Mind Australia

I’ve found them very helpful, they listened to me and took on board what i said, gave me good resources and reminded me to look after myself. They helped me find other supports for my kids so I could have time to look after myself. They were also really open to suggestions on how they could improve. They listen to carers more, they have carer panels and are teaching staff to be more carer aware, not just aware of the clients, because the carer is with them all the time. I’ve even been invited to speak on a panel to help new workers hear more about the carer journey.

I’ve used their services as a consumer and carer. Some of the staff are very caring, others are young and inexperienced and straight out of university (without mental health qualifications). I would suggest that staff in residential settings in particular need to be experienced in mental health and to have a diploma in mental health as a minimum. Having mature staff (in years)as well. Sometimes it feels that there is a lot of administration,however in the last four years as a carer, Mind are becoming more responsive and are improving a lot in staffing. As a consumer, not so much.

I’m a carer for my son and I get help from Mind. They look after me as a carer, they provided art classes,writing for just carers. We connected well and could express ourselves with support. This has unfortunately been cut now which is disappointing.