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Annual Reports
CHAIR'S REPORT Beris Drew Well here we are again after another very busy year, where a lot of new and exciting things have been happening. One of the most interesting developments has been the recruitment of our Social Inclusion Workers. The emphasis of our organisation as a whole has to be on integrating our users with the wider community and this means offering them opportunities to learn (both in-house and with external organisations), social activities, volunteering and to seek paid employment where possible and appropriate. The Social Inclusion Workers have been building on the experiences from the What's On Programme and one of the successful activities on offer has been the involvement of Learn Direct, an IT training company, who have trained people both at Mind premises and offsite at their own premises in the Town. At present, we are in the process of setting up the Crisis House at Sandalwood Court. This will be a short-stay facility for those experiencing a crisis who need somewhere where they can get help and support, but will avoid the necessity for hospitalisation. This is something that has been proposed for many years, but has never come to fruition and we are all keeping everything crossed that it will be a success, despite the fact that we have very little funding to work with. I know that Mind staff are very committed to seeing this project succeed and will do their level best to ensure that it does. The old chestnut of the Charities Bill is still with us. This Bill is currently going through Parliament. It will offer charities the same protection as becoming a Company Limited by Guarantee, but will be less onerous as it will be done via the Charities Commission and not Companies House. The Bill is progressing well and has all party support and it is envisaged that it will be approved by the end of this year. So – watch this space! Finally, as always, my heartfelt thanks to Swindon Mind staff, volunteers and users for another successful year and very best wishes for 2006/7. 
Best holiday ever" Manager’s Report Kathleen Aitken My role has two main functions. Firstly I am responsible for ensuring that the organisation runs smoothly and effectively. This includes overseeing the HR and financial systems as well as managing the services we provide. Secondly, I am actively involved in multi-agency planning groups and also in campaigning. Last year we decided to review our Volunteering Scheme with the support of an external consultant, Maggi Piazza from Volunteering England. Maggi's input enabled us to identify the project's strengths and weaknesses. Fortunately, Maggi's overall report was positive. She was so impressed with our service user volunteers that she asked if they would work in partnership with her to deliver training in Sheffield and London. They agreed to do this and after a great deal of preparation by Elaine and Wendy, our Social Inclusion workers, our volunteers helped to run the two training courses. The feedback was that the volunteers did an excellent job and they felt it had been an enormously worthwhile experience. Elaine and Wendy also felt they had learnt a great deal. OUR SERVICES 'What's On' Over the last year, our emphasis has been on driving forward our Social Inclusion Programme to support people who want to improve the quality of their lives through social and learning opportunities. We have been looking particularly for activities which service users could join in along with other members of the public. For some people coming to the Drop-in is a first step towards socialising and making friends – a place to 'chill out' and feel safe. For others it's a place to participate in activities and improve and develop skills. In addition, some service users choose to become volunteers and help to run activities including art, Spanish, cooking, singing, needle-craft, members' meetings, Newsletter group, tidying Drop-in and gardening. Last year, Learn Direct an IT training company offered to provide people with individual computer packages to develop their skills. Not only are people supported on the Mind computers but they have been encouraged to use the computers at the Learn Direct premises in Kembrey Park. Currently 12 users are attending there regularly and doing really well. Some people are using their computer skills in the Drop-in - making posters and notices. We are about to start producing a Newsletter, giving further opportunities for people to use their skills. We will also be supporting those who are interested in going on to a college course. The range of activities both within the Drop-in and outside in the community have expanded. In particular, we have identified opportunities for people to participate in activities alongside other members of the public, eg:
Information / Advocacy Service Our Information/Advocacy Service continues to be extremely busy. Although Stephanie Holt is the worker for this project I also contribute to the service as necessary. We now have our own web-site and through this are able to direct people quickly to on-line information, including our Directory of Services. We are in discussions with Sandalwood staff about our involvement in Ward Rounds. We would like to provide advocacy in both Applewood as well as Rosewood when it re-opens. Patients' Council Another service we run is the Patients' Council at Sandalwood. The process we have set up is working well. The workers ask patients for their comments on their care and these are written up in a book for the Modern Matron to respond to. Feedback is then given at a monthly Steering Group meeting. Anne Billingham from PALS is a member of this group and presents a 3 monthly summary of issues to the Trust's Clinical Governance Group. MULTI-AGENCY WORKING I am the Chair of the Local Implementation Group (LIT) and also attend a number of sub-groups, including:
This group was set up to take forward ideas in the 5 Year Vision for Mental Health. We were supported by the Library Service to try out ideas for improving well-being in the North Swindon Library. We learned a great deal from this including the need for a more central location for this kind of project. We are now hoping to influence the designers of the New Central Library which is due to be built shortly.
