Annual Report 2013/14

It’s comforting to know you are there if we

should need advice or someone to talk to.

1

ContentsChair’s Report ............................................................... 3Director’s Report .......................................................... 4Manchester Mind Map ............................................ 6YASP ............................................................................. 8Advice Team ................................................................. 1 1Bite ................................................................................. 16Volunteering @ Manchester Mind .......................... 20Manchester Mind Café ............................................ 24Social Media .................................................................. 27Business Development ................................................ 30Family Intervention Work .......................................... 32Manchester Assertive Outreach ................................ 35New Developments ...................................................... 38 Finances ........................................................................ 40Thank You ..................................................................... 44

2

3

I take pride in introducing our third Annual Report Although published in late 2014, the content reflects our achievements and challenges from

April 2013 to March 2014.

The demand for our services has grown again during this period, which is likely to be a reflection of the current economic climate. It is with great sadness I noted that after the dramatic positive decrease in the rate of suicide in the UK, which appears to have been as a direct result of the “Suicide Prevention Strategy”, the rate is now on an upward trend. The need for our accessible, flexible, person centred mental health services has never been greater.

At the beginning of this period, after an internal reorganisation, Elizabeth Simpson became our Service Director. I’d like to thank her and all the staff who work in our projects: Manchester Assertive Outreach, YASP, the Café and Good Mood Food, Advice Services, Volunteering, BITE, Big Manchester and our Central Management Team, who provide project staff with the background support and leadership to enable service delivery. Elizabeth will inform you of the project activities in her report and of the growing impact of volunteers.

I’d especially like to thank our volunteers, who help within the projects, on our sub-committees, and our supporters who have organised fundraising events. They provide us not only with their time and expertise, but also positive energy – which is invaluable to our organisation.

Our Trustees, who are themselves volunteers, also freely offer their time, knowledge and skills. I‘d like to thank Brian Holmes, Felicity Schofield, Joanna Murray and Catherine Grayson, all trustees who retired from Board during this period, and to our existing Trustees, Emma Webb, Susanna Brown, Nigel Doran, Esta Innes, Ian Feis Bryce, Jamie Bytheway and Natalie Bird.

We are trying to increase our financial independence through fundraising to support the sustainability of our services. We keep our running and administration costs to the bare minimum, so that we can deliver to as many of our beneficiaries as possible.

Without the continued support, resources and commitment of our members, funders and fundraisers who have chosen to support a local mental health charity,

Chair’s Reportwe really could not continue to deliver our services to local people in mental distress. So … an extremely big thank you for your continued support.

Joy Wales

Chair of Trustees

4

W e all know how important it is to listen but sometimes I think that the ability to listen and actually hear what we are being told is

under appreciated. My own work is in the main away from the front line that staff and volunteers at Manchester Mind are involved in but often I am privileged to be informed of or read case studies or actually see work in action and what strikes me time and time again is the impact listening has and is one of the most powerful things we can do and it is this that I see demonstrated time and time again. We have incredibly skilled and experienced staff and volunteers working within Manchester Mind but I think it is that ability to listen and hear what people tell us that really makes a difference and it is something that I am always incredibly proud of, because it isn’t easy.

One of the things that can make listening difficult is the constant changes and activity that is going on around us and that potentially will create even more challenges for the people we work with and for the organisation we work for. In this respect this year has been no different from previous ones in recent history and includes further welfare reform implementation, uncertainty about

Director’s Reportfunding, the demise of organisations and services around us, the challenges of dealing with increasing demand etc. The only thing we can be certain about is that the programme of austerity that affects (some) individuals and organisations alike is set to continue into the foreseeable future.

It is therefore important for us to pay attention to what we are being told – to what people say they need and what type of service is effective and be able to evidence our impact in more effective ways, look at doing things differently and working with other organisations to increase the value of what we do.

I think it is true to say that a significant amount of our current and new work is taking these challenges on. No more so than working with volunteers. In 2013/14 Manchester Mind worked with 256 volunteers across all our projects. Volunteers have contributed over 1000 hours to supporting Manchester Mind Services and are increasingly supporting our services to deliver more widely and this can be seen clearly at YASP where young people are visibly delivering aspects of the service and are an important in ensuring that the services delivered are accessible to other

young people. Our new project Manchester Volunteer Advice Project (which started in December 2013) is based around recruiting, training and supporting volunteers to deliver advice for not only Manchester Mind but in our partner organisations as well and will become increasingly important in enabling us to improve and extend our reach in terms of advice delivery. You can see in this years report that volunteers are a key theme across all our projects. The reason we are developing volunteering is because it is a key way of people learning and sharing their skills; feeling valued, giving back to organisations and communities, learning new things – all ways of improving and maintaining good mental health as well as for volunteers being able to fill gaps on CV’s, gain recent job related experience and improve confidence.

Identifying different ways of doing things is also now a constant theme and informs not just existing projects but new ones as well – changing the way the Advice Team delivers appointments and drop-ins has done much to enable Manchester Mind to offer an improved Advice Service where we are in much better position to show the positive impact of advice on people’s mental health. YASP reviewing its counselling service demonstrated the value of

5

assessment sessions for young people and these have now become an important part of the counselling provision there. Working in partnership is not always easy but the best examples we have are when all partners are acknowledged as having something to offer and in those circumstances there can be great learning for all involved as well as improved services. Manchester Mind, Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit; Cheetham Hill Advice Centre, Manchester Refugee and Support Network and Young People’s Support Foundation (MVAP) has been a particularly positive partnership this year – not only in securing funding for a new and innovative service but also in sharing information, skills and support. And the family intervention work through Big Manchester with Barnardo’s, Homestart Manchester North, Lifeline Eclypse and Manchester Womens Aid has also been such a partnership which has offered a great deal of learning, a place for mutual support as well as contributing to a valuable service.

