By Matthew McKenzie, Co-Facilitator – South West London Mental Health Carers Forum
The South West London Mental Health Carers Forum met again during August 2026, bringing together unpaid carers to share experiences, discuss how the forum is developing and look at ways we can strengthen the voice of carers across South West London.
The forum continues to be a peer-led space shaped by carers themselves. An important message from the August meeting was that this is a group for carers, run with carers and influenced by carers. Members spoke about wanting people who join the forum to feel recognised, valued and able to support one another, rather than the group becoming overly formal or service-led.
Co-producing our new forum poster
A significant part of the August meeting was devoted to reviewing a new promotional poster for the forum.
Rather than simply designing a poster and distributing it, we wanted members to see the draft first and help shape the final version. This became a useful co-production exercise in its own right.
Members were generally positive about the design and felt it was clear and welcoming. There was discussion about the wording “We are here for carers – Your voice matters”, and what the word “we” represents. The intention is that “we” means the forum collectively rather than any individual facilitator. The poster therefore needs to communicate that the forum belongs to its members.
Members also discussed the importance of showing what actually happens at the forum. This includes giving carers a stronger voice, influencing services, building connections, raising awareness, providing peer support and occasionally inviting relevant guest speakers.
There was a particularly useful suggestion to make “safe and confidential space” more prominent. Members felt that carers considering joining should know that they can talk about their experiences in an environment where confidentiality and respect are taken seriously.
The discussion also reinforced that guest speakers are useful, but they should support rather than dominate the forum. Speakers can help carers understand services and, importantly, give carers opportunities to raise common concerns directly with people who may be able to influence change.
Keeping the forum safe online
Another important discussion concerned how people access our Zoom meetings.
Members considered whether the Zoom link should simply appear on the poster. We decided against this. Previous experiences of open Zoom links have shown why online carer spaces need some protection.
Instead, the promotional material will direct people towards registration or contact information. This gives us a better idea of who is joining and helps maintain a safer environment for carers discussing potentially sensitive experiences.
The QR code was tested during the meeting and members were able to use it successfully to reach the registration information.
At the same time, an important accessibility point was raised: not every carer has a smartphone or feels comfortable using QR codes. For that reason, the poster includes conventional contact information so nobody is excluded simply because they are less confident with technology.
Making the forum easier to find
We also talked about getting the poster beyond our existing membership.
Members suggested continuing to circulate promotional material through local carer organisations and displaying posters in appropriate NHS and community settings. There was discussion about posters appearing on carer noticeboards and, where possible, reaching wards and other places where families may see them.
The intention is to have both a general poster containing the forum’s regular dates and updated promotional material for individual meetings.
This matters because there are unpaid carers across South West London who may have no idea that a peer forum such as ours exists.
Creating a stronger identity for the forum
One suggestion that came from members was to develop a more independent identity for the forum, including a dedicated email address.
Members felt this could make the forum easier to recognise and give carers a clearer point of contact instead of relying on individual personal accounts. There was also a feeling that having a dedicated identity would help the forum look more established while still remaining a voluntary, carer-led group.
Since the August meeting, I have acted on that suggestion.
The forum now has its own domain and dedicated contact address:
This is a small development, but I think it represents an important step in giving the forum an identity that belongs to the group.
Valuing carers’ time in research
Our meeting also led to a wider discussion about research involving unpaid carers.
I shared information about an Oxford University study exploring caregiver wellbeing and participation in social groups. The proposed survey takes around 40 minutes to complete.
This prompted some strong and thoughtful feedback.
Members were supportive of research that can improve understanding of unpaid caring, but questioned the repeated expectation that carers should contribute substantial amounts of their time without any recognition or reimbursement.
Carers already give enormous amounts of unpaid time. Members felt universities and research organisations should think more carefully about recognising lived-experience contributions, whether through vouchers, reimbursement or even a contribution to an appropriate charity.
This was not about carers being unwilling to help research. In fact, the opposite is often true. Carers repeatedly give their experiences because they hope things will improve for others.
The question raised by the forum was:
If lived experience is valuable enough to research, shouldn’t the time of the people providing that lived experience also be valued?
I agreed to feed this point back.
Moving forward together
What I particularly valued about August’s meeting was that something as straightforward as reviewing a poster developed into a much broader conversation about what kind of forum we want to be.
Members want a welcoming and confidential peer space. They want carers to have a stronger voice. They want relevant speakers and opportunities to influence services, but they also want the forum to remain somewhere carers can simply connect with people who understand the realities of caring.
As one part of the discussion emphasised, we are not a large organisation or charity. We are a group of people coming together to support one another and help ensure carers feel recognised and valued.
That is something worth protecting as the forum grows.
Our next forum
The South West London Mental Health Carers Forum will next meet online on:
Monday 28 September 2026
4:00 pm – 5:30 pm
Online via Zoom
The September session will include a peer session and Recovery College discussion.
The forum covers carers across Kingston, Merton, Richmond, Sutton and Wandsworth.
For information about joining or future meetings, contact:
If you are a carer from the boroughs above, you can also click on the link below to book.
A Caring Mind 