The MHAF Group develops systems to enable mental health service users to have fair access to appropriate accommodation. Mind's role is to monitor that the systems work well, including ensuring that when people move into new accommodation they have basic essentials such as cookers and fridges. This has not always been the case.
This group monitors the work of the Children’s Support Service, a project set up to support parents who are struggling to cope. We work closely with this service as issues about children can cause a great deal of distress for people who already have mental health problems. Last year we organised a trip to Cotswold Wildlife Park for parents, in collaboration with Isobel Weller the Manager of the Children's Support. THE FUTURE Over the last year we have been in discussions with the Trust about the possibility of Mind running a Crisis House at Sandalwood Court (see report on page 6). We continue to participate in campaigning. Last year we started a debate, with the support of Phil Thomas a former psychiatrist and researcher, about the role of psychiatrists. Since then Phil and I have discussed the possibility of arranging a conference on this subject with the Policy Director or National Mind. We would like to develop a process to share ideas across the country and influence the role of psychiatrists. We will also be focusing strongly on taking our programme for Social Inclusion forward. This will include exploring ways to engage more with people from Black and Minority Ethnic communities. Training at Learn Direct In order to support people to identify their skills and strengths as well as their hopes and dreams our Social Inclusion workers will be working individually with them. We plan to work in partnership with other agencies to support this work. 
We would like to develop a process to share ideas across the country and influence the role of psychiatrists. We will also be focusing strongly on taking our programme for Social Inclusion forward. This will include exploring ways to engage more with people from Black and Minority Ethnic communities. In order to support people to identify their skills and strengths as well as their hopes and dreams our Social Inclusion workers will be working individually with them. We plan to work in partnership with other agencies to support this work. I think we may have a few challenges in the year ahead! 
DEPUTY MANAGER & INFORMATION/ADVOCACY WORKER'S REPORT STEPHANIE HOLT My work is split between Information / Advocacy Worker and Deputy Manager. I Feel extremely lucky that both strands of my work continue to be both stimulating and Challenging. INFORMATION / ADVOCACY I offer support and advocacy to service users in a range of different settings. I also provide Information for anyone with a mental health enquiry – parents, carers, partners and friends of people with mental health problems. Most of the time they come to Mind because they have no previous experience of mental illness and do not know what to expect, or because they have not been able to get any information about either the illness, treatment or prognosis from any medical professional. I have also worked with several people who have been unhappy with the service they have received from the Crisis Team. Fortunately we were able to facilitate meetings with the Crisis Team which enabled the service user to discuss the type of support they needed. This year I have worked with women who have been involved in custody cases. Sadly two women lost custody of one or more of their children and one lost her home as well as her children. The effect on both of these women has been devastating; they both feel they have been punished for having mental health problems. My biggest concern when working with parents who suffer from severe mental health problems is that the social care workers and the legal team who work with families have such little knowledge or understanding of mental health issues. DEPUTY MANAGER I have been Deputy Manager for two years now and I really enjoy the diversity that this role offers. Working closely with our manager as enabled me to expand my knowledge of the mental health sector and has offered me numerous opportunities for both professional and personal development. Recent changes in our organisational structure have meant that my responsibilities for HR and staff supervision have increased. During the last three months we have started to set up new structures for staff supervision and support, and our work plan for the coming year includes updating our recruitment procedures and HR systems. One of the biggest challenges I face is to provide the staff rotas for the drop-in and the activity programme – my system is not fool-proof but the goodwill and flexibility of our workers compensates for the odd administrative error! What's On Programme I also continue to head up the group that produces the 'What’s