There are often ups and downs in any partnership and there is no doubt it takes time to develop good and trusting relationships where partners needs are heard and responded to – it will be

something we will be doing more of in the coming year(s) as it becomes an expectation of funders to work in this way.

We have also started to learn to do things differently in terms of generating our own funds – not something we had done much of in the past. Again it is a process that takes time – but the hard work seems to be paying off with increasing numbers of people fundraising for us; companies naming Manchester Mind as their Charity of the Year and staff from businesses across Manchester contributing volunteering hours to Manchester Mind services. We have also started to increase our training profile by offering mental health awareness training to employers and are aiming to increase this over the coming years.

To enable us to do this effectively we need highly skilled staff and volunteers. I have already mentioned our growing volunteer numbers but I need to underline that we have a staff team that are highly skilled and committed to the work of Manchester Mind and who time and again demonstrate really good practice in the work they are doing. We also need a strategy that is realistic, meaningful and effective – Manchester Mind’s new strategy, already in development for 2015.

Please do read through the rest of this report to see for yourselves about the work that has been achieved through 2013/14.

I would just like to once again thank staff, volunteers and trustees for their hard work and commitment – couldn’t do it without them.

Elizabeth Simpson

Director, Manchester Mind

6

7

Manchester Mind Map

YASP

Advice

Bite Training

Big Manchester

debt/housing benefits

supported placements

volunteering

Manchester Volunteer Advice Project

volunteering in advice activities

advice drop-in

appointments

hospital in-patients

representation

corporate partnerships

volunteering

events raising mental health

awareness

building skills & knowledge

open to community

advice 15-19 year olds

drop-ins

counselling

mentoring

volunteering

Cafétraining

support

skills

Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust

city wide mental health service

online support

twitter

facebook

allotments

growing

volunteering

Barnardo’s

Lifeline Eclypse

Manchester Womens Aid

Homestart

GMAIU

CHAC

YPSF

MRSN

Social Media

Fundraising

Assertive Outreach

Café Project / Good Mood Food

partnership

partnership

family intervention

Volunteering

catering

training

skills

partnership

8

young people used the Advice and Casework services

young people used the counselling and assessment service

young people benefitted from informal peer support in the YASP Café

181

70

131

YASP

young people volunteered in the café and learnt about cooking, food hygiene and cash handling

young people used the mentoring service and benefited from one-to-one peer support

49

14

young people completed the mentoring and befriending induction training

58

young people participated in a mental health awareness sessions

897

9

OverviewYASP is part of Manchester Mind and provides targeted services to 15 -25 year olds. There is an open referral system with many young people coming to the service via self-referral and word of mouth recommendation (52%). YASP found new ways to reach out to young people with an increase in mental health awareness presentations and an increased on-line presence. This led to 5% of referrals to the service coming via internet searches and social media, with 897 young people participating in mental health awareness sessions.

YASP continued its work in developing young people’s skills and helping their long-term recovery. In total, 92 young people volunteered over the year. Volunteers were trained and supported in roles throughout YASP and acted as powerful role models to other young people using the service. The Mentoring Service continued to grow, which provided one-to-one support for young people as they took concrete steps towards their recovery. This valuable peer support service has helped young people as they returned to work and study, ensuring the transition was as smooth and enjoyable as possible.

Advice and Casework continued to be popular and well used at YASP. There were improvements in housing, reduction in debt and increases in income of £232,815. The Counselling and Assessment service provided therapeutic interventions for young people. There was a marked increase in the level of safeguarding risk young people were facing and so risk management and multi-agency work was central to the work of the service this year. Outcomes were achieved for young people that included a reduction in risk, an increase in positive activities and young people feeling more confident in their ability to manage their mental health.

10

Case StudiesRosemary I have got a mentor now. I have worked with my counsellor to set objectives and now work with my mentor to make sure I stay focused on achieving them. I was not sure about having a mentor at first but now I really value it. My mentor is really supportive and has helped me tick off some of my goals. I see her once a week at YASP. She is a few years older than me and that’s OK. She will carry on working with me for a while helping to bridge the gap between counselling and managing on my own. She says she will continue to meet me regularly until she goes back to University in mid January. At the start of the mentoring, one of my key goals was to get back to work and I have achieved this now. I have also accepted that my family do not understand what is wrong with me (probably never will!) and just think it’s my ‘odd personality’.

HelenI have a history of eating disorders and anxiety. I came into YASP to meet a friend and ended up talking with one of the Café Development Workers who suggested I might

like to volunteer in the Café. I have worked here for the last twelve weeks. I still have a lot of issues with food and eating, but I have felt able to talk about this with the Café Development Worker.

At first I worked in YASP’s Café and more recently I’ve become involved with the mentoring scheme as a volunteer. ‘I attended the three day course and found out a great deal about the kind of mental health problems that young people can experience. I also learnt a lot about mentoring and the role play experience which is part of the training course, gave me the confidence to become a volunteer. I really enjoyed meeting the other people on the course, who were all between 18 and 24 years. It was not obligatory to become a mentor following the course - but I really want to. I haven’t been matched up to a mentee yet, but I am very keen to do it soon. I have helped out with another mentoring training course recently.

