CAUSE provides peer-led support to carers of people with serious mental illness across Northern Ireland. Their services include a helpline, carer advocacy, regional support groups, training, and respite provision for carers. When providing respite, CAUSE works collaboratively with the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, with an annual allocated budget and regular meetings to monitor needs. Group respite activities provide benefits like feeling at ease and developing peer networks, with potentially wider impacts from investment in these programs.

1. Sharing the learning
Respite provision for carers
working with CAUSE
Maire Grattan
Chief Executive of CAUSE

2. CAUSE - Who we are
Our mission:
CAUSE provides peer-led
emotional and practical support to
carers and families of people with
serious mental illness across NI.
Uniquely CAUSE is a
peer-led organisation

3. CAUSE - What we do
Helpline Carer advocacy one
service to one carer support
Representing CAUSE
Regional support
carers views / advocacy groups
lobbying model
Training provision to
Respite for
carers and
carers
professionals

4. Carers and mental illness
Some points of note when thinking about respite
• Attitudes to mental illness – stigma is
still an issue
• Lack of knowledge about mental illness
• Complexity of carers’ relationships with
loved ones
• Cycles, crisis and supporting recovery

5. Our experience of respite provision working with
Belfast Health and Social Care Trust
 Collaborative
working relationship
 Annual allocated
respite budget
 Regular monitoring
meetings
 Real flexibility in the
working relationship
to respond to carers’
needs

6. Benefits of respite activities in
groups Our experience
 Respite weekend in Derrynoid
 Programme of group activities
Group respite – the outcomes
 Carers feeling ‘at ease’
 Value and sustained impact
- supports the informal development of peer networks
- potentially wider impact from investment in group activities

7. Contact details
Thank you for listening
Email: info@cause.org.uk
Telephone: 028 90 650 650
CAUSE Helpline: 0845 60 30 291
CAUSE head office address
Unit 2, Lesley Office Park,
393 Holywood Road
Belfast
BT4 2LS