Arafmi Mental Health Carer Forum 2024

Our Mental Health Carer Forum on 16 October provided an important opportunity for mental health carers to hear from leaders in the mental health system, connect with other carers and learn how to utilise their Lived-Living Experience to advocate for better support for themselves and the people they care for.

Outcomes of the Carer Forum Round Table Discussions

The insights from the Carer Forum round table discussions will guide the Advocacy Team’s priorities and future focus areas.

The top priorities identified by carers on the day were centred around enhancing mental health awareness and carer support by:

education of GPs and other health professionals about carers and support for carers

promotion of existing supports to carers, including making distinctions between crisis supports and ongoing supports

for young carers (aged 4 – 25), training for schools and teachers on how to recognise, refer and support young carers, as well as education of young people on signs of mental health challenges.

Other top issues included: raising awareness of trauma from past mental health and child safety systems, proactive outreach to carers when someone engages with the mental health system, providing clear information to carers and involving them in mental health planning and discharge processes.

In her presentation, Sue Goodwin (Arafmi Lived Experience Advocacy Team Lead) outlined ‘Opportunities To Get Involved’ which are listed below along with presentations from key speakers.

Carer Story

From carer to lifeline: The Queensland volunteers helping others mental health carers

From carer to lifeline: The Queensland volunteers helping other mental health carers For Arafmi volunteer Louise Dutton, when her son became unwell with mental ill-health, she “didn’t really know what she was dealing with.” That’s where her connection with Arafmi began, not as a volunteer, but as a carer trying to make sense of something overwhelming, unfamiliar and at times isolating. Over time, that experience became something she could offer others. Now 82, she’s spent the past 25 years answering calls on the 24-hour Carer Support Line and sitting alongside carers in support groups. What she brings isn’t a set of answers, but a way of helping people feel understood. As she explains, “Listening plays a big part. And so you’ve got to find out where the person is coming from… sometimes the person is so stressed that they can go round and round in circles. You just try and pick out a few points and confirm, is that what you’re telling me? And then try and help them to understand that we know where they’re coming from because we’ve had a similar experience.” For carers reaching out, that recognition can be enough to help people feel more steady and

April 30, 2026 No Comments

Carer Event

The hidden role of young carers

“I just thought it was normal” – the hidden reality of young mental health carers For many young people, caring doesn’t have a name. It’s something they do as part of everyday life, being there when someone needs them. As Tanya Boge from our Carer Support Team explains: “Many young mental health carers don’t identify with the word ‘carer’ they see what they do as just helping out.” What often goes unseen is everything that sits behind that. The mental load, the worrying, the responsibility, and the feeling like they have to stay strong, even when things are uncertain. Over time, that can begin to shape how young people see themselves and where their own needs fit. “Many also grow up without clear boundaries, which can make it harder to balance their own needs alongside supporting someone else.” For Tanya, this understanding comes from her own experience. “It’s important to me because I was a young mental health carer myself, even though I didn’t have that language at the time. I just thought it was normal to take on that level of responsibility and not have clear boundaries.” Looking back, she can see how those early experiences shaped her. “Without

April 2, 2026 No Comments

Arafmi Mental Health Carer Forum 2024

Key Speaker Presentations

Opportunities To Get Involved

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From carer to lifeline: The Queensland volunteers helping others mental health carers

The hidden role of young carers

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Arafmi Mental Health Carer Forum 2024

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