March 2008 Newsletter
Spring is coming. Every year the bleak midwinter is aligned with uncertainties about funding - and never more so than this year. But SPN is going strong and this has been recognised in a renewed grant and a major funding win so the sun is shining again.
SPN has to become self-financing within 12 months. That is a tough ask but possible. We need some good people to help in that task so please do think about joining the Executive or standing for office. Our AGM this year will be the chance to stand and shape the future.
It's also about getting a chance you won't have experienced before to comment on how to spend £18 million pounds. That's the size of the grant from the Big Lottery Fund and Comic Relief to run a programme to allow us to publicly challenge attitudes towards mental illness in England and counter discrimination against people who experience mental ill health. That grant follows a consortium bid from Mental Health Media, Rethink and the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London.
SPN AGM
Main speaker at the AGM will be Sue Baker, Director of Moving People - the organisation with the task of distributing that funding and changing the way society thinks about mental distress.
SPN Questionnaire
SPN needs your active involvement so let us know what you think by filling in the questionnaire to help us inform our work plan for the next 12 months. We are even giving away a £25 book token picked at random from those responding so please reply as soon as you can and no later than 7th April for inclusion in the draw.
Full results will be published in the May newsletter.
SPN Plans Personalisation Study Day
The Department of Health has launched a web-based toolkit enabling Social Services and Mental Health Trusts to identify progress in rolling out Self Directed Support. The toolkit was launched by David Behan at the Managing New Realities conference in London on 4 March. Read more
Tackling Stigma
Are we making progress in tackling stigma? Does the recent coverage of Paul Gascoigne's admission suggest things are a bit better?
Social Work Contribution to Lesbian and Gay Recovery
Planned paper calls for social worker and lesbian and gay people's personal experiences.
If you are lesbian or gay and have experienced mental distress, or are a social worker with experience of dealing with lesbian and gay people, then we want to hear from you. SPN is contributing to a paper which will be published in the European Journal of Social Work, which will look at factors impacting on the recovery of lesbian and gay people and particularly at the role social workers within multi disciplinary teams can play in this process. Your comments if used will be made anonymous. The paper will build on the work SPN has already engaged in around the value of social work - and also our work around recovery - albeit from a specifically lesbian and gay perspective. Please contact SPN Joint Project Co-ordinator Raza Griffiths via email or telephone 020 7089 6864
Surviving, Striving and Thriving
And take a look at a new section on the website sharing stories of surviving, striving and thriving with Charmain Smith's piece on the role of day services in her recovery.
Mental Health Act Implementation
Meanwhile, many are gearing up for the Mental Health Act. You can read about CSIPs plans here.
Clear Thoughts
The Association for Real Change, ARC are undertaking a three year project, funded by the Department of Health, to develop a 'knowledge centre' providing information regarding mental health in learning disability. The centre will provide information for individuals themselves, their families and front line staff. This is the 'Clear Thoughts' project.
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