Falkirk’s Mental Health Association
Projects’ Half Year Report 1st April to 30th September 2014
FDAMH, The Victoria Centre, 173 Victoria Road, Falkirk, FK2 7AU
www.fdamh.org.uk www.facebook.com/falkirksmentalhealth
FDAMH is a charity (number SC011889) and a company limited by guarantee (number SC151357)
FDAMH Projects’ Half Year Report
April to September 2014
Contents
Mental Health and Wellbeing Drop-In ................. 3
Link/Social Prescribing Service ............................ 5 Counselling .......................................................... 10
Befriending ........................................................... 13
Third Age Befriending .......................................... 16
Family and Carers Support ................................. 18 Service User and Carer Involvement ................. 21
Immediate Help Service ..................................... 22
Welfare Benefits Advice ...................................... 24 Volunteer Development ...................................... 26
Building Resilience Project .................................. 27
Additional Groups ............................................... 29 Other Activities .................................................... 31 All statistics quoted are for the reporting period 1st April 2014 to 30th September 2014 unless otherwise stated.
Mental Health and Wellbeing Drop-In The Drop-In service offers a friendly, supportive and safe environment for people to come along to socialise and interact with others. Our aim is to support people in accessing community services; provide meaningful activities to enable people to pursue their interests; and empower people to improve their life chances in the wider community.
Project Leader’s Report on the Period Demand for the project continues to show year-on-year growth. Visits to Drop-In are up by 17% compared to the same period last year. Staff are working hard to meet the challenge of managing the project at these very busy levels, allowing us to continue to provide open access to Drop-In. 137 different people were active users of the service in this six month period, generating 4429 visits, an average of 170 visits per week.
2013
2012 2014
0
50
100
150
200
Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep
Num
ber
of v
isits
Weekly visits to Drop In, April to September 2014, with comparison to same period in 2013 & 2012
3 Mental Health and Wellbeing Drop-In
Weekly attendance is as follows:
Weekly Activity Programme
Activities are a highlight for many, there is strong regular attendance of up to 20 participants each time. Service users are supported to organise and run some of our activities, increasing their responsibilities within Drop-In. The weekly activity plan is as follows:
Wednesday Tournament Afternoon (1.30pm – 3pm) Thursday Women’s Group (11.30am to 1.30pm) – see
‘Additional Groups’ Yoga (3.30pm – 4.30pm)
Friday Bingo/Quiz (1pm – 2pm)
Trips and Events
Drop-In trips aim to give people the confidence to access recreational activities in the wider community. We have enjoyed trips to Burntisland, the Transport Museum as well as the Safari Park and Kelvingrove Art Galleries.
The celebration of special events is also very popular with Drop-In members. They are encouraged to join in and help make them happen – so far this year we’ve enjoyed an Easter party and summer barbeques. These parties create a great atmosphere in Drop-In, as well boosting skills and confidence.
Promoting Healthier Lifestyles
Drop-In continues to run a number of food days, designed to show members that you can cook good quality food on a budget. We’ve focused on foods which are quick and easy to make as well as being nutritious and healthy. Some participants have improved their diets and lifestyles with good results.
0
10
20
30
40
Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri
Average number of visits to Drop In per day 01/04/2014 to 30/09/2014
Client Comment: Drop-In has been a lifeline to me. It’s the only place where I socialise and feel comfortable. It’s a place of safety for me where I can keep my mind distracted from the stresses of life. I wasn’t in a good place when I first came but my confidence and self-esteem have gradually grown by attending Drop-In. There’s always someone to talk to and the staff and resources to help with any situations.
Not only has Drop-In helped me but Jane has helped me with my anxiety management, John has helped me with my benefit forms, Liz has provided me with counselling and Fay has given me advice regarding family support.
Members of Drop-In have also been a great support to me. I thought I was alone for so long but by attending Drop-In I realise that other people have experienced similar issues to myself.
4 Mental Health and Wellbeing Drop-In
We have also developed further opportunities for service users to improve their lifestyles by working closely with colleagues from other agencies. We have actively promoted and supported people to attend the Branching Out project. This is a twelve week woodland programme aimed at people who use mental health services delivered by Forestry Commission Scotland and partners. The programme is designed to get people active in the outdoors, learning about wildlife and challenging themselves to learn a variety of ‘bush craft’ skills such as shelter building. Leading to John Muir awards, there was a real buzz about the scheme which really challenged participants to try something out of the ordinary. A fresh batch of Drop-In members are signed up to attend the next run of the course.
We also encouraged members along to Falkirk Football Club where they were given free coaching sessions in football. Some of our members went on to join a mixed organisation team where they played other teams from across Scotland.
Walking football is a new activity available across the community. Stenhousemuir Football club came along and give a taster session on this and other work on keeping fit. Some of our members now attend the Walking Football club at Stenhousemuir.
User Meetings
Meetings are held on a monthly basis and they promote service user involvement by creating the opportunity to provide feedback on Drop-In. Our Drop-In suggestion box also encourages people to become involved in the positive changes in Drop-In.
Link/Social Prescribing Service The Link/Social Prescribing Service aids recovery by supporting people who have become isolated, as a result of experiencing mental health problems; or who have approached their GP regarding issues related to reduced mental wellbeing. The project’s aim is to link people to non-medical sources of support in the community, aiding them in their recovery journeys.
Linking people to appropriate services requires a thorough understanding of the issues they are facing and there are often barriers to overcome such as symptoms like anxiety. Therefore to be effective, the project uses a range of techniques to bring people to a position where they feel able to access other services. Individuals are listened to and assessed holistically. They are offered support; one-to-one work on recovery-focused techniques; advice and information; a short-term buddy service to help them access groups if required; and access to specialist groups run by the service where appropriate.
The focus is on enabling people to find new ways forward, helping to build on their experiences, knowledge and skills, to identify what works for them. Subsequent integration with the wider community provides opportunities for social contact, learning, volunteering opportunities and employment – all of which are known to boost mental wellbeing.
This is normally a short-term intervention of up to 5 sessions, however a small number of clients in need of more significant support may be offered guidance for up to six months.
5 Mental Health and Wellbeing Drop-In | Link/Social Prescribing
Project Leader’s Report on the Period The previous year saw a full-on phase of project development during which our existing Link Service continued to meet expected outcomes whilst expanding to include two new full time members of staff and adopting a new model for service delivery. This financial year will be the first full year of the expanded service.
The project now works directly with GP practices in three target areas: Denny, Stenhousemuir and Grangemouth. Each of the three workers is based in one area, allowing them to build good working relationships and local knowledge.
Feedback from people using the project and referrers has been very positive. As a consequence there is growing demand from many quarters for similar provision throughout the area.
Referrals
In the six months to 30th September there were 211 referrals, with a total of 181 individuals receiving a service. This demonstrates a high demand for the service, however GP partners are receptive to issues over project capacity and manage referrals well, allowing the service to operate without the need for a waiting list. Although the Social Prescribing model largely works directly with GPs, referrals for longer-term support are also accepted from other statutory sector partners. 90% of referrals are directly from NHS sources (see following chart).
