FaCRAN is a group of people who have a strong commitment to the inclusion of the everyday experiences of families and carers who live with, and, or support someone who experiences mental distress.

 

FACRAN exists to:

• Enrich our understanding of these lives and bring key areas of systemic inequality to the fore;  

• Surface the hidden and unexpressed stories of families and carers;  

•  Challenge the individualised view of mental health support to include the relational; and,   

•  Build evidence through experience that assists in advocating for change to promote a better quality of life and opportunity for families and carers   

  

How we work:

• A commitment to researching ‘with’ rather than ‘about’  

• Focusing on real life issues that impact the lives of families, carers, and supporters – issues, as defined by families and carers themselves  

• A commitment to participatory methods  

• Encouraging people with a lived or living experience of caring to join the network  

• Ensuring that researchers and academic network members either have experience of supporting someone experiencing mental distress or are committed to elevating family and carer experiences in their work.  

• A commitment to gentle, accessible, non-exploitative research practices   

• Creating the conditions for families and carers to build capacity to lead and contribute to research and advocacy, which leads to social change.