I have continued working in the Café while I am waiting to be matched to a mentee. I have also accompanied a YASP worker into a school to help deliver a mental health awareness presentation, which has been

really good. I think that working in the Café is a positive way of helping me to look at some of my problems in the right environment.

I really enjoyed meeting the

other people on the course.

11

Advice Team

£2,211,802.01

79%535That is the number of people seen at advice sessions and appointments.

in increased income.

That is a

success rate.

The number of successful appeals was 19.

12

Poverty, homelessness or poor housing and debt can be a contributing or exacerbating factor in poor mental health - that is why the provision of advice is so important to Manchester Mind. By providing an Advice Service that is aware of the impact of poor mental health, we can support people in gaining greater stability and choice within their lives. The social welfare system is complex and often daunting. People tell us that face to face advice is invaluable, particularly when they might be in crisis.

In June 2013/14 the Advice Team ran two drop in sessions and 4 appointment sessions a week, supporting 535 people with casework. This is a massive increase on the 347 people supported in 2012/13 and not only reflects the increasing demand on our service, but also the hard work and commitment of our advice workers.

The team also continued to provide advice to in-patients on 3 of the 6 wards of the Mental Health in-patient unit at Park House, North Manchester General Hospital.

At the same time, our advice workers have helped people using our service to navigate major changes to the social welfare system, including Personal Independence Payments, Bedroom Tax, Welfare Provision Scheme and mandatory reconsiderations. With the

13

Case Study

P aul suffers from depression and alcohol dependency and was struggling financially. He attended the advice drop-in. If

someone attends the drop-in and they have not seen us before a check of their benefits is a standard procedure. In Paul’s case this was important as it was clear he was not in receipt of the correct rate of Employment Support Allowance.

When investigated further it appears after he had attended a medical there had been a mix up with the report which had not been sent to the DWP so maintaining Paul in an assessment phase of his claim which was a lower rate of benefit. After a number of phone calls chasing up the

report and then connecting that with his claim at the DWP his case was sorted out and he was awarded Employment Support Allowance and put in the Work Related Activity Group.

He was paid £4000 arrears. £1600 of this taken by the DWP for a previous benefit overpayment but it has left him enough to pay towards his rent costs as he is subject to the Bedroom Tax. However, due to the arrears and the higher rate of weekly benefit Paul is no longer in any debt. He has an alcohol issue and attends AA. As a consequence of his benefits being sorted out he feels a lot less stressed and able to attempt to give up alcohol.

It has been such a big help at times when it was

really difficult to cope. It’s comforting to know you are still there if we should need advice or

someone to talk to.

increasingly draconian welfare reforms, 2013/4 saw a large rise in the number of clients who have had their benefit sanctioned, and a rise in the number of food vouchers we have issued.

In July 2013 Manchester City Council, who fund the Advice Service, came in to review our service. Staff and service users put in a lot of time and effort to prepare evidence and to talk

to the Commissioners about the importance of the advice service. As a result, funding for the service was secured until March 2015. The Advice Service also put in an application for the Advice Quality Standard. We received very positive comments from the initial desk top audit and are confident that after the on-site audit in May 2014, we will be awarded the

Quality Standard. Having the Advice Quality Standard will not only recognise the quality of the work we do, but help us to continually improve the service we offer. This will be essential in future funding bids.

14

Case Study

T his Case Study provides an example of how the benefit system can affect people and how difficult and complex it can feel to navigate.

A young woman who had a long history of depression and anxiety accessed our Advice Service. She had consistently over the years found it difficult to engage with services and to discuss her problems. In trying to communicate she would often appear incoherent and break down in tears.

She had been in receipt of ESA and had completed an ESA50 for reassessment.

She attended a Work Capability Assessment Interview and scored no points which would lead to her losing her benefit, so she came to the Advice Team for assistance. Part of that help involved:

Assisting her to request a Mandatory Reconsideration outlining the facts and ensuring that all her health difficulties were documented. At this stage the original decision was upheld. The next stage was to support our client to appeal and then whilst she waited for the appeal she would need to claim Job Seekers Allowance, even though she was clearly unfit for work.

There were concerns that this may affect her claim for the benefit and she would be left without money.

The advice worker attended the job centre with the client. Although the client was distressed and clearly finding it difficult she was told she would have to sign on for work and adhere to the conditions around seeking work, otherwise she would lose her benefit.

Our client did present at her required appointments and did sign on but only because she was provided with support and prompting from the Advice Team and her Support Worker. If this had not happened it is unlikely that she would have felt able to carry out her job seeking activities.

This matter was not resolved quickly and it was not until a couple of months later that we found out that her appeal was over turned before the appeal hearing and benefit was reinstated.

A big thank you for once again sorting out my

benefits. I am starting voluntary work soon

and my goal is to one day return to paid work.

15

Working in PartnershipPartnership working has been incredibly important this year in enabling us to increase our Advice Services and reach more people.

In 2013 we worked with Cheetham Hill Advice Centre, Manchester Refugee Support Network, Young People’s Support Foundation and Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit, to develop the Manchester Volunteer Advice Project (MVAP). We were proposing to set up a centralised recruitment process for people who wanted to volunteer in advice activities. There would be a 9 week basic training course, with volunteer placements offered in one of the partner organisations and supported by Casework Supervisors.

In August 2013 our Big Lottery Reaching Communities Fund was successful and the project was up and running by December, with our first courses in March 2014. MVAP is increasing our capacity to work successfully with volunteers, which will support our Advice Service to more effectively manage the demand for advice. MVAP is a very strong example of a successful partnership.