Client Profile
68% of referrals are for females, 32% for males. There is a broad spread of age ranges, with 20% in the under 25s and 7% 65 and over.
Contacts
During the period there were 575 attended appointments with clients, plus an additional 103 unscheduled contacts (instigated by client). The cancellation/break rate for planned appointments continues to run at 30%, providing an on-going challenge for practitioners who are keen to ensure that their time is fully utilised. Text messages are being used to help remind people about their appointments.
6 Link/Social Prescribing Service
GP, 85%
FDAMH, 7%
Other NHS, 5%
Others, 3%
Soure of referrals, 01/04/2014 to 30/09/2014
Service Provided
Of the 107 clients who completed with the service in the period, 16 had received extended support of more than 5 sessions.
In addition to the holistic assessment of each client’s situation and the emotional support given to people, the following interventions were delivered:
The organisations and groups people were referred on to are given in the chart opposite
All clients are given the opportunity to complete an evaluation questionnaire at the end of the service. Feedback from clients via the forms and verbally to workers is overwhelmingly positive. Key themes are the feeling of really being listened to, the beneficial personal insights and skills gained, the improvements to people’s ability to cope and a desire that the service could last for longer.
Other, 4
One-to-one therapeutic work, 245
Referrals on, 168
Topic-specific information
provision, 348
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350
7 Link/Social Prescribing Service
0 10 20
Aberlour OutreachSupport Group
FDAMH Mindfulness CourseHousing Support Service
Mindfulness CourseEducation - Other Community
Education - WASPEducation - Other Further/Higher
FDAMH Card GroupActive Forth
Education - Next StepLeisure
CounsellingBranching Out
FDAMH Drop InBraveheart
Addiction Support Counselling (ASC)CVS
Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB)FDAMH Welfare Worker
FDAMH BefriendingFDAMH Activities
Complementary TherapiesOthers
FDAMH Anxiety ManagementFDAMH Counselling
Number of referrals
Organisations people referred on to
26 clients returned an Evaluation Questionnaire. 85% of people stated they would continue to use services they were referred to and nearly two-thirds of clients report feeling better about themselves and their lives. Over 90% found the service a useful source of information. Responses to the questions indicate a high degree of satisfaction with the manner in which the service operates, and of particular note is the way in which everyone felt strongly that their views had been taken into account. A small proportion of people find the short-term nature of the service difficult, even though this aspect of the service is clearly explained from the outset. Our training courses help to provide continued contact for those not fully ready to disconnect from services.
The Warwick Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS) offers a validated method to evaluate the impact of the project on mental wellbeing. All clients are invited to complete WEMWBS at the first session and then again after completion with the service. Currently 32 complete sets of data are available. The average score for these clients at commencement is 31.2 and after completion, 41.8. These results demonstrate an impressive and statistically significant improvement in WEMWBS for this group averaging 10.6 points.
Ten referrers returned a Referrers Evaluation Form in the period. Referrers are reporting satisfaction with the way the service is run and the communications with the service, but importantly, they are also identifying and reporting real benefits for their patients. Responses have highlighted the high value referrers are placing on a responsive service that can see patients quickly. A recurring theme from GPs is the request / demand for greater capacity.
Client Comments: “This has been very helpful in letting me understand I can help myself and ways to do it”
“Fantastic service from compassionate insightful worker. Put things into perspective for me”
Referrer Comments: “Both (patients) talked very highly of the Social Prescribing and feel that their lives have been changed around by the time that you spent with them and the advice that you have given to them. I feel that your service has been invaluable to the practice since you started and hope that you are able to continue this as I feel that there is a real need for this clinically for the people of Stenhousemuir and I fell that their physical, mental and psychological health has been improved by having your service as another tool in our armoury.”
“Patients I have sent have been very positive about it. Not too long to wait, seen locally and given advice and information about where to go and what to do once sessions are completed. Particularly helpful for patients who don't want to take regular prescribed medication etc.”
“Very satisfied - quick response and good/quick communication and management”
“I find the service very good. Patients very happy”
8 Link/Social Prescribing Service
Groups and Training
The original Link service offered a range of groups to help support clients and this continues to be the case.
The Anxiety Management Course is now well established and very popular. Because of this we have extended the number of trainers to enable us to increase provision throughout the year, although there continues to be a waiting list. The course runs over eight sessions and is a holistic, recovery-focused course enabling students to find out all about stress and anxiety. Participants try different relaxation techniques to help manage their anxiety, including ‘deep breathing’; deep muscle progressive relaxation; guided imagery; Mindfulness Meditation; and complementary therapies provided by Heather LeMarquand on a voluntary basis. The course also introduces the concept of how food affects mood - students are introduced to a more holistically balanced diet and encouraged to look at exercise as a way of helping to reduce stress and anxiety. It also includes ‘Cultivating Healthy Thinking’ using CBT techniques. The course continues to show very good outcomes using the Generalised Anxiety Disorder – 7 Scale.
The introductory Mindfulness session during the Anxiety Management Course allows participants to make an informed choice to take up a place on the full eight week Mindfulness Course. This course gives people the opportunity to cultivate their skills in Mindfulness for managing stress, anxiety and depression. The course is facilitated by an experienced trainer and is also available to other service users and volunteers. Results from the first course have been very positive, with 12 of the 14 students continuing to the end. Students rated the course highly in terms of its importance to their lives and ten of the students were intent on
continuing to use mindfulness techniques.
The Mindfulness Craft Group continues to meet weekly. This group is deliberately small, with a normal attendance of five or six. It provides a calm environment, particularly beneficial to those who need to build confidence to be able to access community activities.
Volunteers
A key aspect of the latest period in relation to developing the project has been the successful recruitment and training of Buddy Volunteers. The project now has 6 ‘buddies’ to accompany people to chosen activities. Volunteers also support the Craft Group and we plan to use peer support volunteers in courses next year.
Partnership Working
Partnership with local GPs is, of course, at the heart of this project. However, we continue to build relationships with others who can help our service and clients. Good links have been created with the Alliance Link Programme and we have had the opportunity to share in their training.
A strong connection has also been made with local CAB and Community Education Centres who are providing room space as well as being a resource to refer our clients on to.
A great boost for our younger clients has been delivered by a new relationship with Loretto Housing Association. We had noted that referrals from GPs for young people based at the Association’s Homeless Hostel did not have a successful uptake. We responded by contacting staff at Loretto to discuss the issue – they have now offered room space to see their young people within the hostel in order to better engage them.
9 Link/Social Prescribing Service
Counselling The Counselling Service at FDAMH is accredited by COSCA (Counselling and Psychotherapy Scotland) and provides a professional and confidential service to individuals aged sixteen years and over. Our aim is to help support our clients to bring about changes that will empower them to make positive choices. Our generic counselling service offers free short-term counselling (up to 8 sessions) but extended time is offered if required when appropriate. One full-time Counselling Coordinator manages the service. Counselling sessions are provided by the Coordinator and volunteers who are either fully qualified counsellors from a variety of therapeutic disciplines or students on practice placement from approved Universities and Training Centres.
