Sefyll News cavamh (Cardiff and Vale Acon for Mental Health ) Registered Charity No. 1148312, Company Limited by Guarantee 8000094 June 2017 Sefyll News needs your help! My name is Gareth McRea and I have a diagnosis of BiPolar. I am a volunteer at cavamh working with Sefyll. I would like to put forward an idea to help improve the Sefyll newsletter. At Sefyll we feel that ‘service users’ are needed to run the newsletter. We would like it to be a project which encompasses the passion, skills and creativity which I believe every one of us possesses in different ways. It is my belief that the work involved in the creation of the new ‘service user’ newsletter will help volunteers improve self-confidence like it has done for me since I have been volunteering with Sefyll. We need ideas for the content of the newsletter itself, and we can provide you with the basic skills to create the Sefyll newsletter such as developing computer skills if that takes your fancy. Experience of general office skills will be gained as well as the experience of working in a team for a common goal. In the long term, working on the newsletter can also improve skills such as time management, and organisational and communication skills which could really help improve our job prospects. If you’re interested in getting involved in the newsletter, please contact Sefyll by email or phone.
Transcript
Sefyll News
cavamh (Cardiff and Vale Action for Mental Health ) Registered Charity No. 1148312, Company Limited by Guarantee 8000094
June 2017
Sefyll News needs your help! My name is Gareth McRea and I have a diagnosis of BiPolar. I am a volunteer at cavamh working with Sefyll. I would like to put forward an idea to help improve the Sefyll newsletter. At Sefyll we feel that ‘service users’ are needed to run the newsletter. We would like it to be a project which encompasses the passion, skills and creativity which I believe every one of us possesses in different ways. It is my belief that the work involved in the creation of the new ‘service user’ newsletter will help volunteers improve self-confidence like it has done for me since I have been volunteering with Sefyll.
We need ideas for the content of the newsletter itself, and we can provide you with the basic skills to create the Sefyll newsletter such as developing computer skills if that takes your fancy. Experience of general office skills will be gained as well as the experience of working in a team for a common goal. In the long term, working on the newsletter can also improve skills such as time management, and organisational and communication skills which could really help improve our job prospects.
If you’re interested in getting involved in the newsletter, please contact Sefyll by email or phone.
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News and events
Volunteering with Cardiff and Vale University Health Board
Cardiff and Vale University Health Board is keen to involve people with lived experience of mental health by offering volunteering opportunities.
Mental health volunteering section on UHB website: www.cardiffandvaleuhb.wales.nhs.uk/volunteer-within-mental-health-services.
General volunteering section on UHB website: www.cardiffandvaleuhb.wales.nhs.uk/volunteering-opportunities.
Gofal Out of Work Services
The Out of Work Service (OOWS) is delivered in partnership between Gofal and NewLink Wales (ages 25+), and Gofal and DrugAid (ages 16-24), across the Cardiff and Vale and Cwm Taf Health Board areas providing individualised mentoring and support for people who are recovering from substance misuse and/or mental health issues and are long-term unemployed or economically inactive, and belong to the following groups:
People aged 25 or older who are recovering from substance misuse and/or mental health issues and are long-term
People aged 16-24 who are affected by /recovering from substance misuse and/or mental health issues and are not in education, employment or training.
The scheme has been supported by the European Social Fund through the Welsh Government. The OOWS will be delivered across the whole of Wales and will complement and enhance existing treatment, support and care services, through the provision of additional mentoring support, and will focus on helping people to move on and thrive through inspiring self-confidence, nurturing self-reliance, developing new skills, acquiring qualifications and ultimately achieving economic independence through paid employment.
The service operates in Cardiff, Merthyr Tydfil, RCT and the Vale of Glamorgan.
For more info contact Gofal on 01656 647722 or email: [email protected].
Sefyll is a project managed by Cardiff and Vale Action for Mental Health (Cavamh). If
you would like to become a member of Cavamh please contact Caroline on 02920
Improving your health through singing - TAVS Choir Ever thought that you would like to join a choir but didn’t have the confidence (or voice)? Then fear not, TAVS Choir is the place for you! The TAVS Choir was set up in Sep-tember 2013 with the intention of bringing to-gether members of the community through singing and having fun. TAVS is a community centre on Tavistock Street, Roath, Cardiff, which is owned by Glenwood Faith Community and runs outreach and support services for vulnera-ble people in partnership with other churches and organisations. TAVS provide regu-lar meals for around 40-60 people every Sun-day and Monday evenings, chiropody service, a bakery on Saturday mornings once a month, and other activity sessions at various points in the week. They aim to provide a place where everyone is welcome, no matter what their background, and their approach is empowering, inclusive, holistic and respectful.
