Involvement Worker Newsletter
Education Not Discrimination (END);
Rethinking mental health
About this newsletter
Welcome to our first Involvement Worker Newsletter. We are hoping that we will be able to use this medium to update you about developments nationally in relation to the general Moving People portfolio as well as our own targeted audience work.
We will aim to send you this newsletter bi-monthly and that, from the end of October 2008; it will also be accessible via the Moving People website. The format and content will develop as we move forward and will fall under the remit of our newest member of staff, Naomi Gay; Senior Involvement Worker based in London.
Moving People - summary
Moving People is a groundbreaking and diverse programme of national and local activity, led by four mental health organisations - Mental Health Media, Mind, Rethink, and the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London.
Moving People has been modelled on similar programmes that have worked elsewhere in the world, and is part of an international movement sharing evidence and best practice. Moving People is based on two years of consultation with people who experience mental health problems. People with direct experience of mental distress will be at the heart of this programme and participate at all levels.
We will reduce stigma and discrimination linked to mental ill health, and improve the physical and mental wellbeing of people who have experienced mental health problems, and those who have not.
Targeted Audience work - summary
We will also those who have a significant impact on the daily lives of people with mental health problems. The targeted audience element of Moving People will provide anti-stigma training for thousands of medical students and trainee teachers. Between 2004 and 2007, Rethink developed ASTEC, (Anti-Stigma Training and Evaluation Collaboration), an evidence-based training programme, with the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London. The targeted audience work will use the evidence base from this pilot in its work in order to produce significant improvements in knowledge about stigma and discrimination on the grounds of mental illness, and in attitudes and behaviour towards people with mental health problems.
Moving people – changing names
As some of you may know, the portfolio name “Moving People” was always intended to be temporary, until the Management Group had had a chance to canvas the opinion of service users and carers. This exercise is now complete and the overall programme will now be known as, “Time to Change”.
Targeted Audience work – changing names
Not to be outdone, and because we have not, as yet, settled on a name for the targeted audience element of “Time to Change”, the team have been consulting internally and externally to decide what we should be known as for the next three years.
The result:
“Education not Discrimination (END) " with a strapline of “Rethinking Mental Health”.
The “END” team
Sally Gomme - Mental Health Promotion Manager, reporting to Head of Mental Health Promotion
Based: London.
Key responsibilities –
- to manage the END programme overall
- to recruit and build solid relationships in our four medical schools, four teacher training universities and identify the third audience
- to line manage the team of Senior Mental Health Officers
- to represent the END programme within Time to Change ensure the meaningful engagement of our involvement workers (individuals with experience of mental distress and carers)
Katherine Allen - Senior Mental Health Promotion Officer reporting to Mental Health Promotion Manager
Based: Birmingham. Full time
Key responsibilities:
- to maintain relationships with our medical schools and teacher training universities in the Midlands
- to deliver, with our Involvement Workers , the medical school and trainee teacher interventions
- to work with the Senior Involvement Officer to train and support Involvement Workers
Carol Walmsley – Senior Mental Health Promotion Officer reporting to Mental Health Promotion Manager
Based: Birmingham. 3 days a week
Key responsibilities:
- to maintain relationships with our medical schools and teacher training universities in the South West
- to delivery, with our Involvement Workers, the medical school and trainee teacher interventions
- to work with the Senior Involvement Officer to train and support Involvement Workers
Piers Taylor – Senior Mental Health Promotion Officer reporting to Mental Health Promotion Manager
Based: London. 2 days a week
Key responsibilities:
- to maintain relationships with our medical schools and teacher training universities in London and the South East
- to delivery, with our Involvement Workers, the medical school and trainee teacher interventions
- to work with the Senior Involvement Officer to train and support Involvement Workers
Naomi Gay – Senior Involvement Officer reporting to Mental Health Promotion Manager
Based: London. 2.5 days a week
Key responsibilities:
- to work with Senior Mental Health Promotion Officers to recruit Involvement Workers in local areas
- to support and train Involvement Workers nationally
- to be the main contact for all Involvement workers nationally
- to be the main link with LEAP
The medical Schools
London (Guys) – 450 medical students per year
Notts / Derby – 360 medical students per year
Leicester – 250 medical students per year
Bristol – 240 medical students per year
The teacher training audiences
Manchester– 250 trainee teachers per year
Birmingham - 180 trainee teachers per year
Leicester – 80 trainee teachers per year
Brighton- trainee teacher numbers T.B.C.
Involvement workers
Currently we have a core group of approximately 15 Involvement Workers based in London who took part in the original Rethink / IOP (Institute of Psychiatry) collaboration (ASTEC) in 2006 and 2007, training year 3 medical students in Guys. Since our subsequent funding from Time to Change, we have recruited a further 5 IW’s who will be undergoing training in September this year ready for delivery to the medical school as part of END.
In July 2008 14 Involvement Workers based in Notts / Derby underwent training and joined the END team.
We will be undertaking a further recruitment drive in the Bristol area shortly.
There will also be a two day conference for all involvement workers on 30th and 31st October 2008 at Harborne Hall in Birmingham. The conference is free and expenses will be reimbursed- please find further details enclosed.
Naomi Gay
Senior Involvement Worker
Rethink
Tel. 07918617142