Project Leader’s Report on the Period High demand for this service created what we considered to be unacceptable waiting times for clients during the last financial year, resulting in the difficult decision to close the waiting list for several weeks during March and April. Referrals re-opened in May with a much shorter waiting time, however since then referrals have climbed back to previous levels and waiting times have inevitably shown a slow steady increase. We will continue to monitor this and take appropriate action if required.
The Fast Track Counselling Service is now well established, serving clients who wish to pay for their counselling sessions. This removes people from the waiting list for our standard service, and goes some way to helping us to reduce waiting times.
Young people are benefiting from additional funding that was received to support extra counselling for the 16 to 24 age group.
This means that waiting times for this group are short, with counselling provided promptly by fully qualified, paid counsellors.
The service is delighted to have met the monitoring standards of the COSCA Recognition Scheme for Organisations as a Counselling Organisation for the 8th year.
Referrals
The 285 referrals received during this period are slightly less compared to the same period last year, however this is directly accounted for by referrals lost by the closure of the list during April.
Referrals to the service have been prevented from rising further due to a change in the practice of referrers. In the past many referrers chose Counselling as the default service to refer people to, perhaps because this is a service that most referrers knew about. However many are now directing people to FDAMH’s Immediate Help Service and staff are also encouraging people to use this option if they seem uncertain what their exact needs are. Immediate Help allows skilled staff to assess client need and direct people more appropriately at the outset and actually results in fewer referrals to counselling. We believe this is an ideal way of working that is better for our clients. Sadly it is unfunded and therefore there is not sufficient capacity to embed this model fully. Please see the Immediate Help Service section for more detail.
This change in behaviour is one factor that is actively limiting pressure on the Counselling Service. In addition our Social Prescribing Service, based at the GP practices that previously showed the highest referral rates to Counselling, provides a different avenue for GPs to pursue. This reduces counselling
10 Counselling
referrals from these practices.
There has been an increase in the number of referrals from FDAMH staff however, due to the large number of clients now being assessed via the Social Prescribing Project and increasing use of Immediate Help. Nevertheless, like Immediate Help, Social Prescribing has a fairly low referral rate on to Counselling.
63% of referrals were for females and 37% for males. Referrals come from across all age groups, with clients accepted from 16 years.
Counselling Sessions
249 unique individuals attended a counselling session at FDAMH
during the six month period.
1563 counselling sessions were offered in the period. This is a large 58% increase of over 500 sessions on the same period last year. Half of this increase is due to over 200 extra sessions being offered via additional funding for Young Person’s Counselling as mentioned in the introduction – this equates to 385 youth sessions in total, attended by 55 different individuals. In addition the Fast Track scheme has offered 157 sessions, a doubling compared to the same period last year. Core service sessions from our volunteer counsellors have also risen. Finally, changes in volunteer recruitment, outlined later in the report, have given the Counselling Co-ordinator more time to dedicate to working with clients alongside project management work – this has increased capacity by a further 50 counselling sessions.
The modest income for FDAMH from Fast Track Counselling has helped us to extend reception staffing, lengthening our evening opening on Wednesdays by two hours, this has also been a factor in allowing us to provide more sessions for all.
The overall attendance rate was 78%, with an improvement in attendance from people accessing Young Person’s Counselling – this was 66% last year but has improved to the same level as other free counselling.
Volunteers
During the past six months, one volunteer has left the service to take up a new job and two students have now qualified. We have made the decision not to taken on any new students as we now have a core team of mainly qualified counsellors who are devoting more hours to the service each week. The removal of work
Social Work 1%
Friend/Family 2% Others
9%
Self 18%
FDAMH 23%
GP 41% Other NHS
6%
Source of referrals, 01/04/14 to 30/09/14
11 Counselling
associated with recruiting students has allowed the Counselling Co-ordinator the opportunity to carry a small case load of clients which is helping to reduce our waiting list. We currently have 20 very committed volunteer counsellors.
We continue to offer regular training to our volunteers who meet with the Counselling Co-ordinator four times per year and we organise combined training evenings twice a year. Our last training evening in March was First Aid Training on how to cope with a medical emergency.
Client Evaluations
Evaluation forms, seeking feedback on how satisfied clients were with the service and any general comments, are issued at the completion of counselling. 24 evaluation forms were returned during the period. All but two respondents found every aspect of the FDAMH Counselling Service (counselling, premises and welcome) to be very or extremely satisfying.
The service continues to assess client distress at the start and end of counselling using the CORE outcome measure. Results will be reported in the full year report available in May 2015.
Volunteers’ Comments: "As a trainee counsellor, I'm grateful for all the support and encouragement I have been given by the counselling service, with opportunities for self-development with the many courses on offer. My experience of working in FDAMH has been life changing as it is for the many people that use their services".
“I have been a volunteer counsellor with FDAMH for over 2 years and I enjoy being part of an organisation which I know makes a huge difference to people's daily lives. The atmosphere at FDAMH is warm, welcoming and supportive. It is a place where people can just be themselves.”
“The work I do is challenging but also incredibly rewarding. The courage and resilience my clients show never ceases to amaze me. Giving someone the chance to be listened to and supported can be a very powerful and often life changing experience. Thankfully, this is made possible at FDAMH and I feel proud and privileged to be part of that.”
Clients’ Comments: “Excellent, helpful and caring”
“My Counsellor has been amazing. Non-judgemental, impartial, friendly, I have found this service to meet my needs perfectly.”
“Very relaxed atmosphere, made a real difference to mine and my family’s life. Thank you.”
“I feel more myself now which is great and I would not be at this stage if not for here. Great work.”
12 Counselling
Befriending Befriending is a one-to-one relationship offered to people living in the community who have experienced, or are experiencing, mental health problems.
Recognising that mental health problems can make people very isolated, the aim of the befriending relationship is to help by relieving loneliness and isolation by getting out and about; listening and trying to understand; and trying to help establish links with the local community through social and recreational activities.
Project Leader’s Report on the Period
During this reporting period 24 befriending relationships ended and 19 new relationships commenced. The total number of individuals in receipt of service at the end of the period was 34. During the period 57 unique individuals used the service.
These figures include three befriendees who access the contact group. This is where one befriender works with a small group of people rather than on a one-to-one basis.
Referrals
47 referrals were received during the period, from a variety of sources – see following table. The largest referrers are the NHS (43%) and FDAMH’s other projects (43%).
Referrer Number of Referrals
FDAMH Projects 18 GP 5 Psychology 5 Social Work 5 Community Psychiatric Nurse 3 Psychiatry 1 FDAMH Immediate Help 2 Occupational Therapy 2 Russell Park 2 Dunrowan 1 Epilepsy Connections 1 Health Visitor 1 Ypeople 1
Client Profile
Of those referred, waiting and matched, currently 65% are female and 35% male. The figure over the page shows that Befriending Service users evenly cover a range of age groups.
13 Befriending
Befriending Contacts
The total number of kept one-to-one befriending meetings during the period was 358. There is a good attendance rate of 83% - most missed appointments are cancelled, with only 6% broken without warning. A further 82 initial meetings, revisits, reviews and matching meetings were also attended. During the period there were 11 contact group meetings with 33 instances of attendance from the three contact group members.
