The Mental Health Association Malta (MHA) is urgently calling for the inclusion of a Carers' Needs Assessment within Malta's mental health framework. Family carers play a crucial role in supporting persons with mental illnesses, yet their needs often go unaddressed. A structured assessment would ensure that carers receive the necessary support, resources and recognition for their invaluable contribution to the well-being of their loved ones.
In the United Kingdom, carers are legally recognised and entitled to a Carers' Needs Assessment under the Carers Act 2014 legislative framework. This assessment evaluates the challenges carers face and identifies the support they require to sustain their caregiving role effectively. It considers their own mental and physical well-being, financial concerns and practical assistance needed to balance caregiving with personal responsibilities.
A Caregivers' Needs Assessment helps ensure that caregivers have access to essential services such as respite care, financial assistance, counselling and educational resources on mental health conditions. Implementing a similar system in Malta would provide families of persons with mental illnesses with the necessary tools and recognition to support both their loved ones and themselves.
Malta can implement these principles into an Act, ensuring that carers are actively involved in treatment planning and supported. The Mental Health Act 2012 states that responsible carers should be guided and have access to support services; however, this is hardly ever practised. The needs assessment has to be obligatory. At present, with the move to community care, it is even more imperative that family carers are supported, even in their employment conditions. Such a measure would contribute to a more comprehensive and family-centred approach to mental health care, reducing caregiver burnout and improving overall patient outcomes.
The urgent need for structured support
A 2015 study by EUFAMI (European Federation of Associations of Families of People with Mental Illness) highlighted the urgent need for structured support for Maltese carers of persons with mental health illnesses. The study revealed that eight out of 10 carers wanted individualised support from organisations, specifically in the form of:
● Information - 88%
● Emotional support - 83%
● Respite care - 78%
● Financial support - 62%
Despite these findings, Malta still lacks a formal Carers' Needs Assessment, which would directly address these gaps. A structured assessment would ensure that carers receive tailored assistance, granting them access to information, emotional support, respite care and financial assistance, all of which have been explicitly identified as crucial to sustaining their role. This highlights the urgent need to integrate a Carers' Needs Assessment into Malta's mental health policy.
Moreover, these families provide essential care that helps reduce government costs by keeping individuals with mental health conditions out of residential care homes. By supporting family carers, the government can ensure better care for individuals while also achieving long-term financial savings in the healthcare system.
MHA's commitment to empathy, education and empowerment
Building on its three core pillars of empathy, education and empowerment, the MHA continues to support families and carers through various initiatives. One such initiative is the Empowerment Course, designed to equip carers with knowledge and advocacy skills to navigate the mental health system effectively.
The 2025 Empowerment Course, themed Empowerment through advocacy, will run from 9 May to 20 June. The course will cover essential topics including:
● Carers' experience
● Depression and OCD
● Bipolar and Schizophrenia
● Medication
● Family intervention and the role of the family
● Mental Health Act
This course is funded through the Social Cause Fund and is officially recognised by the Degree Plus programme at the University of Malta.
For more information about the Empowerment Course and MHA's advocacy efforts, visit www.mhamalta.com or follow updates on social media.
Mental Health Association Malta are full members of Malta Health Network www.maltahealthnetwork.org
Mental Health Association - Malta www.mhamalta.com V.O. Reg. No 0317