New Carers' Strategy welcomed

CAUSE for Mental Health - a local charity which has supported and represented thousands of local carers and families of people with mental illness over the last decade - has welcomed the DHSSPS’s recently published Carers' Strategy.

The Strategy, Caring for Carers: Recognising, Valuing and Supporting the Caring Role, aims to provide improved support for carers throughout Northern Ireland.

Marie Crossin, CAUSE chief executive, said that recognition and support are key to caring for carers.

"Even in the 21st century, carers experience disadvantage and prejudice when looking after a relative or family member with a serious mental illness such as severe depression, bi-polar disorder or schizophrenia," she said.

VISION

"The strategy sets out a vision of how carers should be provided with the practical support they need to allow them to continue caring and to access the same opportunities as other members of the population.

"Whilst we agree with the proposals contained in the strategy, we are however concerned that the urgent need for Carers’ Assessments, detailed in the government’s ‘Valuing Carers’ report of 2002, continues to be an issue.

"We hope that, amongst the other positive outputs the strategy will deliver, it will impress on local health trusts the importance of carrying out Carers’ Assessments, which benefit both carers and those they care for”.

Further information on the work of CAUSE is available by writing to Glendinning House, 6 Murray Street, Belfast, BT1 6DN. 028 9023 8284 or info@cause.org.uk

The CAUSE helpline service is available daily from 9.00am-9.00pm on 0845 6030291.