Outcomes
The progress of all matchings is closely monitored by the Project Leader through regular contact with the volunteer and review meetings with the befriendee. This helps to ensure that the both client and volunteer are happy with the matching and that intended goals can be achieved.
Project outcomes continue to be measured using the Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well Being Scale (WEMWBS). The longer-term nature of this service means that there are fewer clients to provide evaluations, therefore reporting of the WEMWBS will be provided in the full report at the end of the year when there is more data available. WEMWBS outcomes have previously always exceeded those required to indicate ‘meaningful change’.
Qualitative feedback is also encouraged; some recent comments are given below.
18-24 4%
25-34 15%
35-44 23%
45-54 31%
55-64 22%
65+ 5%
Age range of clients (referred, waiting and matched) at end of period
Carer Comment: After years of suffering enduring mental health problems, my Dad was referred to FDAMH for a befriender. Within a few months my dad received a letter from Stuart to say he would visit him at home with a colleague. I met with Stuart at my dad’s and we discussed my dad’s needs ensuring he was given choices at every step of the way. Stuart spoke about the service FDAMH provided and through talking my Dad agreed to join one of the social groups within the service. Since this time my dad has faithfully attended the group which he really enjoys. This enables him to interact with others with the same problems and also gives him something to look forward too. My dad was then introduced to his befriender who he meets up with once a fortnight. My dad has shared he enjoys the one to one interaction. As a carer to my dad for the last 30 years I feel FDAMH has given me some respite and has encouraged my Dad to have a purpose in life.
On behalf of myself and my Dad I can't thank you enough.
14 Befriending
Volunteers and Training
Befriending is largely delivered by carefully selected, trained volunteers. The total number of available befriending volunteers (i.e. fully trained) associated with the project at the end of the
period was 32. Nine volunteers have left during this reporting period. Two training blocks have been held, which seven volunteers successfully completed for the Befriending Service. There are 2 volunteers on hold (trained but currently unable to commit the necessary time) and 8 waiting to be matched. The match is essential to the success of the befriending – we usually would aim to match people of the same gender and with similar interests, sometimes age group is also important to the client. Because of this waiting times for clients are to some extent dictated by the availability of a suitable volunteer. There have traditionally been a smaller number of male volunteers available, so we focused a recent recruitment drive on encouraging more men to consider becoming volunteers.
Client Comment: Having had anxiety for a long time, meeting people and going places has always been a struggle. So when having a befriender was mentioned, the same anxious feelings of fear and worry which usually made me put off doing things were there as always.
I'm glad to say I did push through my anxiety and met my befriender who was so easy going that it made me question what all my worrying was for. I realise had I not met him it would have been a big mistake as I would have missed out on many positive experiences like having something to look forward to each week or learning to play squash which I would never have done or just being able to talk about anxiety and depression with someone who understands just in the same kind of way we chat about everyday things like movies or what happened during our week.
Thinking about my anxiety and negative thinking I had before meeting my befriender I can see through time how it changed to the point of looking forward to the meetings. It gives me hope that if my thoughts and anxiety can change with that, hopefully they can be changed with other aspects of my life.
Volunteer Comment: “I very much agree that I have been effectively supported and found the training very informative. The past year (of befriending) has been good for me and hopefully for the person I befriended!”
15 Befriending
Third Age Befriending The Third Age Befriending project provides a one-to-one relationship and social contact groups, offered to isolated and lonely older adults (55 years and upwards), who are deemed to be at the early stages of diminished mental health. This isolation and loss of confidence may be as a result of life events such as a stroke or a heart attack, a fall or bereavement.
The aim of the project is to help relieve this isolation and loneliness, re-engaging clients with past activities, or helping them discover new interests and social circles. The gradual return to social activities is expected to have a positive effect on their mental wellbeing and thereby improve overall health. This ultimately lessens the burden on a wide range of statutory services and often on family members too.
Project Leader’s Report on the Period Funding for this project ceased in August 2014. However, in view of the benefits and very positive outcomes, FDAMH’s Board has elected to continue to self-fund the project while alternative funding is pursued. In the meantime new referrals have been halted to prevent service from being withdrawn in the early stages of a befriending should the project be forced to come to an end. Prior to the cessation of referrals 96% were via the NHS.
During the period we have maintained and developed existing one-to-one matchings and group opportunities we offer to clients. Particularly popular are the social contact groups, which we have expanded to include a small theatre group for those clients keen to attend live music and theatre events locally.
On-going evaluation using the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well Being Scale (WEMWBS) indicates an extremely positive response. 14 evaluation sets have been completed, with averages shown below.
Higher scores indicate better mental wellbeing and gains starting from between 3 and 8 points are acknowledged to demonstrate
WEMWBS Indicator Before After %
Improvement in score
I've been feeling optimistic about the future 40 55 38 I've been feeling useful 33 54 64 I've been feeling relaxed 32 57 78 I've been interested in new things 46 49 7 I've had energy to spare 29 43 48 I've been dealing with problems well 38 54 42 I've been thinking clearly 40 57 43 I've been feeling good about myself 33 56 70 I've been feeling close to other people 43 48 12 I've been feeling confident 28 54 93 I've been able to make up my own mind 43 62 44 I've been feeling interested in other people 42 59 40 I've been feeling cheerful 33 55 67
Client Comment: “Since we started going out to different trips, I feel more able, more confident. I know I can do it and I won't panic. I do think the group has made a difference, aye definitely. I'm much more able to do things myself now.”
16 Third Age Befriending
‘meaningful change’1. Our group has shown a gain of 17 points from a low average score of 37 to a score of 54 (the population mean score for Scotland in 2012 was 502). The largest gains were in confidence, people feeling relaxed, good about themselves and useful.
Befriending contacts
The total number of matched one-to-one befriending relationships is currently 15, with over 200 meetings having taken place. The matched clients and befrienders maintain regular contact, with 93% of planned meetings taking place. The project also supports two contact groups (the Stepping On group and the Theatre group), which have a combined total of 18 members. During the six-month period there were 11 contact group meetings with 61 instances of attendance from group members, translating to a 75% attendance rate.
Profile of Befriendees
The age range of the clients ranges from 55 to 94 years of age, with the majority (81%) being over 65 years of age. The gender ratio is currently 68% female and 32% male clients.
Volunteers / Training
The total number of befriending volunteers available (i.e. fully trained) at the end of the period was 20, with a further one potential volunteer currently completing training.
Additional Outcomes
The on-going development of the Stepping On group has proved particularly successful. In direct response to the group’s needs and wants, we have extended the range of cafes and restaurants we
visit and we have facilitated several day trips, which have been especially popular with the client group.
The clients’ responses to these developments are very positive:
Partnership Working:
A successful partnership has been forged between the TAB project and Headway, a support group for adults with acquired brain injuries. At present, two clients have been introduced to the Headway group, with very positive results:
Client Comment: “I haven’t missed a week since the first time you took me. I couldn’t do without it; I’ve got so much help with my memory. I’ve made a couple of good pals through it and I now do the baking for the group every week. Really, really glad you took me along.”
