Support for carers with mental health in Wales - Hafal

Lead service provider/commissioner

Name:

Hafal

Type of knowledge

Type of knowledge:

Project description only

Prevention service description

A key feature of the support that Hafal provides is the emphasis on carer support, and the organisation works to promote recognition of the valuable contribution that unpaid carers make. Hafal helps carers access their entitled Carer’s Allowance. In 2013 over £60 million of Carer’s Allowance in Wales went unclaimed. Hafal are providing up-to-date, accessible information to how the Social Services and Well-Being (Wales) Act 2014 impacts on their role as carers, especially in supporting carers to have their needs assessed.

In 2016, Hafal launched the ‘Big Carers Tea break’ campaign. This involved the co-ordination of events across the whole of Wales and was delivered in collaboration with the High Needs Collaborative; an alliance of voluntary organisations dedicated to the support of people with a serious mental illness and their carers. The events were designed to enable carers to socialise and learn from each other as well as to have fun and relax. Hafal also invited policy makers and mental health service providers to these events as a means of enabling communication. The campaign also highlighted the importance of good quality carers’ assessments, and carers attending events were encouraged to request an assessment and were supplied with an assessment request template if needed.

Intervention/service type:

Befriending, mentoring and peer support; Information and advice; Community services; Low-level support; Carers support

Target client group(s):

Carers in Wales