We are also a key partner in the Advice Alliance, which emerged from a successful funding bid lead by Manchester Citizens Advice Bureau to the Advice Transition Fund. We are working together to ensure that Advice Work in the City is more sustainable.

“ I have really enjoyed my time on the volunteer programme; everyone has been very friendly, helpful and patient.”

✆

Late in 2013, Manchester Mind worked with Shelter in the submission of a tender to deliver Targeted Advice in Manchester. Early in 2014, we found that this had been successful. The new service created an additional Advice Worker position at Manchester Mind, from April 2014

Manchester Volunteer Advice Project Poster

16

Bite

182 Number of people participating in Bite 2 Number of growing sites

4 Number of partnership activities

17

Food and physical activity are important factors in improving and maintaining good mental health. Growing offers the opportunity to get out in the open air, notice the changing seasons, learn new things and pick up skills, whilst getting to know new people through working together. Access to good healthy food is also important in helping us to look after our mental health. Bite addresses both of these issues by creating a supportive and stimulating project around social and therapeutic horticulture, and delivering a cooking project for people with mental health issues.

Bite restarted in September 2013 (after being awarded 2 years funding from the Big Lottery: Target Wellbeing) and focuses on providing a therapeutic wellbeing intervention that reduces social isolation, supports people in gaining new skills, increasing confidence in everyday life and physical activity, as well as access and knowledge of healthy food.

Bite offers gardening activities, mainly around growing vegetables and fruit through weekly sessions at two sites. One is an allotment plot in Chorlton (South Manchester) and the other is a community garden project in Openshaw (East Manchester).

In the first year, which started in September 2013, we set out an informal programme of work tailored to the space, time of year and, most importantly, the needs of the people

18

attending. People can attend on an informal basis, which works well for those who may find it hard to commit to regular sessions, or lack confidence in attending a full session with new people. We have found people attend regularly once established in the group. Everyone receives an induction to the project and ongoing, informal support during sessions.

Our cooking workshops are delivered in partnership with other organisations and community groups. We delivered two sets of short courses in budget cooking with at risk parents of young families (Big Manchester) and vulnerable young people (Hideaway

Youth Club). The cooking workshops give people an opportunity to share skills and ideas and connect with others.

Our first year of a new Bite project has been very successful. An overgrown Southern Allotment has been transformed into a space which has enabled us to grow an excellent first crop of vegetables, which people take home or pass onto the Manchester Mind Café. Working in partnership with Growing in the City gave Manchester Mind the chance to provide a session in a different part of the city and a real community feeling has developed about this site.

QuotesI didn’t expect to enjoy being on the allotment, but have been amazed by the difference it can make.

I get to socialise with new people at the allotment, I like the fact that we get to try new things around gardening, for example building a bug hotel.

19

Case StudiesGlenn Glen joined the growing sessions with Bite at Growing in the City Community Garden in Openshaw. As a keen sportsman who used to play football regularly Glenn wanted to participate in something to increase his levels of physical activity. Glenn has a history of alcohol problems, depression and has had a Heart Valve replacement. He is on daily medication, which can limit his ability as well as motivation to participate in physical activities.

Since joining the group Glenn has seen some positive changes to his physical and mental wellbeing.

“I have not been able to socialise like this in a long-time. I was overweight and unfit coming here has made me think about what I eat. I have learnt a lot about planting and growing crops. I am actually coming somewhere I like coming. I am glad that I get to work on my own pace. I serve the morning and afternoon drinks to everyone in our accommodation now. I am loving it!”

When Glenn started the project he came with his support worker but he began to build up confidence and motivation after

a few sessions and now comes to the allotment independently. He has started to recover his self-esteem and socialises with group members. Glenn commented that the sessions “bring people together”.

DavidDavid suffers from early stage of Parkinson’s disease and depression as well as physical health problems. He mentioned that he used to be very active but the onset of his illness meant that he had to reduce any form of physical activities. David said that this has left him less motivated to do anything and would mostly stay in his apartment by himself. David had an induction to the allotment group and after a few weeks decided to focus on a specific area of the allotment which he calls “my Plot” David said he now has confidence to work with others and socialise with other members of the group and now looks forward to every Thursdays because of the project. In discussion with staff David expressed that coming the project gives him something meaningful to do. He has taken it upon himself to advertise the group at his GP surgery and other social gatherings.

I can now relate physical activity,

being outdoors and relaxation. Being out outdoors improves

my mood a lot.

20

Volunteering @ Manchester Mind

17%

29%

87%

100%

100%strongly agreed that volunteering and training had increased their confidence

moved onto further volunteering or education

moved into work

strongly agreed that the training and volunteering had increased their skills for work

of volunteers more confident of being ready for work

41 volunteers

953 volunteers hours

91 people trained

21

1 in 4 people are affected by mental health problems at any one time. Mental health problems can have a huge impact on both a personal, community and economic level. We know from what people tell us that isolation, lack of confidence, fear of stigma and discrimination are key factors in either exacerbating poor mental health, or as causal factors.

The Equalities Funding stream from Manchester City Council has enabled us to develop a project that addresses some of these issues, by providing good quality, supported volunteer opportunities and free training. In this way we support volunteers and the wider community, by strengthening people’s knowledge and awareness about the impact of poor mental health.

22

132 people across Manchester accessed our training and volunteering in 2013/14. Our volunteers gave 953 hours of their own time to support our charity. The volunteering programme enables people to feel valued and supported, whilst increasing their skills and giving something back to the community.

