About the Rethink Carers Short Break Service
Banging The Gong
The South Gloucestershire Carers Short Break Service has a remit to fund and organise respite for people who care for someone with a mental illness. The service also provides one to one support via the co-ordinator, volunteer mentors and group support across the region. The service also acts in an informal way providing information, advocacy and signposting to other relevant services. The service publishes a quarterly newsletter.
You can be referred to the service by a health care professional, or you can refer yourself. The person you care for will normally have engaged with the local mental health team and been under the care of a psychiatrist or care co-ordinator. However the person you care for does not necessarily need to be under the auspices of the mental health team at the time of referral (i.e. they may have been discharged) in order to access the service. If you consider yourself a carer then you can refer.
What We Provide
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Mentoring – we provide volunteers to meet one-on-one with service users or carers, to offer support in moving towards a better quality of life.
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Monthly Carers’ groups in Filton and Kingswood offering a chance for carers’ to meet for mutual support. The service co-ordinator also attends these meetings to provide information.
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Breaks for Carers – this can range from carers or service users being provided with a weeks’ respite holiday, to mini break days.
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Regular Seminars and training events for carers
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Telephone contact with carers’ service staff for information and support.
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A quarterly newsletter to keep you up to date with the latest developments in mental health.
Rethink recognises that certain groups in society experience discrimination directly or indirectly. The South Gloucestershire Carers’ Short Break Service will not discriminate against any client on the grounds of race, gender, sexuality, disability (including mental illness), religion, age, marital status or political belief. We aim to provide a culturally sensitive service to all our clients.
If you are interested in accessing the Carers service please contact Mark Earl to arrange a referral. The South Gloucestershire Carers’ Short Break Service can be contacted on 0117 9582421.