Client Comments: “I like the group much better now. Before, we always went to the same café so I didn't go too often. But now, I really like trying all the new cafés and restaurants. Two years ago, I would not have been able to go into a restaurant or café, but I really like it now”
“Oh aye, I like the changes. I like trying out the new cafés and I've been back to a few of them since. I'm happy with the new faces joining us. It's nice to see different faces and chatting to them.”
17 Third Age Befriending
FDAMH was able to provide the Headway group with a seminar on Mental Health Awareness and information exchange has been very beneficial for both projects.
1 Putz R et al. Using WEMWBS to measure the impact of your work on mental wellbeing: A practice-based user guide, 2012 http://www.healthscotland.com/documents/2702.aspx
2 Bromley et al. Scottish Health Survey 2012 – Volume 1 Main Report, National Statistics, 2013 http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2013/09/3684
Family and Carers Support The Family and Carers Support Service recognises that when a person is diagnosed with a mental illness they are not the only ones affected; partners, spouses, siblings, and other close family relatives and friends may also be in need of support to help them understand what is happening and how to manage their own feelings about the situation.
Staffed with one full-time and one part-time worker, the service offers one-to-one and family-focused support, regular support groups and education courses. In combination these services can help people / families deal with crisis situations, educate families and carers in all aspects of learning to cope effectively with their situation and provide on-going understanding and support.
Work with families is focused on empowering and strengthening families through information, education and skills development. For example, assessment of the family’s situation may indicate the need for support to develop more effective parenting or communication strategies, children may need help to understand their family member’s illness, or family members may need to work on their own emotional health and wellbeing.
The service is confidential, free and available to all families in the Falkirk and District area. People can self-refer or be referred by health and social care professionals. We work in conjunction with a broad range of professionals to identify ‘at risk’ families. We also network with relevant agencies to save crossover or duplication of
18 Third Age Befriending | Family and Carers Support
existing provision and to ensure resources are targeted where effective support is most beneficial to families in need.
Project Leader’s Report on the Period Shifting from a Carers Support model to a Family Support model has been an interesting and rewarding experience for both staff and the people who use the services. The formalising and development of our work with families means that we are involved in more diverse and complex work than in the past and as a consequence this has necessitated that we form partnerships with a whole host of different services.
Referrals
In total 35 new families were referred to and started using the project during the period. 15 cases were closed. The project currently has 216 people or families registered with the project. Interaction with registered users can range from keeping them informed of carer’s issues via our newsletter, attendance at groups, occasional enquiries or requests for support, through to regular direct work with the people concerned.
Direct Support
At the current time a new system is being embedded to record project activity and old data is being migrated to this. It is due to this improvement in our data capture procedures that we regret we are unable to provide data on the number of direct / indirect consultations. However, on average the project is providing three direct meetings or supportive and significant telephone contacts with families each day. It should be noted that this is in addition to contacts and other work with carers.
Support Groups
There are three support groups, offering people a chance to have a moan, cry and importantly to have a laugh in a relaxed and supportive environment. Invited speakers attend one of our evening support groups bi-monthly and cover a wide range of topics from relapse to relaxation. Our Friday ‘Coffee Afternoon’ accommodates carers who find it difficult to attend in the evening. It provides an opportunity for carers to pop in and touch base with others, as well as giving access to one of the Family Support Workers. Overall, every month sees an average of 40 people attending one of these Support Groups.
Training
This period has seen the introduction of free Mindfulness Courses for carers thanks to funding from the National Carers Organisation
0
5
10
15
20
25
1 2 3 4 5 6
Support Group Attendance April to September 2014
Tuesday Evening (One monthly meeting)
Wednesday Evening (One monthly meeting)
Coffee Afternoon (Total for two fortnightly meetings)
19 Family and Carers Support
and Short Breaks Fund.
Mindfulness offers carers tools and techniques to relieve emotional distress by finding new and effective ways of managing their stress, learning to handle their thoughts, moods and emotions more effectively, being better able to deal with physical, mental, social and emotional issues and living their lives more fully. The mindfulness skills we offer have been shown to be highly effective in reducing stress and enhancing well-being. This well-structured programme is delivered weekly over an 8 week period.
Two mindfulness courses were up and running at the end of the period and both are being enthusiastically participated in. A further two courses are planned to commence in February next year. Evaluation results for the courses will be available in our end-of-year report in 2015 but some initial comments are shown below.
The Carers’ Education Course is a long-standing feature of the project. It supports people to become more self-aware and to take care of themselves more effectively. Numerous techniques, tools and skills are learnt to support this process of change. Capacity
issues means it has been impossible to run this course at the same time as the Mindfulness course however, we will be doing so early next year.
Bereaved by Suicide Support Group
The Bereaved by Suicide Group hosted by FDAMH saw an average of 11 people attending each month and regular contact with 25 people. On average one new person each month has contacted us about the group and been offered information, advice and support. This much needed group is also supported by Forth Valley Royal Hospital Pastoral Care Department. The group meet on an informal basis on the last Monday of each month from 6pm – 8.30pm.
Young Carers
CAREFREE is a Young carer’s course run in conjunction with Falkirk Foundation for 15-18 year olds. The present course content included life skills and mental health awareness training aimed at helping young people cope with the stresses of life more effectively. The course also included fun/activity days for all participants and the group worked well and enjoyed the experiences on offer. FDAMH’s Carers Worker has been involved in the design and delivery of this course.
Other Developments
During the course of our work with families we identified a need for support with parenting skills. As a consequence we are currently developing plans to become involved in parenting classes for people with mental health issues. This is a multi-agency development and further support for families across the Falkirk area.
Client Comments: “This course has come at just the right time for me and it is such a wonderful space to relax and learn about myself in”
“The course has opened up new ways of finding out about how to take care of myself for once”
“All the people in the group are benefiting from coming together and it feels so much nicer doing our practice in a group of people who we have become comfortable and safe with”
20 Family and Carers Support
Service User and Carer Involvement Service user and carer involvement is about making sure that the views of the people who use mental health services have the chance to be heard in order to make real, sustainable changes. Equally it is important to have mechanisms whereby carers can raise issues of concern and contribute to service development. We know from experience that the people who use services or care for those that do are the true experts. They are the ones that know exactly what they need, what works well, how things should be delivered and what improvements need to be made.
This project had been suspended during the previous financial year, however the new part-time project coordinator, who has extensive and valuable experience of working in Mental Health within the NHS, has been in post since the end of April.
Project Leader’s Report on the Period With the project being inactive in the preceding period there has been a substantial amount of work in re-establishing the project and considering how it can best achieve its aims. This has involved reviewing previous activity in terms of membership and what people actually got involved in, as well as substantial research on current thinking and building networks with local and national organisations and contacts. As involvement can take many forms and be done in many different ways, the aim of this work is to highlight best practice and effective ideas, which will feed in to the model of working that this project will adopt.