TrainingThe free training provide opportunities to enhance people’s skills and promotes a strong and positive message about recovery, particularly within the mental health awareness training. We have delivered training on mental health awareness, mentoring, assertiveness presentation and interview skills to 91 people across Manchester.

What do our learners say?“I’ve completed lots of courses before, many through my job at the council, but this is the best course I’ve done, I look forward to Thursdays.”

“I thoroughly enjoyed the mental health awareness training and it was very well presented. It was delivered in such a way that I didn’t feel I was being judged or made to feel like I was mad/crazy through my mental health problems, many thanks.”

“Really interesting session, lots of discussion to make us think about our own reactions to things, some very powerful exercises.”

Case StudyMental health awareness training - attendeeI just wanted to let you have some feedback about the mental health awareness training I attended. I was very apprehensive when I came into the Zion centre and wanted to speak to the trainer before anyone arrived to explain in private about my mental health issues; Really I was looking for them to say to me to go home when I was saying how nervous and anxious I was. Instead I met a woman that was very understanding and explained that she understood how I was feeling and if there was any issues I could leave the room at anytime and I did not have to do anything I was not comfortable doing, this encouraged me to stay and see what the training was like.

In the first section of the training course I hardly spoke as I was trying to calm myself down, but just before lunch I finally found my voice and was able to start participating in the subjects we were all talking about. I found that I wanted to help the people around me to understand my mental health issues including my auditory

hallucinations that I suffer from. We had done a role play for people to be able to understand what I feel when I am hearing voices during my normal day to day and the other people who participated found it of great help for them to understand. Out of all the topics the only thing I didn’t have was OCD (small giggle)

At the end of the training course not only was the trainer being thanked for a great training course but I was being thanked for giving my view as a service user and someone living with mental health issues.

The training was presented in such a way I did not feel I was being judged or made to feel like I was mad/crazy through my mental health. I thought I had a great understanding of my mental health but I found out a few new things in fact that I didn’t know about and I have now really looked into my mental health and how to do mindfulness and so forth.

Many thanks and I look forward to many more training sessions.

23

QuoteI’m just emailing you to thank you for your ongoing support. It is vital for our service users that are planning to move into employment in the future that they have some relevant up to date work place experience. The opportunity that you offer is often their first step back into a working environment and something that they can build on. Many go on to longer term voluntary work or other opportunities as a result of the taster sessions you offer. Thanks again for your assistance with this.

Kind Regards,

Clare Grindrod, Guidance and Volunteer Co-ordinator, Back on Track

Volunteering in Manchester MindWe offer a range of volunteering opportunities for people to engage with, including office administration, mentoring, kitchen buddying, and social media. This year we recruited 41 volunteers.

“All the staff at Mind are always helpful and friendly and this allows volunteers to reach their full potential. The supervision that I have had has been extremely useful as they give regular guidance and emotional support.”

“My mentor is a real help in providing information and breaking down large tasks into small do-able tasks. She really helps me to look at things in a different way. I really feel heard by her and that makes me feel valuable as a person should be treated.”

“The one to one support I have received whilst volunteering has really helped me build up my skills for my c.v. I feel much more confident about going for interviews now.”

Support for our volunteersWe hold six weekly group supervisions for all our volunteers, which is a great chance to look at achievements, as well as challenges. It is a space for people to look at new opportunities to develop their skills and confidence by taking on different tasks and roles.

We are committed to developing our volunteering programme and partnerships to ensure we are able to connect with as many people as possible. This year we have worked with:

> Gingerbread

> Back on Track

> Dance Syndrome.

24

Manchester Mind Café

100% felt that volunteering in the Café had helped them eat more healthily

95% were more physically active

95% said it had helped them meet new people

95% said their mental health improved

89% of people said they felt better able to look for employment or other volunteering opportunities

85% said they felt better able to cook more at home

25

The Manchester Mind Café is seen as a central service within our charity, offering up to 25 supported placements at any one time. It is very much the public face of the organisation.The Café works with people who have a wide range of mental health issues. It is seen as, and aims to be, an accessible service, which promotes positive mental health, supports people, challenges stigma and discrimination and helps people develop skills, networks, confidence and self-esteem.

People who take up placements in the Café are matched with a mentor, where they are able to identify goals and put in place action plans that help goals to be achieved. As well as having a mentor, participants are able to access other services, training courses and further volunteering opportunities. Evaluation of people using our service shows a marked improvement in both Physical health and Mental health. People also report feeling more physically active, eating healthier, engaging in more external activities, and feeling listened to.

26

Tracy When I started at the Café, I was very introvert. I never left my home. I didn’t wash, dress, eat on some days. I was paranoid, very self conscious and depressed. Since coming to the Café weekly I have and am still becoming more trusting of others and am more able to be in the company of others. I feel encouraged and respected by staff here and would like to get involved more. I have made small changes at home, with myself and in relation to others. My family have said they recognise changes in me, too.

My mentor is a real help in providing information and breaking down large tasks into small do-able tasks. She really helps me to look at things in a different way. And I really feel heard by her and that makes me feel valuable, as a person should be treated. I would (in time) like to be employed in this kind of organisation, particularly because they understand and acknowledge people’s mental health issues. I don’t feel I would fit in mainstream jobs because not everyone understands.

Today and other days I get out of bed, wash and eat (mostly) three meals a day, I attend my job here and am finding my feet and

getting on with people. This makes me feel like I’m part of something, with people I trust. I intend to go into training and/or education and get on with my life.

NimaI came here in 2008 as an asylum seeker. I was very down as I had had to leave my home town and my family. I felt very alone as before I left my town I had a career and a life. It was hard to start again alone. I used to socialise but when I came to the UK it was hard to be around people as I was very low. I had no motivation to do anything, no motivation to get out of the house or to cook a meal.

