Pavilion

Looks at standard six of the National Service Framework, which enables carers to have an assessment on their own health and support needs.

The National Institute for Mental Health England (NIMHE) was established in 2002, and from the beginning had a commitment to put people who use services at the centre of their work, and involve service users and carers in the planning and delivery of work. In 2004 the NIMHE executive team conduced a review of service users and carer involvement at all levels within NIMHE, with the aim of identifying what action was needed to develop a more co-ordinated and strategic approach. This article provides a brief overview of the review, its key findings and recommendations.

Sixth in the series on the National Service Framework, this article describes a national education and support programme for carers developed by the National Schizophrenia Fellowship.

The Triangle of Care: Best Practice Guide on Acute Mental Health Care, which promotes the essential three-way relationship between professionals, service users, their carers and families is briefly discussed. The approach was developed by carers and staff who wanted to improve carer engagement in acute inpatient and home treatment services.

NAViGO, a community interest company formed by service users and carers in partnership with mental health workers, has take over the running of all mental health services in northeast Lincolnshire. This article investigates this innovative example of service user and carer involvement in designing and delivering mental health services. The introduction of RESPECT training, which trains mental health workers to defuse difficult situations without using control and restraint techniques, is also discussed.

The Mental Capacity Act comes into full effect on 1 October 2007. This article aims to provide answers to some of the most frequent voiced questions and misapprehensions from mental health service users, carers, and practitioners about what the Act will mean to them.

Independent assessment and access to direct payments are among the new rights accorded to carers under the Carers and Disabled Children Act 2000.

The author argues that more people with learning disabilities and their carers would opt for individual budgets if they were given better support to make them work. Two short case studies are presented where parents explain how individual budgets have proved successful for their sons, each of who have complex learning disabilities.