It is apparent that it is very easy for service user groups to fall in to endlessly consulting the same small set of willing people all of the
time, therefore whatever methods are pursued, they must aim to involve and consult a broader, more fluid, stakeholder population.
The original Reference Group, previously a key focus of the project, is being re-engineered. New people are being recruited to the group, but the group will operate differently to the way it has in the past. Its new role will be to promote and facilitate service user and carer involvement rather than focusing on being a consultation group. People will liaise with key groups both within the NHS and Falkirk Community Services. A recovery-based approach will be used which will look at utilising the key skills of individual people.
An initial open “meet and greet” session with service users and carers in June was extremely well attended and successful in getting people to sign up to the new Reference Group. Since then one of the members has been lending significant support in developing plans for how the new Reference Group can work and its membership. The first meeting has taken place from which we have an agreement on how to progress.
Development activities have taken place alongside a whole host of involvement work. This includes a wide range of consultation activities, such as:
• Mental Health Services Review 10 years on • Review of Falkirk Integrated Mental Health Services
Questionnaire • World Café Event for Falkirk Integrated Mental Health
Services • Falkirk Council Future Housing Needs for over 50’s
We have encouraged and supported representatives to attend a variety of events and meetings, including:
21 Service User and Carer Involvement
• Relaunch of See Me Campaign • Scottish Association for Mental Health Hustings • Scottish Patient Safety Programme • Public Partnership Forum • Joint Advisory Group • Over 50’s Forum • Forth Valley User and Carer Involvement Forum • UNITY (Social Sciences Dept., Stirling University)
We are also delighted to have achieved service user involvement in a recent informal interview panel for a Senior Social Worker post in the Falkirk Integrated Community Mental Health Team.
Next Steps
There is still a lot of work ahead to establish service user and carer involvement in Falkirk Mental Health Services in a meaningful way. However it is an exciting time and offers a worthy challenge.
Key upcoming tasks will be to continue to develop the Reference Group; include those using other local mental health services (e.g. Westbank, Dunrowan and Clubhouse); improve carer involvement; evaluate involvement opportunities; and continue provision of open information/discussion sessions for all service users and carers.
Service Users and Carers
This project is all about the people it reaches out to. The service users and carers it has reached so far have proved themselves a truly inspirational bunch. Their willingness to be involved and their great contributions are hugely appreciated.
Immediate Help Service Many people, from health professionals to members of the public, turn to FDAMH for information and help. Enquiries about FDAMH and other organisations are received on a daily basis and many are dealt with by reception staff and volunteers.
But because people often turn to us in times of great need and despair, we also provide an Immediate Help Service, offering access, without appointment, to a skilled staff member to anyone that needs support during office hours. This service is provided through a ‘duty’ system which rosters appropriate staff who will be available if required. Duty staff also may be involved in catering for short visits by interested professionals and students.
Report on the Period In this period we provided 205 instances of support, an increase of 13% on the same period last year, demonstrating that the 60% growth in support requests reported last year has been sustained and, indeed, exceeded (see chart on next page).
Supports took 135 hours or 19 days of staff time. This equates to providing over 5 hours of available on-demand support each week. Duty staff also dealt with 12 visits, however many more were accommodated by Drop-In workers and volunteers.
At least 70% of supports are face-to-face, with many people who phone in electing to come and meet with a member of staff rather than receiving support by telephone.
55% of those seeking support were female, 43% male (no data on 2%). The estimated age range shows that people of all ages,
22 Service User and Carer Involvement | Immediate Help Service
including the youngest (16 to 24) and oldest (65+), continue to use the service. The data suggests a growth in under 25s attending, increasing from 9% last year to 17% in this period.
For 60% of those using the Immediate Help Service this was their first contact with FDAMH, similar to the same period last year. Only about 10% of those using Immediate Help were currently accessing other FDAMH services.
The emotional state of those seeking help is assessed by the staff member using a simple scale where 1 indicates calm and 5 severe distress. In a substantial jump up from the corresponding period last year, nearly half of those seeking support were scored as very distressed (scores of 4 or 5) – previously a quarter of people. Similarly those noted as considering harming themselves (i.e. thoughts of suicide or self-harm) has increased from 16% to at
least 39%. A new question was introduced during the period, indicating that one third of those attending had made a suicide attempt in the past.
Towards the start of the period we decided to collect information on the key problems that were causing people to seek help and the main underlying causes.
Supports 2014
Supports 2013
Supports 2012
05
1015202530354045
Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep
Number of supports per month in April to September 2014, showing comparison with 2013
and 2012
0%10%20%30%40%50%
1 2 3 4 5Emotional Score (assessed by worker): 1 - Calm, through to 5 -
Very Distressed
Emotional state of those using IHS, April to September 2014
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
PsychosisIntention to Self Harm
Other Mental IllnessConcern for another
DepressionStress/Anxiety
Primary indicated reasons for seeking help via IHS, May to September 2014
Workers may tick any nubmer of relevant categories
23 Immediate Help Service
The preceding chart shows that symptoms of stress or anxiety and depression were by far the main reasons why people sought support via the Immediate Help Service.
The causes of the distress are wide and varied and often very complex, however results indicate that relationships and home life are a key factor for many.
On all but one occasion staff reported being able to provide some sort of help to those coming in for support. Outcomes were as follows: 70% of people were given emotional support; 58% were referred to one or more of FDAMH’s services and 18% were shown around the centre; 28% were signposted to external services; and 56% were provided with information.
Welfare Benefits Advice FDAMH’s Welfare Benefits Adviser is provided thanks to a partnership with Grangemouth Citizens Advice Bureau. The service has proved invaluable to our client group, very many of whom have been affected by the changes to the benefits system and the well-publicised difficulties generated by these changes for people experiencing mental health problems.
The Benefits Advice Worker is currently based at FDAMH four days per week, however he often attends for appointments on a fifth day also to cope with demand.
Project Leader’s Report on the Period The worker sees from 60 and 70 different people each month. Each case takes anywhere between one and six sessions and there is additional work to be undertaken by the worker outside of these sessions.
The service continues to experience increasing demand and is delivering increased financial gains for clients in need. This increase in work volume is shown in the amount of case work required rather than in client numbers. This is because applications for Personal Independence Payments and Employment and Support Allowance are often refused, requiring follow-up work through mandatory reconsiderations and appeals if required. This is time-consuming and unfortunately creates high levels of stress for already vulnerable clients, however we are concluding the process with a high rate of successful cases.
Referrals are received from all services at FDAMH, with many coming via our community-based Social Prescribing workers. It is
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40%
NoneSubstance abuse
Victim of crime/abuse Unemployment
Physical healthBereavement
OtherFinancial difficultyProblems at work
Problems at homeRelationships
Indicated causes of distress for those using IHS, May to September 2014
Workers may tick any nubmer of relevant categories for each person.
24 Immediate Help Service | Welfare Benefits Advice
clear that for a growing number of FDAMH’s clients welfare reform is a serious concern, and many are experiencing mental distress that is caused or aggravated by hardship and potential poverty. Being able to refer clients on to promptly available help for benefit problems has proved to be a valuable intervention in helping to relieve mental health issues. Resolution of benefits difficulties allows people to enjoy a better standard of living, experience greater financial security and reduce the effects of deprivation and of anxiety related to financial circumstances.