In the Café everyone’s very kind and I know I can talk to someone if I’m struggling. It doesn’t make my problems go away but I know they will listen to me and spend time talking to me. Just being friendly and kind is important because I’m often very low.

When I wasn’t volunteering I felt very low. It’s easy to just sit inside and sink into depression. That way you just become more and more isolated. The Café gets me out and gets me around other people, it makes it easier to socialise. I have no contact with

family and friends from home so contact with people has been important. I used to find that I had no motivation to leave the house or buy food or make a meal and being in the Café helps break this cycle.

The confidence and self-esteem I’ve got from volunteering makes me less anxious about doing other things. I’ve since started an accountancy course at college. Someone to talk to and knowing that I can get help and advice when I need it is really helpful.

Case Studies

The Café makes me feel like I’m part of something,

with people I trust.

27

Social Media

twitter

www.twitter.com/manchestermind

facebook

www.facebook.com/ manchestermind

https://www.facebook.com/Bite.Manchester

blog

http://manchestermind. blog.com

news

Manchester Mind Autumn News: http://eepurl.com/42bnr

mentions

http://brilliantnoise.com/mental-health-discussion-twitter-uk/

https://www.manchester communitycentral.org/spirit-

manchester-awards

28

It’s been a great year for our Twitter account; our followers have grown steadily and consistently, as has the impact of our tweets. A highlight was that digital strategy agency, Brilliant Noise, found us to be the second most impactful mental health account on Twitter, ahead of Rethink, SANE, and the Mental Health Foundation. This indicates that our commitment to engagement and acting as a forum for mental health service users has been extremely successful; impact is measured in terms of people engaging with and sharing our tweets, so although national charities are inevitably ahead on follower numbers and volume of tweets, our content

was shared more widely and formed the basis of more discussion than any other Twitter account, except for national Mind.

Our content is in line with our strategic aims. It is distinguished by an understanding of the social context of poor mental health, such as poverty, physical health, stigma, and access to education and employment. Through Twitter and blogging we also provide a platform for people with lived experience of mental health problems, who face barriers to making their voices heard. It is for this reason that we were shortlisted for a Spirit of Manchester award in the Wellbeing category.

Our social media streams have also been used to publicise and recruit participants for projects across the organisation; notably Bite (for

whom we also maintain a separate Facebook page) and our free community training, which was publicised using the highly successful tag #ChangingMinds.

In the next 12 months we expect to develop our SoMe as a tool for peer support, following a successful grant application from national Mind, and we hope to maintain as much of our existing work as possible.

29

9 years ago today I attempted suicide.

My cry for help endangered my life.

Tonight (on twitter) I saw people reaching out with words. Breaking silence

and isolation.

30

Business Development

INDICaTORS TOTaL

No. of people engaged in fundraising 6 15 21

No. businesses/organisations being worked with 3 4 7

No. of charities of the year 1 1 1

Amount of money generated through fundraising £952 £2,683 £3,635

No. of events held 1 Xmas 1 (Virgin Lounge: Happy Monday) 2

No. of volunteers 1 1 1

No. of new members 1 5 6

Q3 (Oct-Dec) Q4 (Jan-March)

»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»

31

as part of the restructure of our central management team in Spring 2013 we recruited a Business Development Worker to support internal quality and develop engagement with individuals, groups, businesses and local organisations who wanted to support Manchester Mind through fundraising and volunteering. The post was recruited to in October 2013 and had an immediate and valuable impact.

As part of this work, we identified new opportunities, undertook a cost/benefit analysis of diverse methods of income generation and began piloting fundraising activities.

During November 2013 – April 2014 the Business Development Worker devised new information packs (sponsorship, legacy and fundraising), through content for the new website and some exciting initial internal and external events – which are seasonal or based on key annual mental health dates., Pilot activities included Christmas and Spring socials at Zion Café, and Happy Monday events on 10 March (Virgin Lounge, Blavo Solicitors, Manchester Legal Aid, IUSHE).

Our charity has engaged with the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and “wellbeing” agenda of local companies. We developed an initial CSR offer (fundraising and volunteer opportunities) by working with JMW Solicitors as their Charity of the Year. Blavo Solicitors also undertook fundraising events and gave pro bono advice. We will engage many more local businesses in the next year via bucket collections, sponsored events and further staff volunteering opportunities.

Legacies: we received a large donation in November 2013, and seek to increase In Memory/Tribute Fund giving as a way to remember a loved one. We hope promote our message of giving just 1% of assets via the new website.

Sponsored Events: Manchester Mind does not at present pay entry fees, but with minimal effort – using online tools - sponsorship is a good fundraising route for our charity. Our Just Giving account was set up and a database of donors established, adding to our Everyclick online tools. We established a process of regular contact with each individual/group, before, during and after events, with thank you certificates sent. We will join the Colour Run (July 2014) and may also arrange our own sponsored event for Summer 2015.

Training: Manchester Mind are delivering training to staff within organisations in order to promote awareness of mental

health issues and to enable staff and front line workers to be more effective in managing their own mental health and supporting others. All information about our training offer will be available on our new website.

Membership: developing our membership will also be a further important strand of work for 2014/15 as increasing our membership will be an important way of improving our engagement with the local community.

The year ahead will be devise and busy – as we continue to raise awareness and increase the unrestricted income for our charity.

