The report, Connecting with Mental Health Carers in the Great South Coast Region, is the result of a Leadership Great South Coast 2017 community project.

Mr Carey was joined on the project team by Alison Kennedy and Vicki Askew-Thornton. 

The report was complied with input from more than 50 mental health carers from across the region.

Mr Carey said in developing the project, the team recognised a carer’s role was incredibly valuable but could also be challenging.

He said this was a message that was underscored in the results of an anonymous survey distributed across the Great South Coast.

“Several key recurring themes emerged from the survey results, such as the need for carers to be listened to, the challenge of navigating the complex roadmap of caring and the huge time commitment required of the role,” Mr Carey said.

The report made a series of recommendations including improved provision of information about what supports were available, developing peer support carer networks and increasing the availability of respite for carers.

Mr Carey said the report had been presented to a range of stakeholder organisations, including Fight for Your Life and Wellways Australia. The team had also met with member for Western Victoria James Purcell, federal member for Wannon Dan Tehan and Member for South West Coast  Roma Britnell to promote the report.

Mr Carey said the project was supported by carers and representatives from the mental health sector.

“A highlight of the project was engaging with the Wattle Tree Carers Group members who provided personal insights into their lives as carers, providing context and supporting the rationale for the project” Mr Carey said.

The report can be found at: https://www.lgsc.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Connecting_with_Mental_Health_Carers_web18.pdf