Relief Care for Children and Adults with a Mental Handicap: An Examination of Carers' Views

A survey of carers of people with a mental handicap was carried out in the Malvern Hills area of Hereford and Worcester in conjunction with the local MENCAP and Family Support Groups to establish the carers' views of the service. Carers wanted a service that was local and provided flexible, mostly short-term care on both a planned and emergency basis. Carers of adults wanted a more frequent and regular service than those caring for children. The exact nature of required schemes differed between carers of adults and children. In a significant number of cases carers were unaware of some of the relief care schemes that were available and were critical of the way in which information was provided, suggesting ways in which this could be improved.