21 families

38 children

This includes

32

Family Intervention Work

9 families 6 families

Since the start of the project a team member, employed by Manchester Mind, has supported:

closed open

33

Big Manchester is tasked with finding innovative ways of facilitating meaningful engagement with families with multiple and complex needs, where parental mental ill health, substance misuse and/or domestic abuse is impacting on children.The project is lead by Barnardo’s, in partnership with Manchester Mind, Lifeline Eclypse, Manchester Women’s Aid and North Manchester Homestart. It incorporates a range of interventions, including 1 to 1 support for children and adults, as well as family focused work. The aims of this work are to increase

the family’s resilience by building on their strengths, developing their self-awareness and improving the way the family functions as a whole. Each of the partner organisations employs at least one member of staff working within a speciality of mental health, domestic violence and substance misuse.

Benefits of working in partnership:Working in partnership means there is a wealth of knowledge and expertise that can be drawn upon, specifically in relation to the 3 main areas. In addition, service users can be linked into other projects and services, for example, Manchester Mind’s advice service, volunteering at the café and taking part in cooking sessions with the Bite project.

You have given me an outside perspective which

has helped me to see things differently

and talking about my son to you has helped

me to understand him better.

34

Case Study

My confidence has grown so much that I have

also taken over most of the day to day running of the house, an active and visible part of my

children’s life. Much to their delight.

A na was diagnosed with a mental illness after the birth of her first and then second child. Her world was changed completely

from someone who went out to work and socialised to a person she hardly recognised as she couldn’t leave the house and found it difficult to care for her children.

“I was assigned a Mental Health Worker from the Community Mental Team following my discharge from hospital and it was through them that I came to be involved with Big Manchester. I mentioned to them my concerns about the effect my illness was having on my kids especially my oldest, I was not fulfilling my role as mother, I spent all my time in my bedroom away from the rest of my family. I didn’t join in any of their activities and I wasn’t part of my children’s’ meal times, bedtimes or bath times. I wanted to become a real part of my family not just a voice from upstairs, I wanted to become a mum and me again.”

She arranged a meeting with Sarah from Big Manchester who has really become a big part of our lives. Sarah arranged regular one on one meetings with my daughter, to determine what impact, if any my illness has had on her. The results of this assessment

helped show me that I was being overly critical and reassured me that I was not doing such a bad job thereby increasing my confidence.

Over the summer holiday she arranged and accompanied me and the kids on trips to the park, a petting zoo etc.. She also accompanied us to some Big Manchester organised family outings. Her presence on these outings made me feel a lot less anxious a huge factor in helping me leave the house.

“Since then I have began to venture out of the house more and more, I now attend a group session run by Big Manchester every Thursday morning, I volunteered briefly at the Zion Centre (I hope to start again soon). I even do the school run now.

My confidence has grown so much that I have also taken over most of the day to day running of the house, an active and visible part of my children’s life. Much to their delight.

I have started to make new friends and develop a social life both for myself and for the kids who recently started taking swimming lessons thanks to funding through Big Manchester. I even entertained over the Christmas period. As a family we have come

so far with the help of Big Manchester that we are now at a point where my partner is able to and has returned to work without fearing about my ability to cope in his absence.”

Manchester Assertive Outreach

35

Mental Health Service

Users

Support Time and Recovery

Workers

Administrative Staff

Carer Support Worker

NeW

Social Workers

Housing and Welfare Rights

Workers

36

Manchester Mind supports Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust in the delivery of assertive Outreach. This is a statutory city-wide service which works with mental health service users who have complex needs and have a history of being difficult to engage. Within this partnership Manchester Mind employ members of the teams such as Administrative Staff, Housing and Welfare Rights Workers, Social Workers and Support Time and Recovery Workers and our most recent development – Carer Support Worker. Manchester Mind staff work alongside The Trust Staff as part of a multidisciplinary team approach to service delivery. The last year has seen major changes, with the teams

moving from being standalone with dedicated office space to being based within Community Mental Health Teams. Despite the upheavals of the office moves the staff have continued to provide a dedicated service to their clients as noted by one of our new administrators:

“The team are focused and continue to ensure quality of care for all of our clients. Each day I see kindness, spirit and empathy driving all team members to enable our service users to remain safe from harm, to access health care, and to be provided with the things they need and are entitled to”.

The year saw the development of a new role within AOT – Carer Support Worker. The role gives acknowledgment of the stressful and demanding work that can be involved in caring for people with severe and enduring mental health conditions. The Carer Support Work has been in place since July 2013.

I have experienced firsthand the challenging

work done by my colleagues in supporting people with severe and enduring mental health

problems. The team does this difficult work with

dedication, commitment and empathy and I am proud to be a part of

something that is making a difference to some of the most vulnerable people in

our community.

37

View from the Carer Support Worker

T he focus of my work is about making sure that every new referral I receive is provided with a carers assessment. The assessment looks

at everything from health and wellbeing to work and training as well as leisure time and family commitments. Doing an assessment acknowledges the carer as an individual, which is something that is sometimes overlooked. I thoroughly enjoy the role and find it both demanding and rewarding. I also make an assessment of whether the carer is eligible for a Carers Individual budget. This is a grant payment, which many carers’ aren’t aware of. It can be used for anything that will aid wellbeing in the caring role. Some examples of what it has been used for include short breaks, pampering sessions, washing machines and other appliances. Caring for someone often results in significant reductions of income, therefore any additional income can help reduce worry and stress.

