Mental Health Carers Australia is the only national advocacy group solely concerned with the well-being and promotion of mental health carer needs. Our mission is to be the national voice for mental health carers to enable the best possible life. Our members are central to our advocacy structure of taking the grassroots experience of carers and translating that to the national voice of mental health carers.
Mental Health Carers Australia is on the cusp of a very exciting period of development. Having grown from our grass roots Arafmi legacy, a strength we want to build on, we are now ready to broaden our scope to include more member representation of mental health carers across Australia.
We currently comprise up to 11 full voting members (8 state and 3 national) and will be including non-voting associate members soon.
Full Members
State Members (many formerly Arafmi’s):
- NSW – Mental Health Carers Arafmi NSW
- QLD – Arafmi Queensland Ltd
- NT – Mental Illness Fellowship of NT
- WA – Helping Minds
- VIC – Tandem
- TAS – Mental Health Carers Tasmania
National Members:
- Mind Australia
Full Membership Provides
- A place on the MHCA board
- Signatory and badging to national submissions and campaigns
- Access to member only advocacy position papers
- Access to MHCA grass roots carer voice and national carer information
- Access to MHCA special interest groups, think tanks and other member forums and the intellectual property that comes out of them.
- Access to the MHCA national carer helpline
- Access to MHCA badging
- Access MHCA member only web content and e-learning modules
- Access to carer newsletter content
- Contribute articles and promote events through national newsletter.
- Access the member update newsletter info from member organisations.
- Access to MHCA stakeholder list
- Link from the MHCA web site to your web site
- Access MHCA member e-list.
- Opportunity to participate in and access to the intellectual property produced from MHCA projects eg A practical guide to working with Carers of a Person with a Mental Illness demonstration projects and the NDIS Education Module project
- Access to evidence from other jurisdictions to back up your work
Value of Membership
Mental Health Carers Australia is the only national advocacy organisation solely concerned with the wellbeing and promotion of mental health carers and has been around since before 1998.
Mental Health Carers Australia
- has the best reach to mental health carers.
- is the best informed national entity on mental health carers.
- is built on the grassroots Arafmi legacy and directed by the lived experience of mental health carers
- is leading the implementation of A Practical Guide to Working with Carers of People with a Mental Illness
- is driving a major national mental health carer advocacy campaign.
- has significant expertise in family centred practice, indigenous and remote mental health and carer support and engagement.
- provides opportunities for collaboration and joint ventures with other members, partners and affiliates
Associate Membership Provides
- Associate members will have access to most of the benefits of full membership but do not have a seat on the board
- We are currently developing our associate membership and will open for membership soon.
Our members
All of our member organisations work together identifying national priorities for mental health carer advocacy.
Our structure
Mental Health Carers Australia is guided by a formal Management Board which is comprised of Board members from each of our state and national member organisations. Our Executive Officer leads the organisation and works closely with the Board and the CEOs of each member organisation.
The CEOs of each member organisation meet regularly to identify national priorities for mental health carers including development of policy positions, advocacy campaigns, responding to government, representation of national groups, etc.
Our strategy
Our mission: Be the voice of mental health carers to enable the best possible lift.
Our vision: The leading national voice
Our Strategic Themes focus on:
- Improving mental health carer experiences by changing community, government and provider practice
- Advocating for systemic change by influencing change in government and provider policy
- A sustainable business model by being a known, respected and influential organisation
Our history
Mental Health Carers Australia grew out of the national movement of ARAFMI organisations across Australia. Originally ARAFMI was an acronym for Association of Relatives And Friends of the Mentally Ill.
Value of membership
Mental Health Carers Australia has the best reach to mental health carers through our membership organisations. We drive major national mental health carer advocacy campaigns, have significant expertise in family centered practice, indigenous and remote mental health carer support and engagement and provide opportunities for collaboration and joint ventures with other members, partners and affiliates.
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