Wanted: members for steering group

The Collective Voice of User/Survivors from Racialised Groups:‘Reigniting the Space’

We are currently recruiting members for a Steering Group to oversee, advise and support the development of a national network of Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) mental health service users and survivors.

The project, funded by Lankelly Chase, aims to bring together BME user/survivors and their groups to create a forum for collective political voice and action through facilitating networking, information sharing and collaboration.

A key initial activity of the project is to map the current field of BME user/survivor-led work in England.

We are recruiting mental health service users and survivors from communities racialised as ‘BME’ who are involved in activities addressing intersecting issues around ‘race’, culture and mental health. We are especially looking for people who will be able to represent local and regional issues and develop connections with other BME user-led work in their areas.

The Steering Group has nine positions and we hope to recruit one person from each of the regions in England. The Steering Group will work closely with the project manager and the researchers who will undertake the mapping.

The Steering Group will have quarterly meetings. Meetings will be held in the regions where the mapping activities will take place.

Appointed members will be able to claim a fee of up to £200 plus travel and reasonable expenses for each day spent on the project.

Please see attached Role Description for further details. To apply, please fill in the Application Form.

3 Advisory group members needed at the Centre for Mental Health and Human Rights, Institute of Mental Health, Nottingham

Title of vacancy: Advisory Group member (3 positions)

Where the activity is to be done: One annual meeting at the IMH in Nottingham; possible occasional meetings at the IMH; otherwise comment and advice by email.

Time commitment needed: approx. 2 days per year.

For a full specification, please download this PDF.

Meeting to promote a rights based approach to the mental health act

The aim of the meeting (12 April): to put together ideas for letters to the government and Professor Sir Simon Wessely and for a press release which advocate a human rights approach to current plans to reform the Mental Health Act.

Read more here

Asylum Magazine needs your experiences of the welfare benefits system

Asylum, the magazine for democratic psychiatry, has announced on the web that they are in the process of putting together a special issue on the welfare benefits system.

You can contribute anything that can be printed: articles, photos, pictures of your art, drawings, memes...

The clock is ticking....you have until the end of April

If you'd like to contribute your experiences, please get in touch with the editors:

Are you someone with experience of mental health problems and a long term physical condition?

NHS England, with support from Mind and Rethink Mental Illness, are running a workshop on 10 April 2018 in Central London.

They’re wanting to find out about:

  • Your experience of getting support for your physical health alongside mental health support
  • How your care was planned
  • Your treatment by services

Your experiences will help to shape NHS England’s pathways on supporting the physical health of people with mental health problems.  

If you’re interested in participating, please contact Emily Waller at Mind, on [email protected], with up to 200 words about your own experience, by 2 April 2018.

Mental Health Matters projects needs volunteers

Gateshead out of Hours service provides opportunities for people to have somewhere to go out of normal service delivery hours to meet other people, participate in interesting and fun activities and receive support and general advice.

The Gateshead out of Hours service needs a volunteer admin, cook and activities support.

For more information please download this document, provided by the project

Leeds Survivor-led Crisis Service (LSLCS) needs new Expert Advisors

Are you a current user of any LSLCS services?

Could you attend our bi-monthly board meetings for 2hrs on a Monday afternoon for 12 months?

The Board of Trustees of Leeds Survivor Led Crisis is looking for 2 Visitors or Callers who would be prepared to attend Board meetings for 12 months, to act as an expert advisor, as someone who currently uses our services.

For more information and how to apply, please click here.

Demand government fixes broken disability assessment process

An influential committee of MPs has now called on the Government to make urgent changes to improve Employment Support Allowance (ESA) and Personal Independence Payments (PIP) assessments to restore confidence in the system.

The committee is calling for face-to-face assessments to be recorded and individuals to be given a copy of their assessors’ report.

We have heard time and again about the damage that assessments for ESA and PIP inflict on people with mental health problems.

Rethink are calling upon people to email Sarah Newton MP, to demand the Government fixes the broken assessment process.

You can take action using the online form set up by Rethink here

Londoners, it's Time to Thrive!

Thrive London has just launched a new project called Time to Thrive. The project is about understanding how the discrimination Londoners face due to their identity affects their mental health and wellbeing.

At this stage, Thrive London is inviting Londoners from all walks of life to share their stories. Thrive London hopes to receive hundreds of stories covering wellbeing, physical and mental health and individuality.

If you would like to get involved in this project, you can register your interest.

Share your coping strategies with the Guardian

Tell the Guardian how you helped yourself overcome the challenges in your life.

Whether you have experienced trauma or loss the Guardian would like to hear about the coping mechanisms you developed to help you through.

You can read more about this and use the online form to respond here

Learning disabilities and skills survey

Closes 29 March.

The future of Learning Disability and Autism services within England is a priority in the Five Year Forward View. Given the workforce changes which may be required to better support people’s changing needs, Health Education England have commissioned Skills for Health (SfH) to support Transforming Care Partnerships in developing the Learning Disability and Autism workforce across England.

As a crucial part of this work SfH are asking all service providers who provide Learning Disability & Autism services to complete a survey regarding the Learning Disability & Autism workforce. The survey asks service providers to submit key workforce information and intelligence which will form the backbone of the wider work to be undertaken supporting workforce development in this area, as well as providing a valuable resource for the sector as a whole. It is important to note that this survey is designed to complement and enhance, rather than replicate, the information captured through the NHSI data collection process.

Therefore, SfH would strongly encourage all providers to complete the survey. The deadline for submission is the 29th March 2018. Please note there is an opportunity to win £150 of Amazon vouchers if you complete the survey (see survey for details). A pdf version is available to download at the top left of the page of the survey. If you have any queries then please contact [email protected]

A link to the survey can be found below. Please choose the one most appropriate depending on the geographical area in which your organisation is based.

North of England
East England Midlands
South of England
London

Take part in study into new talking therapy for Bipolar Disorder or Cyclothymic Disorder (Cumbria)

The ThrIVe-B programme is a research study looking at a talking therapy for people who have Bipolar Disorder or Cyclothymic Disorder, and experience frequent mood swings. The programme is aimed at helping people to stabilise day-to-day mood and to manage stress.

Researchers plan to include 16 people from Cumbria in the study. Half of these people (decided at random) will receive their usual NHS care, whilst the other half will also attend the ThrIVe-B programme. This involves attending regular small group sessions in Carlisle as well as individual meetings with a qualified NHS therapist.
 
Everyone who takes part, whether or not they receive the therapy, will be asked to complete questionnaires and research interviews at several points over a 15 month period.

You will be able to claim expenses for traveling to research appointments.
To sign up or get more information, get in touch with Debbie Duncan at[email protected] or 01524 592291.

You can also visit the website for further information: http://psychology.exeter.ac.uk/thriveb/

Become a governor with Pennine Care NHS Foundation trust

Challenge yourself, make a difference, meet new people - Pennine Care needs you to join its council of governors!

The election process is now underway giving you the chance to stand, or nominate someone to stand, for governor in your local consituency.

Governors represent the views of the communities we look after to help us improve our services and give feedback on any changes.

Pennine Care are running roadshows throughout spring so you can find out more, with nominations for governor candidates open until May.

For more information please download the roadshow flyer