On' Programme. One of the challenges for the coming year is to produce a programme of events that offers choice. We want to give those members who want it the chance to access community based opportunities while at the same time offer meaningful in-house activities for those who are not ready to face the world! We have already started the process by putting on events in our programme organised by the Ridgeway Ramblers Group. Some members of our needlecraft group have also joined a local 'stitch and bitch' sewing group. Hopefully in the coming months our social inclusion workers will be able to support more members to take part in activities based in the community. Mental Health Act After eight year of rigorous campaigning by the Mental Health Alliance the Government has announced that it is dropping its plans for a new Mental Health Act. We have been actively involved this campaign. Any changes to the Act will now be made by a much shorter Bill that will amend the existing Act. Obviously our organisation welcomes the decision to drop the controversial proposals to introduce Community Treatment Orders which would have expanded compulsory treatment in the community. However we still have real concerns about the erosion of human rights when people are detained under the Act and we believe that the tribunal system still needs to be reformed. I am really disappointed that no mention of provision of independent advocacy has been included in the proposed amendments. However, we hope that the Government will continue to consult with groups like the Mental Health Alliance in order to introduce safeguards that protect peoples' human rights when subjected to the Mental Health Act. Future Developments Crisis House One major piece of work that I'm involved in at the moment is helping to set up a Crisis House in Swindon. The house will be run by Swindon Mind and will be based in a self-contained annexe in Redwood House. We will be working in very close partnership with the Crisis Team. The Crisis House will have five bedrooms, a kitchen/diner and a lounge. There will also be an office for our workers. We are working really hard to ensure that it will offer a non-institutional environment for people in the mental health service who need time out from their normal circumstances. Whilst we recognise that Sandalwood Court is not the ideal place to have a Crisis House, we are committed to providing as near 'normal' service as possible. Acute Care Forum I am also involved with a multi-agency group called the Acute Care Forum Group which examines all aspects of the service atSandalwood Court. Kathleen and I were recently invited to shadow the staff on Applewood for two shifts, one early and one late, to try to get a better understanding of how the ward is run. Needless to say it wasa very interesting experience and certainly highlighted the fact that the ward revolves around the needs of the consultants rather than the patients, particularly on ward round days. One of the things that did concern us was the high number of people that were on leave – on one of the days we were there 15 patients were on leave and 15 beds were in use. It would seem that Sandalwood Court really needs to offer double the amount of beds that are available in order to facilitate the needs of acutely ill patients rather than leave them for the Crisis Team to treat in the community. We had a Voluntary Sector meeting for earlier this month to look at the proposed changes to the structure of the Primary Care Trust and other issues around mental health services. The closure of Redwood and Rosewood and the implications for service users were on the agenda and were hotly debated. Finally, it is a really exciting time to be involved with Swindon Mind and I look forward to seeing the continuing evolvement of our organisation over the coming year. "It was the only thing that gave me purpose today." IT AND FINANCE WORKER HAZEL CUTTS As with most staff here my role within Mind is a varied one, and since joining three years ago has developed my understanding of mental health in many different ways, even more so after recently attending the annual Mind Conference - which I found hugely beneficial. IT From working with two able but very slow, dated computers our office now has four fast, networked and wireless internet connected machines. We also have the extra benefit of two new laptops making external meetings much easier for our managers. These have all proved essential to the running of our busy growing organization. It has, in the main become my role to support the I.T. solutions for all of these. In addition to this I have also set up an I.T. suite in the drop-in for the members' use. Although we have had a few teething problems, this is now running well providing our members with welcomed access to a variety of packages and also monitored web-surfing! In the last year we have also started working with