Wiltshire Mind is delighted to announce it is has secured a Forces In Mind Trust grant to provide a new support service for the Armed Forces community supporting those caring for people with mental illness.

The grant will fund a pilot project and will be used to set up an online support service predominately for those caring forservice personnel with mental illness as they transition back into civilian life.

The service will also be available to serving and ex-service personnel caring for a loved one.

It has been secured in collaboration with Healios - an international organisation, which exists to support carers of people with mental illness - and the Army Families Federation.

The service, which will initially be available to 50 carers from the armed forces community in Wiltshire and the surrounding counties, is due to be launched in November 2014.

It will support carers of people within the armed forces community dealing with severe mental illness. This includes post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, adjustment disorder, psychosis, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

The grant will be used to set up an online support service predominantly for those caring for service personnel with mental illnesses as they transition back to civilian life. The service will also be available to serving and ex-service personnel caring for a loved one.

Providing bespoke psycho-education and skills training to carers of people suffering with severe mental illness, the service will take an innovative and proactive approach to empower carers as they look after their loved one.

Being online based, Healios’ service can provide easily accessible and professional support to families, who, due to the nature of roles in the Army, may have moved away from their personal support networks.

David Mckeigue, chief executive of Wiltshire Mind, said: “This is a unique online service which focuses on helping the carer deliver significantly better outcomes for themselves and indeed their loved one, and, because of the way the service is delivered, the number of carers that can access the service is significantly higher than conventional face to face methods.

"Wiltshire Mind is delighted to be partnering with both the AFF and Healios on this exciting pilot.

"The innovative approach and unique service delivery of Healios is of huge value and benefit to all carers wherever they may be located.”

More details of the project and how to register can be found at www.wiltshiremind.co.uk or call 01225 706532 or email office@wiltshiremind.co.uk

Ray Lock, chief executive of the Forces in Mind Trust, said: “Giving carers access to vital support and resources will help them understand the types of issues their loved ones could experience.

"The evaluation of this pilot programme will provide the evidence-base we need to support carers further and we are proud to support Wiltshire Mind in this innovative project.”

Richard Andrews, co-founder of Healios, said: "We’re pleased that the value of our service has been recognised in this way by the Forces in Mind Trust and we look forward to working with Wiltshire Mind and the AFF to reach out to this important part of our community.

"We exist to provide the best support possible for carers as their loved one makes the, sometimes difficult, transition back to civilian life.

"We’re confident that our service will make a positive impact on the whole family and its success will serve to inform future models of care for the armed forces.”