During the period we have introduced a more detailed referral form for staff and volunteers directing people to the benefits worker. This helps to cut down on time spent on gathering basic information and ensures that the worker can use his time more efficiently by having essential details in place for the first appointment.
Staff, carers and service users are all interested in information about changes to the benefits system. For this reason the Benefits
Worker has also been providing monthly information sessions in the Drop-In centre. Group information sessions can be used to help deal with queries people have that do not require a one-to-one intervention and they also help people to consider their own situations and learn more about what support may be available to them. It is also a valuable opportunity to dispel some myths!
With the introduction of Universal Credit next year, the routine nature of appeals and the on-going long waiting times to deal with claims, we anticipate that demand for this service during the foreseeable future will continue to be very high. Case Study
A service user presented with issues regarding her two sons, both are agoraphobic and were receiving benefits at the lowest rates.
After case examination and requesting Supersession to increase their benefit income, both clients are now in receipt of highest award for Employment and Support Allowance and Personal Independence Payments, increasing their benefit income by £100 per week each. This has resulted in a clear improvement in their, and their mother’s, mental health.
25 Welfare Benefits Advice
Volunteer Development Thanks to a successful funding application, FDAMH is delighted to announce the recruitment of a dedicated Volunteer Development Officer earlier this year. FDAMH is in the very fortunate position to benefit from a large team of around 100 volunteers, working to improve the lives of the people in their communities. Below, our worker, Morag Fullard, explains her new role.
Project Leader’s Report on the Period FDAMH has a long history of having the most amazing volunteers working with us. They are an extremely valuable group of people and we recognised that there was a need to have a dedicated person to offer them the support and development opportunities that we would ideally like to provide. Funding was applied for and granted, so I seized the opportunity to take on the role.
My first task, when I came into post in August, was to find out about everything our volunteers are involved in. Spending time with the service managers to get a better understanding of what volunteers brought to their projects really was an eye-opener…our volunteers are incredible! They give their time so freely to the people they support, they truly are worth their weight in gold!
With each project responsible for its own volunteers I’ve been working on a database to bring all of the information together in one place. This will be my building block to get to know our volunteers better and help identify how I can support them and offer appropriate development opportunities. For example, I’ll be finding out if volunteers have knowledge, skills or ideas that they would like to use or if there is training they would like to access.
Boosting our training provision for volunteers so there are continued opportunities for learning and development is something I am currently busy planning. I will be actively promoting these new training opportunities to all of our volunteers in the coming months. Such opportunities not only help people in their roles, but also enhance the benefits of volunteering.
As well as supporting our existing volunteers I am already advertising and recruiting for new people to join in. From the initial application of a potential volunteer, through to interview and training they have ongoing contact, information and support from me. This allows me to get to know them right from the outset and gives potential volunteers a central point of contact.
I have been promoting volunteering with FDAMH at local recruitment fairs and this has generated a good number of enquiries. We also recently linked up with Lloyds banking and their “Volunteering With You” programme, where bank employees can opt to work with a charity or worthwhile cause for a couple of days instead of going to their normal job. Seven bank staff volunteered to come out to help in our gardens and at the end of a busy two days all of the surrounding fences were painted and sections of the gardens re-landscaped, under the close eye of our permanent volunteer gardener. What a great job they did and their hard work was very much appreciated.
Finally, I’m absolutely delighted to be working on our first ever Volunteer Recognition Event. This will take place at the end of January 2015 and is our chance to say a big thank you to our volunteers for all that they do. We can’t wait! More details will be issued soon and I’m really looking forward to celebrating with everyone.
26 Building Resilience Project
Building Resilience Project Welfare reform changes are having an adverse impact on the Falkirk Council area. This is adding significant pressure onto its citizens, and in particularly the more vulnerable citizens, who are likely to be disproportionately affected.
There has been an increase in both the number and the severity of benefits sanctions in the Falkirk Council area since December 2012. A recent report by Scottish Government reported that claimants receive sanctions due to a range of complex issues that can include lack of understanding of the sanctions process, practical barriers and personal barriers such as chaotic lifestyles, substance misuse, mental health, domestic abuse and family challenges.
A new pilot “Building Resilience Project” has been developed to help staff to support claimants more effectively with complex cases, ultimately preventing some individuals from reaching a crisis point such as homelessness or benefit sanction.
The project consists of four partners: Falkirk Council, Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), Falkirk Area Welfare Benefits Advice Support Unit (FAWBASU) and FDAMH. FDAMH has recruited a Project Coordinator, Diane Stewart, to support the team, plan and co-ordinate, monitor and evaluate the project.
Project Leader’s Report on the Period
The project aims to ensure that the frontline staff are fully equipped to identify and refer customers with complex or multiple needs at an early stage to ensure that they receive appropriate support. The project will therefore up-skill frontline staff with Mental Health training whilst implementing a small multi agency
support team (MAST) for the most complex of cases.
It is believed that mental health is a significant contributing factor in claimants being unable to fulfil their claimant commitment. This project will allow the partnership to test this hypothesis by building a bank of evidence to support service development.
The Project Coordinator took up post in August. With tight deadlines, it has been necessary to get the project underway and deliver results very quickly. The first step was to form a Building Resilience Partnership Steering Group consisting of representatives from each of the partner organisations. The Project Coordinator reports the progress and any issues / concerns to members, on a monthly basis.
Frontline staff were invited to contribute in the planning and designing stages of some aspects of the mental health training, in order that the training would be tailored to meet the needs of frontline staff in their various roles within the partnership agencies. Subsequently, the Mental Health Training Programme was developed and rolled out across the partnership organisations during September. By the end of the month 40 frontline staff had already completed their mental health training.
Although strictly outwith the period of this report, it is worth noting developments occurring in October 2014. The multi-agency support team (MAST), which is the second key strand of the project, has been launched and commenced providing assistance with complex referrals. This month has also seen the adoption of an online booking system to deal efficiently with the high volume of booking requests for training, as well as making booking more convenient for employees.
27 Building Resilience Project
Training Courses
Currently two training courses are being used to improve mental health knowledge amongst frontline staff:
1-Day Introduction to Mental Health Awareness
2-Day Scottish Mental Health First Aid
Feedback from participants is revealing a range of benefits, notably increased confidence; greater awareness of some of the issues clients are experiencing; and feeling better equipped to offer support to clients.
At the end of October a further 99 frontline staff were booked on forthcoming mental health courses. We are very pleased with the level of uptake, with courses booking out soon after they are advertised. This demonstrates that staff at all levels are recognising the importance of increasing their understanding of mental health issues.
Monitoring and Evaluation
The courses will run until end of March when the pilot will be evaluated. Both mental health training courses and MAST referrals are being closely monitored by the Project Coordinator – issues and progress are reported back to the steering group on a monthly basis.
Quarterly reports will be sent to Scottish Government, who are funding the project, to share learning and best practice.