Learn Direct to support members in a variety of different courses. We have been given the opportunity to run a new package 'Beating the Blues'. This is a package to help those who suffer with depression and is based on members working through each stage on a weekly basis. I am supporting a small group of members (which I hope to expand) and they have so far found it very beneficial. A big part of my job was to develop the Mind website. Although progress on this has been slow, I have designed a completely new site using the latest macromedia software. The site consists of many pages, including the What's On programme and the new updated Directory. The site is fresh and easy to navigate and will also have input from our members in many forms including art work. A newsletter which another staff member and I are working on with a small group will also be added when the first edition is published in May. In the coming weeks the site will be available on-line and by early summer I hope to have members helping to add more of their ideas and work. ACCOUNTS One of my first tasks was to update the accounts. This was a major piece of work but now the data entering is completed and the accounts are running smoothly. We now have an extensive spreadsheet filing system and our accounts and budgets are in good order. We also have the support of Dorothy Clarke, our external financial advisor, who produces the monthly payroll and oversees the accounts for our organisation. My other tasks include banking and petty cash and I support a volunteer to count and prepare the money collected in the 'Drop-In' for refreshments ready for banking. PA/ADMINISTRATOR SUE FULLER I joined Mind as PA/Administrator at a time of expansion and staff transition within the team. One of the challenges has been to put in place efficient office systems and it has been uplifting to be able to develop and organise the Referral System, 'What's On' Programme and instigate new HR systems. I also support the Management Committee and am currently revising the Mind contact directory. I attended a Springboard Women's Development Group that has given me new confidence to use assertive and motivation tools both at work and home. The role is still evolving and plans for the year ahead includes developing the PA side of this role and getting involved in some of the user activities. SOCIAL INCLUSION WORKER TED TALBOT DROP-IN This continues to provide a safe place for those who need to chill out, socialise etc.  Members have become more involved with the day-to-day running of the drop-in and activities programme.  I have supported them to form an editorial group which helps with the production of the 'What's On' programme and administration of the various specialist groups. Basic Spanish Back in June 2005 Bianca Crose, a new member who speaks fluent Spanish, discussed the idea of teaching Spanish at Mind. We began with a small group on Mondays during the drop-in. We soon had a regular group attending. Encouraged by this, we approached Learning Direct about obtaining a more formal course of lessons. We now have a monthly session with Dominique at the Learning Direct Offices. Dominique prepares on-screen lessons and handout to do revision with the group. I have to admit that when we started out I had my doubts about attempting this. However, ten months on the group is still enthusiastic, making real progress and enjoying it. We are most grateful to Bianca and Dominique. Gracias! DIY/Woodwork The group continues to carry out various jobs at Mind, fitting coat hooks, putting up notice boards, repairing doors etc as well as doing jobs for themselves and their friends. One person has gone on to join Twigs and has become an accomplished wood turner. Another carved a beautiful Dolphin from a piece of mahogany. The skills being used include assessing work to be done, risk involved and arranging times and dates, following detailed instructions, assessing amounts of materials and using tools. The emphasis is on members using their skills, learning new skills whilst helping themselves and others living on a low budget. GROUP HOLIDAY During the summer the members discussed and planned a group holiday. Out of the various suggestions put forward a trip to Butlins at Minehead was the most popular. After months of planning, negotiating and saving-up, a group of thirty-two members and workers set off on a four-day holiday in September. The four days went by in no time at all, filled with a huge variety of activities including swimming, cricket, ten pin bowling, archery, dancing, a go on the climbing wall, train trip, walks and beach fun. Before we set out there was understandable some trepidation, but the bus coming home was full of people very pleased with their efforts and singing very loudly and cheerfully. Describing these memories reminds me of the rewards of this work and I look forward to the next 12 months. 
