Rights and Responsibilities of Carers and Support Persons

Unique Care Group acknowledges the contributions and expertise of informal, professional, non-professional, and statutory carers and support persons. The Australian government and community should always endeavour to assist carers and support persons in their roles. Carers and support persons, especially those who are young, have special needs and are entitled to special support and consideration.

Carers and support persons have the right to:

• Respect for their individual human worth and dignity.
• Respect for their privacy.
• Respect for their confidentiality.
• Comprehensive information, education, training, and support to facilitate their care and support roles.
• Receive services that assist them to provide care and support.
• Contribute to and participate in the development of social, health, and mental health policy.
• Place limits on their availability to the mental health consumer.
• Access mechanisms of complaint and redress if they are dissatisfied with the treatment or support provided to the mental health consumer.
• Receive support for their own difficulties that may be generated through the process of supporting, caring for, or acting as an advocate for the mental health consumer.
• Provide information concerning family relationships and any matters relating to the mental state of the mental health consumer to health service providers.

With the consent of the mental health consumer, and where it is appropriate to do so in accordance with legislation and policy, guardians, carers, and support persons have the right to:

• Contact the mental health consumer while they are undergoing treatment.
• Participate in treatment decisions and decisions about ongoing care.
• Seek and receive additional information about the mental health consumer’s support, care, treatment, rehabilitation, and recovery.
• Be consulted by service providers about treatment approaches being considered for the mental health consumer.
• Arrange support services for the mental health consumer, such as respite care, counselling, and community care facilities.
• Be provided with any information that the mental health consumer requests they should receive.

Carers and support persons have the responsibility to:

• Respect the humanity and dignity of the mental health consumer.
• Consider the opinions and skills of professional and other staff who provide assessment, individualised care planning, support, care, treatment, recovery, and rehabilitation services to mental health consumers.
• Cooperate, as far as is possible, with reasonable programs of assessment, individualised care planning, support, care, treatment, recovery, and rehabilitation.

Families, guardians, carers, and support persons of children and young people have the responsibility to obtain appropriate professional assistance if they believe that a child or young person has a mental health problem or a mental illness.

Organisations that can assist carers:

• Mental Health Carers ARAFMI Australia: www.arafmiaustralia.asn.au
• Mental Illness Fellowship of Australia: www.mifa.org.au
• Children of Parents with a Mental Illness (COPMI): www.copmi.net.au
• The Australian Government site on mental health: www.mentalhealth.gov.au
• Department of Health and Ageing: www.health.gov.au
• Commonwealth Respite and Care Link Program: free call 1800 052222 or www9.health.gov.au/ccsd
• Carer gateway and Emergency Respite- Phone: 1800 422 737

Carers ACT: www.carersact.org.au or phone: 02 9296 9900 PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays): pflagaustralia.org.au/about ADACAS (ACT Disability Aged Carer Advocacy Service): Free advocacy and information to people with a disability, people experiencing mental ill health, older people, and carers, www.adacas.org.au

• Ph: 02 6242 5060, Email: adacas@adacas.org.au

If you, or someone you know, is at risk of harm please contact the below services:

• In an emergency, please contact 000
• QLife | Open 3pm – midnight | 1800 184 527 | qlife.org.au
• Lifeline | Open 24/7 | 13 11 14 | www.lifeline.org.au
• Domestic Violence Crisis Service| Open 24/7 | (02) 6280 0900 | dvcs.org.au
• Access Mental Health on 1800 629 354 or 02 6205 1065. Access Mental Health offer mental health services that are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. These services give you access to assessment and treatment services and offer advice and information on a range of mental health issues.

For those aged under 25, there are also the following services available:

• Kids Helpline | Open 24/7 | 1800 551 800 | kidshelpline.com.au
• Eheadspace | 1800 650 890 | www.eheadspace.org.au