at the time of writing), and trained more than 100 practitioners in carer identification, information sharing, and support. We also delivered an Advocacy Foundations workshop for eight carer representatives, covering advocacy planning, emotional management, role preparation, and burnout prevention, with 91% of participants reporting increased confidence to engage in systemic advocacy.

The MHCV team stayed connected across the sector, attending workshops and forums, the TheMHs conference in Brisbane, Centre for Mental Health Research’s 50th Anniversary, the Mental Health Awards in October, and we are continuing to capture local carer experiences through the MHCV Survey. These responses help us to stay informed about what is important for you, so we greatly appreciate all carers who have responded to the survey.

In October, we participated in Carers Week celebrations under the theme “A community that cares for carers”. The week focused on recognising the vital contributions of carers, raising awareness of carers, and promoting inclusion across diverse communities. Carers ACT hosted a range of events including a Carers Cocktail party, a Smoking Ceremony, a Botanical Gardens Carer Walk, a Young Carers Kingpin Party and lots more. MHCV joined the rest of the Policy and Advocacy team in hosting a Gratitude Lunch to thank all the carers who helped us in our advocacy work by sharing their stories and ideas for change with us. We also took the opportunity to engage with employers about supporting carers in the workplace and appeared in media, encouraging the wider community to recognise, respect, and stand with carers.

We had some staff changes this year too, farewelling Catherine, our MHCV Policy Officer into retirement in June, and welcoming Paul in March and Em in September.

Thank you to our APAG members
We extend our sincere thanks to our Advocacy and Policy Advisory Group (APAG) members for their dedication, wisdom, and lived and living experience that continues to shape our work and influence change across the health system. APAG has continued to guide our work, meeting every two months and providing essential insight across our advocacy and engagement activities, strengthening carer representation in ACT reforms.

Key reflection from 2025:
One of the most powerful themes we heard this year was carers learning to let others care for them. This simple act of allowing rest, support, and self-kindness sits at the heart of wellbeing, and is a reminder that accepting care is something we all need, even when caring for others.
As we head into the holiday season, with all its busy (and sometimes chaotic) moments, we encourage carers to prioritise their own wellbeing. Whether you’re spending the season in the ACT or elsewhere, we hope you find time to rest, reconnect, and enjoy the break.

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

The Mental Health Carers Voice team