MAD Alliance

'M.A.D Alliance' started out with NSUN members from eight North West London boroughs who formed a leadership group to establish a culture of co-production at all levels of commissioning and influence provision of mental health care and support across North West London.

'Mad', whilst implying a 'tongue in cheek' adoption of a word often used as an insult, has a secondary meaning here: it stands for 'making a difference'.

Drawing on their individual and collective experience, 'Mad Alliance' members advise the North West London Mental Health and Wellbeing Transformation Board of Commissioners.

The group challenges, informs and drives the redesign of services, improving delivery of the Crisis Concordat standards for care and support.

The concordat is a national agreement between services and agencies that sets out how they will work together to make sure people get the help they need when they are having a mental health crisis.

'Mad Alliance' members were recruited by NSUN and got to know each other whilst attending our 2015 Creative Leadership Programme, which consisted of an an introduction day followed by 12 interactive sessions.

This page is a collection of resources relating to this programme as well as other materials which 'Mad alliance' members use in their work. The Alliance is now managed by a collaboration of local providers accross North West London.

Creative Leadership Programme Handbook

Handbook - Creative Leadership Programme

Creative Leadership Programme Materials

Day 1 - Introduction to Leadership - slides
Day 1 - Influencing User Leadership by Janice Lowe - slides
Day 1 - Leadership by Janice Lowe - slides
Day 1 - Authority and Power - notes
Day 1 - Influence through stories - notes
Day 1 - Servant as Leader - notes

Day 2 - Introduction to Leadership by Naomi Good
Day 2 - Introduction to 4Pi Indicators
Day 2 - The Origins of 4Pi by Alison Faulkner

Day 3 - Session facilitator Brian Joof's article 'there needs to be change'

Day 4 - Session facilitator's Ian Pringle's website
Day 4 - The Forum Project's website, introducing Augusto Boal's Forum Theatre, the Theatre of the Oppressed
Day 4 - Video on how Forum Theatre can blast stigma to change minds and end mental health discriminatation
Day 4 - Video showing an example of Augusto Boal's Theatre of the Oppressed on the theme of suicide

Day 5 - Culture Race and Ethnicity in Commissioning for Mental Health by Dr Colin King - slides
Day 5 - Video on ethnic issues
Day 5 - Dancing to Our Own Tunes Report
Day 5 - Influencing Mental Health Services - a Guide to Values Based Commissioning (VBC)
Day 5 - guidance on VBC from the joint commissioning panel
Day 5 - MH services for black and minority ethnic communities
Day 5 - Doll Test Video

Day 6 - Session facilitator Dr Jonathan Campion's Public Mental Health Indicators

Latest

Mad? I'm furious!

'After 23 years we are apparently no longer valued by decision-makers or funders (...) at the time when we are most needed, nobody will actually fight for us', says Sarah, as the user-led organisation she is part of faces shut down in Liverpool. Published here as part of NSUN's campaign The Value of User Led Groups, this blog is a personal view on the threat of extinction to the Liverpool Mental Health Consortium.
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War and propaganda - mental health services

'There is a file on my computer recording my engagement in twenty years of mental health activism. This file was initially entitled Mental Health. But I have been driven to rename it. It is now entitled The War. I do not use the term lightly'
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