Everyone is welcome to join the choir, which rehearses every week on Monday evenings at 6.30pm and is free to attend. Attendance at weekly Monday evening practices average from
News and events
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News and events
10-15 people and there is a growing sense of community amongst the people who attend, and there is always such joy and fun to be had. Some of our songs at the moment include: Something Inside So Strong, Amazing Grace, Skyfall, It’s My Life (Bon Jovi), Let’s Twist Again and Lean On Me. There are no auditions, just singing to backing tracks and a meal is provided after the choir. Please note we are running a slightly reduced practice schedule over the summer, with alternate dates in August (7th & 21st), and looking to restart weekly in the middle of September. Please get in touch if you'd like further infor-mation, or would like to get involved! facebook/tavistockst Email: sarah.daviestavscardiff.org Telephone: 07474 661843
Opportunity for involvement: Mental Health and Housing Conference—12th July Cymorth are keen for people with experience of housing-related support or homelessness to take part in a panel about what works well and the barriers to recovery. Would you like to find out more? If so, contact Mike at [email protected].
Cardiff and Vale Health Board want to hear your views It’s now easier than ever to tell the NHS about your experiences. You can give them a compliment, raise a concern of make a formal complaint. Contact details: The Concerns Office is open between the hours of 9am to 5pm (Monday to Friday). Please call on telephone numbers 029 2074 3301 or 029 2074 4095 in office hours if you wish to speak with a member of the Concerns Team. You can also fill in our Concerns Form, email the team at [email protected] or write to us at: Chief Executive, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board Headquarters, University Hospital of Wales (UHW), Heath Park, Cardiff CF14 4XW.
More details are available on the website: http://www.cardiffandvaleuhb.wales.nhs.uk/concerns-complaints-compliments. If you are at a hospital, look out for the ‘How
Hafal Clic Clic is Hafal’s new online community for people with a mental illness and their carers. This safe and positive online space gives people the chance to chat and make friends, give support to and receive support from people with similar experiences, and get helpful information and contacts. More information about the project can be found here: www.hafal.org/clic/.
News and events
Get in touch! We would love to hear from you if you would like to contribute to this newsletter. Please send us your news, events, poetry, prose, photos, personal experiences, or anything else you’d like to share! Tel: 02920 222 000 Email:
National Centre for Mental Health research The National Centre for Mental Health (NCMH) is working to learn more about the triggers and causes of mental health problems, from schiz-ophrenia and bipolar disorder to PTSD and de-pression. Understanding why people become unwell can help develop better treatments and improve diagnosis and support for the future. To do this, they need thousands of volunteers to take part in their study. It involves completing an online survey which asks about your mental and physical health, as well as some lifestyle questions. It should take no more than 15 minutes to complete and all the information you provide is confidential. If you prefer, you can al-so participate face-to-face, rather than online. You can learn more about helping with this research at: www.ncmh.info/help.
News and events
Note from the editor Thank you, as always, for your input. The editor retains the right to edit any content prior to publication in the newsletter. All opinions expressed within are those of contributors and not of Sefyll or cavamh.
Booking essential! P lease contact Caroline or Mike on 029 2022 2000 or [email protected].
Refreshments are provided on the day and travel expenses can be reimbursed for all cours-es.
These courses have been set up for anyone who uses (or has used) mental health services in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan and are set up to suit all levels of experience, whether you are interested in attending a meeting for the first time, or you’re already an experienced service user representative. The courses are free of charge to anyone using adult men-tal health services in Cardiff or the Vale.
July 2017:
Finding Your Voice Through Writing—19th July, 12.30-5pm, Chapter Arts Centre
Standing Up, Speaking Out—24th July, 10am-4pm, Chapter Arts Centre
Finding Your Voice Through Singing—26th July, 1-4pm, Tavs Centre, Tavistock Street, Roath, CF24 3BE
September 2017:
How to Live Well with Mental Ill Health—19th and 20th September, 9.30am-4pm, West House, Penarth
Would you like to be directly involved in how your mental health services are run?
There are a number of exciting opportunities to represent the experiences of people who use mental health services on health board planning groups. You could have a direct influence on what’s happening in your area, find out more about what’s going on, or use it as an opportunity to learn new skills.
Anyone can be a rep. All you need is your experience of what it’s like to use mental health services. We can offer you support and training to help you build the skills and confidence you need to do this.
Opportunities for Reps:
There are currently spaces open for a number of people to become service user representatives at planning groups with the University Health Board and other services. We are looking for:
A back-up rep for the Mental Health Clinical Board
A back-up rep for the Local Mental Health Partnership Board
Two reps for the Recovery Steering Group
We hope to elect these at the next SUEG meeting. To find out more about these opportunities, either contact
Opportunities
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Opportunities and feedback
[email protected] or 029 2022 2000, or come along to the meeting to have a chat with other service user reps to see what’s involved in being a rep.
Please let us know if you’re interested in coming to the next meeting so we can include you in our planning! Feedback from Service User Engagement Group (SUEG)
As we are short on space in this edition of the newsletter, please find the feedback from the following recent meetings on our website at: www.cavamh.org.uk/news-and-events/sefyll.