Partnership Working
Effective local partnerships are key to this project, however partnerships on a national scale are also important to project
development. In total 12 local authorities in Scotland are currently funded through the Welfare Resilience Fund piloting programmes. We meet quarterly to share our learning and best practice at “Link and Learn” events.
The Scottish Government Welfare Reform Team has been keen to see pilot programmes at first hand. Representatives recently attended a briefing session in Falkirk with the Building Resilience Project Co-ordinator, Programme Manager and the Customer First Co-ordinator to gain knowledge and understanding of our pilot project. On invitation, we were pleased that representatives were able to extend their visit by coming to FDAMH’s centre and meeting informally with staff and service users. Partner organisations involved in the pilot also joined them. The visit was well attended and received very positive feedback from all who came along. The Scottish Government representatives were very impressed with the services provided by FDAMH and have invited our Arts and Media Group to perform at the Scottish Parliament Buildings.
28 Building Resilience Project
Additional Groups Women’s Group The Women’s Group takes over the Mental Health and Wellbeing Drop-In Centre on Thursday mornings from 11am until 1.30pm. There was a change in staffing for this group last year. This has brought new ideas which have proved very popular with the women who attend.
In total 58 different women used the group during the period, with 28 regular attenders who come along at least once a month.
Average weekly attendance is 20, with numbers reaching up to 25.
The group provides a very supportive environment and is frequently a first step for women beginning to access community services for a mental health issue. As a consequence it is important for the group to put the women at ease and build up their confidence.
This period has seen continued development of the activities programme, which is set up on a three-month basis. The group have a say in what activities are chosen and if there is an activity they would like to try we endeavour to put this in place. Equally if there is an activity that the group does not like, that activity is taken off the programme of events. The range of activities during this period has included some old favourites like bingo, quizzes, pamper days, meals out and crafts with Mandy. New activities have included sweet-making, seated yoga, cake decoration and music sessions.
The activities that the Women’s Group undertake are not funded, however members have been keen to help out with fundraising activities to help support the group. One of the group’s favourite activities has turned into a money making venture. ‘Bonnie Buttons’ sees the group make hair clasps, earrings and rings out donated buttons, packaging them prettily on cards printed in house. The group sells these items at charity fairs and stalls. This has generated an income of just under £300, and the popularity of the items ensures there will be more opportunities for continued sales in the future. The money made from these sales goes straight back into the group to help us to provide activities that everyone enjoys.
Client Comments: “The Women’s Group is good for me as I have shared doing lots of new things that I could or would not do on my own. Take away the Women’s Group and I would not have been able to go to other things like the Drop-In Centre and go on outings with the centre. The staff are SUPERB.”
“I like that it is all women and I like to mix and interact with everyone. The staff are wonderful and very helpful. I really like the activities, my favourites are arts and crafts and I enjoy the outings. I really, really enjoy the group.”
“I find the group more structured with a variety of activities. Coming to the group really helps me socialise with others.”
“I am glad the Women’s Group was there for me as I had no one to talk to. I now get to meet new people and keep my mind off things for a while. I like when we have activities going on. The people in the centre are very helpful.”
29 Additional Groups
Building confidence allows group members to explore other avenues to help advance their recovery journeys. During the period we are delighted that five ladies have now joined a jewellery making course at Forth Valley College, whilst another is attending The Next Step Course run by Forth Valley College. Three of the ladies have embarked on an 8 week course in British Sign Language, held at FDAMH thanks to our current Social Work student.
Increasing demand for this service has seen the group double in size during the course of the past year. With 20 women attending each week we have now had to close the group and a waiting list has been opened.
We are actively looking for volunteers to help support the group. This would allow us to re-instate open access to the group and continue our great range of activities and possibly add more.
Arts and Media Group This group offers a varied arts programme, enabling participants to build confidence, self-esteem and positive friendships. It provides opportunities for group members to successfully challenge themselves in a supportive environment, and members are often surprised by what they achieve!
With an eye on raising the profile of the group, FDAMH as an organisation and issues surrounding mental health and recovery, the group participated in Falkirk’s newest Festival
during the summer: For Falkirk’s Sake.
We presented an afternoon of music, comedy and poetry in The Alehouse, Behind The Wall and created a one day “pop up” art exhibition in the same
venue. For newest group member, Gordon Brown, this was his first experience of both reading his poetry in public and of exhibiting his artwork. He found it both nerve wracking and liberating and he is keen to do more! His moving poem motivated an audience member to visit FDAMH and seek help.
In an entirely different vein, the group had the opportunity to work with London-based illustrator Marion Deuchars. We were invited to meet with Marion, originally from Grangemouth, by Falkirk Community Trust’s Arts Officer Gillian Smith. The group interviewed Marion about her work and the importance of drawing and being creative as an active part of recovery and wellbeing. The resulting interview is currently being edited and once complete will be shown on Marion Deuchar’s and FDAMH’s websites.
Another successful application was made to See Me to secure funding to develop the group’s acclaimed play “We Are All Bobby”. The play, originally performed by the group last year, uses strong emotion and humour to convey the reality of mental distress and the path of recovery. It highlights helpful actions by others and the destructive nature of stigma and fear. The play will visit selected colleges and universities, performing to students hoping to work within the mental health field. The addition of a post-performance Q&A session with the audience, looking at the myths and facts
30 Additional Groups
surrounding mental health and recovery, will ensure the event is a powerful educational tool, providing direct access to the voices of lived experience. Bookings have also been received from the Scottish Government’s Welfare Division and local Councillors.
The Media Group were also asked to provide the entertainment for Central Equality’s 30th anniversary, which was held in Stirling’s Albert Halls. The group attended the full day, with new member Graeme documenting the event in photographs for the organisation. The group performed a variety of sketches and poetry readings and received a warm reception from the audience.
A full and exciting programme is planned for the coming months.
Other Activities Training
This report contains information about various new training opportunities that are being provided by existing and new projects. We are continuing to develop our training opportunities, seeing this as an important means to create better informed and more understanding communities and to improve outcomes for people experiencing mental ill health.
These on-going developments include the COSCA Certificate in Counselling Skills, a year-long foundation course in counselling. A period of up-front investment and effort was required to put this course in place, however we now have a full set of students on the first course which commenced in September 2014. Demand for the course has been high and we are planning to respond to this by starting another course early next year.
Health Checks
A partnership with Forth Valley NHS now means that health checks are provided by a nurse to our service users and volunteers. 32 people have had a health check and follow-ups where required. The health check covers blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, weight and lifestyle issues. These checks have been very beneficial and have helped to identify serious health issues for which people have subsequently received treatment.
Students
FDAMH continues to provide student placements. Four students currently have placements with our Counselling Service for PhDs or
31 Additional Groups | Other Activities
Diplomas in Counselling. In addition we currently have the following students on placement
Stirling University MSc in Social Work Studies Megan Slee-Smith
Forth Valley College Social Work SVQ2 Michelle Milne
Falkirk’s Mental Health Association (FDAMH) Victoria Centre
173 Victoria Road Falkirk
FK2 7AU
www.fdamh.org.uk [email protected]
01324 671 600
