Tayside Carers Support Project

Tayside Carers Support Project, Support in Mind Scotland, was launched in 1992. Since then, funding has been secured from City of Dundee, Angus and Perth & Kinross Councils and NHS Tayside. The Project is managed by Support in Mind Scotland.

Contact us:
Number Ten Constitution Road
Dundee. DD1 1LL
Phone 01382 305712/305713
Email: tcspdundee@supportinmindscotland.org.uk
Website: www.tcsproject.org.uk

The staffing for the project comprises:

• Margaret Weir, Project Manager/Carer Support Officer (full-time)
• Vicki Paterson, Tayside Carer Involvement Worker (full-time)
• Claire Forbes, Administrator (part-time)
• Georgie Evans, Carer Support Worker, Angus (part-time)
• Sarah Cox, Carer Support Worker, Perth & Kinross (part-time)
• Johanna Wilson, Administrative Assistant, Perth & Kinross (part-time)
• Penny Thomas, Carer Support Facilitator, Dundee (part-time)

The aims of the Project are to provide support and information to carers of people with a serious mental health problem.

This service is provided in a number of different ways according to the needs of the carers. However, because of the social stigma attached to mental illness, many carers value the personal support that the Project can provide.

There are two distinct sides to our Project:

• Carer Support
• Carer Involvement

WHAT WE PROVIDE:

• Home visits
• Practical advice on coping
• Emotional support
• Telephone support
• Access to support groups
• Information about Services
• Information leaflets & booklets

We currently have nine active support groups in Tayside:

We also facilitate Involvement - "Having a Voice". By getting involved carers can:

• Attend conferences, events, meetings
• Participate in training health & other professionals
• Be part of the decision making process
• Keep up to date with what’s happening within the mental health sector
• Raise awareness of mental health issues

We currently have Involvement Groups in:

Perth - Bi-monthly from 2.00-4.00pm. The first meeting of 2011 will be on Monday 24th January at the Independent Advocacy, 90 Tay Street, Perth. For more information contact Cathy Hamilton on 01382 305712

Angus - Meetings are held on the second Wednesday of the month from 6.30-8.30pm at the Park Hotel, Montrose. For more information contact Vicki Paterson on 01382 305713

Principles Into Practice Award 2011
Carer Support and Involvement

On Friday 18th March, Cathy Hamilton, Project Manager, Tayside Carers Support Project, Support in Mind Scotland,  accompanied by three carers attended an Awards Ceremony for the “Principles Into Practice Awards” in Glasgow.

Tayside Carers Support Project had been shortlisted for this award, together with the Carseview Centre, Dundee, and both Cathy and Val Johnson, Operational Manager for the Carseview Centre, delivered a joint presentation on their successful  partnership working, outcomes and achievements. Later in the afternoon, following questions from the floor, it was announced that they had won the award, which was thrilling!

We would like to thank our carers for all their hard work in helping to achieve this award through excellent collaborative working practice with the Carseview Centre - we will continue to grow in this area!

For more information please visit the Principles in Practice website:

http://www.principlesintopractice.net/


Health & Wellbeing Days
Our carers, Tayside wide, have enjoyed several Health & Wellbeing Days, including:

• March 2011:Discovery Point, Dundee; Thanks to Dundee City Council, we were given some funding to hold a Wellbeing Day for our Dundee Carers.

  We had presentations and workshops by Dr Karen Adam and Jackie Dow called “Making Things Happen with PDSA” which stands for Plan, Do, Study then Act. Examples were given of how this worked, then the carers were asked to participate in a workshop to explore what they as a group would like to organise. They really participated in this with great enthusiasm, and a few good ideas came to light.

  We then heard from Val Johnson and Lorraine Brown from the Carseview Centre, about how our joint efforts working alongside them led us to sharing a joint award from the Mental Welfare Commission, the ‘Principles into Practice Network 2011’ for good practice.

  We had a very tasty lunch, and then on to the fun workshops, which consisted of jewellery making and designing items with felt.

  There was definitely a buzz in the air, and the evaluation for this day was very positive. The carers are looking forward to their next event.

  .

• March 2011:Meadowbank Inn, Arbroath.On Wednesday 23rd March 2011 Tayside Carers Support Project (TCSP), Support in Mind Scotland, held a Health & Wellbeing Day at the Meadowbank Inn, Arbroath. Eighteen carers came along and enjoyed a full programme throughout the day. In the morning we heard presentations on the Welfare Rights Services, Augment (a mental health service user-led organisation) and Wellness Recovery Action Planning (WRAP) from Cathy and Vicki (TCSP).

  Following a buffet lunch, the carers thoroughly enjoyed participating in the “fun workshops”, which included felt jewellery making, creative paper crafts and pottery. Our Health & Wellbeing Days provide some respite from their caring role and enable them to catch up with other carers. The evaluation from the day was very positive, with the carers asking for another Health & Wellbeing Day soon!

  Our thanks to Angus Council for funding this event.

YOUNG PEOPLE’S DVD

We now have a date for the launch of our DVD for young people.

This is to be on Wednesday 25th May at the Dundee Contemporary Arts Centre.
Although this has taken a while to finish, I have seen the pilot version, and it is absolutely brilliant! The volunteer actors have done a great job in portraying a family whose mum has bi-polar. It really brings home the effect mental illness can have on a family, especially the children. Well done to the actors, they definitely put their heart and sole into this film, and we hope we can persuade our Education, Social Work and Health colleagues, to use this film as a teaching tool.
Cathy Hamilton, Project Manager

WRAP TRAINING (Wellness Recovery Action Planning)

WRAP is a self-management tool to help individuals take more control over their wellbeing and is a guide for learning more about ourselves and things that help us to recover and stay well. By developing our own WRAP we can better manage even the most difficult periods of illness.

For more information on WRAP training please contact either Cathy Hamilton or Vicki Paterson, WRAP Facilitators.
www.scottishrecovery.net

For more information on what's on in your area, please contact:

DUNDEE
Margaret Weir, Project Manager
Phone: 01382 305712
Email: mcweir@supportinmindscotland.org.uk

Vicki Paterson, Carers Involvement Worker (Tayside)
Phone: 01382 305713
Email: vpaterson@supportinmindscotland.org.uk

Claire Forbes, Administrator
Phone: 01382 305713
Email: cforbes@supportinmindscotland.org.uk

ANGUS
Georgie Evans, Carers Support Worker
Phone: 01241 437214
Email: gevans@supportinmindscotland.org.uk

PERTH & KINROSS
Sarah Cox, Carers Support Worker
Phone: 01738 562475
Email: scox@supportinmindscotland.org.uk

MOODJUICE
This site is designed to help you think about emotional problems and work towards solving them. Emotional problems are often the mind and body’s way of saying that something needs to be changed in our life.

www.moodjuice.scot.nhs.uk