About the Project
Based in Monmouthshire and funded by the local authority, the Family Support Service aims to support any family member or carer of a person dealing with mental ill-health. We support carers and family members to have a shared understanding of the issues relating to mental health and the impact it can have on everyone. We also provide carers with tools to help manage the mental health of the cared for and give people information that will help them understand and navigate the mental health system. This is an important service as it helps achieve goals as a whole family.
Who do we support?
This is an outreach service which covers the whole of Monmouthshire. We can reach carers and the family in their own homes or within the community, such as community hubs, libraries, coffee shops or other community spaces. Withinour service the cared for needs a mental health condition; this does not need to be a formal diagnosis.
How do we do it?
We support our carers by offering carers’ groups and drop-in sessions throughout the month. Whilst having these spaces for people to come along to, we are also an outreach service so we can travel to carer’s homes or within their community. We work with the carer and family to identify what the priorities are and to start working through these in the best way for the family. This can be done in several ways, such as written goals or using a pin board as a visual and motivation for the whole family. By helping carers and their families achieve some of their goals it gives them the confidence to join in with more community activities and social groups.
Referrals
The cared for must have a mental health need and live in Monmouthshire county to access our service. Referrals can come through GPs, third sector or self-referrals. This is available through our website.
If you would like to request more information or to discuss the referral process with us, please get in contact using the email address above.