SOCIAL INCLUDING WORKER ELAINE POWER As many of our members know I have worked at Mind for over 4 years initially working on the ‘What’s On’ programme and general admin duties and then progressing to working within the Drop-In. It’s been fantastic to work with and get to know everyone and I hope I’ve brought a smile to a few faces!! I applied for the position of Social Inclusion Worker so I could build on the experience I have gained from working within the Drop-In to hopefully enable people, who are ready, to move on in their lives with the right opportunities and support. On 1 November I started to job share with Wendy on this exciting new job opportunity. The Social Inclusion role involves forming important links within the community so that we can give members opportunities in working, learning, volunteering and social activities. With forward thinking and support, myself & Wendy, would like to enable as many people as possible to achieve their goals, aims, and interests. The other important part of our role is to support, manage and recruit volunteers and help and support them to take up other volunteering opportunities in the community. Wendy and I were recently involved in two training workshops in February - one in Sheffield and one in London working with Maggie Piazza a consultant from Volunteering England. The workshops concentrated on ‘Involving Service Users as Volunteers’. The volunteers Gail, Kevin, June & Sue did an excellent job of sharing their experiences of mental health problems including stigma. They also shared their experiences of volunteering through role-play! The feedback was excellent from both sets of participants and proved to be a great learning experience for all of us!! Ongoing Projects I am on the steering group for Swindon’s Eating Disorder Recovery Group and I am involved in planning their evening sessions that are held at the Health Hydro. The evening sessions provide guest speakers on a variety of subjects as well as relaxation sessions, social evenings and importantly help and support for the people who attend. I am also attending meetings for ‘Better Services for People who Self–Harm’ and at the moment am encouraging people to complete questionnaires for a national survey. Once the results have been collated the Swindon Group can look at the service in more depth and identify the areas we can work on as a team. This will be a very challenging but rewarding group to be involved with! There is still much work to be done in making people feel included and valued by society as well as raising awareness of mental health issues to the general public. This is a brief summary of the groups I am currently involved with: 
Life Skills
This group has evolved over the past couple of years and is now a very popular group who share the tasks of shopping, cooking and clearing up. Until early last year the sessions were held at a church hall. We are currently awaiting the final stages of the decoration of the Mind kitchen. The installation of our new cooker means the group will soon be fully functional! At the moment with the help of Gail, one of our volunteers, we are approaching hotels and shops to donate much needed kitchen equipment. The group have done well to keep together and the meals we have achieved with the help of Dave Morgan’s slow cooker and other equipment are: toasted sandwiches, Tuna fishcakes and mash, Curry, Home made burgers, Savoury Mince, Chilli Con Carne, Ploughman’s Lunch Cream Teas & many more. We have also had lively discussions ranging from racism, history, taking care of ourselves, bullying, gambling, budgeting and coping with home life. We have even done taster sessions on branded food to see if we can tell the difference and looking at the cost and how the savings can affect your budget! Women’s Pamper Sessions These have proved to be very successful as Paula, Wendy & I provide manicuring, hair styling and hand-massage. These sessions are a great opportunity for women to socialise as well as have their hair and nails attended too. We plan in the future to have speakers attend to talk about women’s health issues and also invite hair & beauty students from the college to come along and practise their skills. We are always looking for new suggestions so we can offer this group a range of different experiences. Here’s to the next 12 months that is going to be busy, busy, busy! SOCIAL INCLUSION WORKER WENDY BROOK The Beginning I joined the Mind team as a Social Inclusion Worker in October, on a job share basis with Elaine, and six months later feel I am included in the buzz of the organisation, and exploring the possibilities of the new post. The nature and variety of the unfolding work intrigues me, and I enjoy a challenge! Having been interviewed by a panel of Mind members, which both daunted and impressed me, I quickly had to learn names and faces on my first day in the drop-in. The staff were welcoming and supportive (not that file, this one!), I slowly accustomed myself to the What’s On programme, and am now involved in some of the weekly activities. Having worked mostly in the field of education, the enjoyment of learning is something I would like to promote. There are many opportunities to be creative, in setting up new or developing existing activities, and enabling people to realise their potential. Write On Having chatted to members and realised how interested they were in creative writing I started the Writer’s Group. Within a couple of sessions it was evident that there was some serious talent, which is still keeping me on my toes. There is sensitive sharing of poetry and prose, usually around a theme. Two members entered the National Mind Writing Competition. There is an ongoing desire, for some, to