October 2008 Newsletter
Transformational change is a bit of a cliché but the last few weeks do seem to have changed the agenda for mental health policy. First the response to A new vision for mental health has been overwhelmingly positive. Certainly SPN’s response was!. Second the financial crisis has been widely recognised as having implications for mental health with increased referrals to GPs of people with stress and depression. And third personalisation has really taken off with the publication of the evaluation of the individual budget pilots and the positive Department of Health response.
Personalisation Agenda
You can read a summary of the latest research in Terry Bamford’s piece (But if you want to read the full works – all 330 pages we have that link as well)
Personalisation: a Rough Guide
SCIE's personalisation guide was launched on 22 October at the National Children and Adult Services Conference (NCAS) in Liverpool. It tells the personalisation story so far – exploring what it is, where the idea came from and where it sits within wider public service reform. The guide explains some of the basic definitions of personalisation, including individual budgets, direct payments, self-directed support and person-centred planning. It also explores what personalisation could mean for the social care workforce, the independent sector, commissioners and people using services. Personalisation: A Rough Guide is available from the SCIE website
The Right Care website has set up an email petition to demand that the Prime Minister Commits to reforming and increasing funding for the social care system.
Taking the Mental Health Personalisation Agenda Forward
SPN is continuing to work on personalisation issues. We will soon have the publication of the July study day proceedings and Raza writes about the joint day with Pavilion. Peter Beresford, who is speaking at the forthcoming event, has written a blog on Personalisation, published in the Guardian.
Section 64 Bid - Stage 2
Now we are officially registered as a charity we have started the process of seeking funding for next year- in a rather chilly climate. We were very pleased in this context to get to stage 2 with our s 64 bid to develop a toolkit for advocacy targeted at black and minority ethnic organisations.
Parental Mental Health and Child Welfare Study Day
Don’t forget the study day we are planning on behalf of the Parental Mental Health and Child Welfare Network in Birmingham on November 10th.
And finally a plea for help from Laura McGrath.
I am a PhD student in the Psychology Department at London South Bank University. For my doctoral research I'm looking at the role of the environment in both service user and professional experiences of community care. It is a qualitative research project that is planned to involve interviews, focus groups and visual methods. The idea behind the research is to focus on the everyday experience of both using and delivering mental health services across the variety of spaces that constitute contemporary community care.
I am currently at the pilot stage of the research. At this exploratory stage, I am keen to have input from those who have experience of using and/or delivering mental health services or support, in whatever capacity. These preliminary interviews will help shape the final research design. If you are interested in sharing your reflections on these issues, then please contact me or telephone 07903889484.
Many thanks.
Events
Check out our Events page to see what is on in your area.
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