produce publishable material, and perhaps a compilation of the group’s work is possible, to raise funds, so we can invite visiting writers to inspire us. It has also awakened my own muse, which is an unexpected gain. The writers are giving me some helpful feedback! We were able to start a collection of books through the national ‘Quick Reads’ scheme, and visited Waterstones bookshop to be introduced to ‘how to choose books’. We hope to set up a learning resource room in our building where information is available about learning opportunities in the town. Jon Jo, as a Learning Ambassador is continuing to support learning and the enjoyment of reading. We can guide people to improve their literacy, as with Learn Direct computer learning, and reading and writing groups at Swindon College, to boost confidence and encourage the improvement of literacy skills. Relaxation Following in Nisha’s footsteps has not been easy, but there was a group of members already attending the weekly sessions who were keen to continue. We have used a ‘movement and breath’ style of relaxation, with guided fantasy to help us focus and use our thoughts creatively. The ‘blue sheet’ is proving to be popular; a remnant of soft ballooning fabric that links us and helps us exercise gently and work together as a group. We use poetry and music to aid mood and atmosphere. We may need a larger room, if our group develops, so I will be looking for available premises. Dance As Swindon Dance Centre is so close to us, I was soon hopping up the steps to collect information on their classes and productions. Some members have requested exercise or dance-linked classes. Alongside the Community Dance worker there, I hope to plan and activate a dance project with Mind members. This links in to our social inclusion agenda, where we can work and play with other members of the community. Watch this space! Women’s Group Women members are already meeting for a variety of activities, coffee mornings, pamper sessions, and trips out and about. Some are connecting to learning opportunities with the local Women’s branch of the WEA (Worker’s Educational Association). I have regular monthly meetings with a group of our women members and workers, to help them plan and organise further activities, to raise confidence and develop new skills. They have completed a questionnaire to highlight preferred interests. Health, nutrition, well being and exercise are the chosen topics for the near future. Volunteering The Social Inclusion Worker role also involves organising our volunteering programme. There are already Mind members who have been interviewed and are active as volunteers. Elaine and I meet with them regularly to give support and training. We hope to link them with volunteering opportunities in the larger community, supporting attendance and monitoring progress. Skills acquired could lead to considering employment opportunities in the future. We are also interviewing applicants from the general public, who have applied to be volunteers with us. Our developing service will be enhanced by people who have both talents and empathy when working in the mental health field. We hope to raise the profile and status of volunteering with Mind. Swindon Occupational Partnership We are attending bi-monthly meetings with other members of the partnership: New Dimensions, Wiltshire Quest, Twigs, LEAVES, and Scrapstore Community Fund. Phoenix Mailing and PALS. We come together to explore the options available through voluntary work, employment and training, for people recovering from mental health problems. It is important that we work alongside other service providers to avoid duplication and build partnerships which have a commonly agreed approach to good practice. Social Inclusion At the national Mind conference in Harrogate, that several staff and members attended in March, it was evident that the emphasis on a social inclusion agenda is leading good practice across the country. We learned much from the debates, discussions, workshops and presentations during the two days. We are working on making more connections with other Mind groups, both locally and nationally, to share ideas and approaches in Recovery. We will be attending training and hope to launch our own recovery agenda this year. This will entail working with other mental health services and practitioners, and networking with group activities already available in the wider community. Mental health is about being less isolated, involved in taking responsibilities for self, and knowing where to find information and support in all areas of our lives. Our social inclusion agenda will also include raising awareness of stigma and discrimination surrounding mental health problems and distress. We hope to offer training, involving our members, to shift rigid thinking and challenge inappropriate and damaging attitudes in our society. Individual support As our members ‘step out’ to try new opportunities, join social groups or events and attend meetings, we are able to offer support, to provide information, and help them organise a balanced lifestyle. Emotional support is often a requirement to help overcome anxieties and fears; travelling on the tube in London, attending a funeral, and handling relationships. BUTLINS HOLIDAY SEPTEMBER 2005 
WHO’S WHO AT SWINDON MIND Committee Members Staff
Volunteers
Aims and Objectives Swindon Mind aims to:
1 Regents Circus Swindon SN1 1PN Tel 01793 432031 Fax 01793 436889 E-mail: Swindonmind@btconnect.com [email now: admin@swindonmind.org] www: Swindonmind.org Charity Number 1002085 |
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| This page was last updated on 29th February 2012. |
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