In all my work I try to incorporate the vision of Manchester Mind to promote and protect good mental health for all and to treat people with experience of mental health distress fairly, positively and with respect,

to take a positive approach to mental health challenging stereotypes and discrimination, to listen to and respect people who use our services, value their experiences and place them at centre of service delivery. I often act as an advocate to carers and their families in order that they can express views and concerns and can gain access information and services.

Sometimes carers own health needs get overlooked; this was certainly the situation with AM, a Carer who himself has mental health problems. When I completed his carer’s assessment AM had a number of presenting problems which included, anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, history of drug and alcohol misuse, panic disorder, agoraphobia, recent bereavement, debt and benefit issues. I referred him through the Trust Gateway service for his own mental health assessment. I have also helped him to register him at a GP and dentist and taken him for physical health checkups, blood tests, liver enzyme test. This resulted in a prescription for nutritional shakes, thiamine and B12 for alcoholism and referrals to community alcohol and drug teams and psychological therapies.

In relation to his financial situation I have helped him to apply for discretionary housing payment and PIP and have drawn up a financial statement to assess how he can start to repay debts. I have helped him access food parcels at the Mustard Tree and helped him get out of the house for social support.

AM said “I now have increased confidence and less stress associated with financial burden. My carer support worker has been my ray of light for providing emotional support, helping me through a very stressful period.”

New Developments

38

Manchester Volunteer Advice

Partnership (MVAP)

Resilience Work

Mental Health Awareness Training (staff)

39

Resilience WorkEvidence shows that if a person has a long term physical health condition, there is increased risk of developing poor mental health, due in part to the impact of dealing with that long term condition. It was with this evidence in mind that the Department of Health awarded national Mind funding to develop an intervention to support people to be better able to deal with the psychological impact of long term conditions. The project was to be a pilot and would be concentrating on people with diagnoses of diabetes and/or heart conditions. Mind would work with three Local Mind Associations in Manchester, Birmingham and Oxfordshire, as well as the British Heart Foundation and Diabetes UK to develop this project.

What we know is that the intervention will be a 6 x 2 hours per week course that enables people to learn a range of practical skills to help cope with or adapt to stressful situations, and will include; relaxation exercises, how to identify stressful situations or emotions, enable people to practice tried and tested techniques to help challenge and manage difficult thoughts and emotions, whilst also taking actions to help cope or adapt better to the changes in a person’s life brought about by the diagnosis. It will also provide a space to share and discuss experiences.

The courses will be up and running in Autumn 2014. To find out more, see our website or contact ruth.rossleson@manchestermind.org

Manchester Volunteer advice Partnership (MVaP)As already mentioned under the advice section of this report, MVAP provides a really exciting opportunity to develop a different type of advice model – partnership working:

> Developing skills for volunteers

> Increasing the reach and effectiveness of our advice provision

For further information contact steph.pike@manchestermind.org

Mental Health awareness Training (staff)Training is effective in promoting awareness of mental health; challenging stigma and discrimination; promoting a recovery message and also improving the skills and knowledge for people to manage their own mental health and support colleagues and members of the public that they might be working with. We are hoping to develop further our training for local employers in 2014/15.

See our website for further details or contact training@manchestermind.org

Website Thanks to funding from Awards for All, our Mind branded website is now live – providing much clearer access to information about all our services.

QuoteI am volunteering with Manchester Mind with the aim of getting back into the mental health field. I found the training with MVaP good and interesting, I find Manchester Mind itself supportive and friendly and well organised.

I would thoroughly recommend training with MVaP.

Finances

40

Our overall Charity financial

priorities were met in full in

the year.

All individual projects achieved their financial objectives in the year.

Expenditure on salaries totalled £1,029K in 2013/14, over £50K lower than the previous year.

Our total group income reduced by just over 1% in the year to £1,463K, a good achievement in the current funding environment.

Our Central Management Team was reviewed and reorganised resulting in a small annual saving.

Our trading subsidiary Good Mood Food generated a surplus of £7,700.

Our overall reserves increased by £30,968, positive in the current environment.

41

Our total group income reduced by just over 1% in the year, a good achievement in the current funding environment. as last year that is the headline figure but there were ups and downs.

Looking Back – edited highlights from 2013/14Overall our total income decreased by 1.25%. We saw cuts on some of our existing funding sources and our Assertive Outreach sub-contract from Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust was reduced to reflect changed management responsibilities. This reduction was more than compensated for by other funding received in the year, some time limited and some longer term, including:

> Further funding to continue our Bite Growing Project

> Reaching Communities funding for our Manchester Volunteer Advice Project

> Funding via the Advice Transition Fund to support our Advice Team

Our trading subsidiary Good Mood Food generated a surplus of £7,700. This was a fantastic turnaround in the second half of the year as we experienced a poor first half. The improved position was achieved through

42

If you want to read the full story ring our office and we can send you a full set of accounts or you can download them for free from the Charity Commission website at www.charitycommission.gov.uk.

cover the unfunded project costs. In the year our unrestricted reserves, general reserve and designated reserve, increased by £30,968 which is positive in the current climate.

Moving ForwardFor 2014/15 we have funding in place to continue with all of our valuable work. We do however remain reliant on public sector funding and these funds are continually under review. We know that the funding climate is only likely to become more difficult in the next few years.

To sustain our valued services we will strive to build on the financial strength and stability that we have today by:

> Continuing to diversify our activities and funding sources including taking advantage of new contract opportunities

> Building on our fundraising strategy that recognises the value of the mind brand in attracting donations, legacies and other sources of funds

> Building on our local reputation to secure funding for projects in the local area

> Ensuring the proper funding of all projects whilst making plans to cope with any restrictions in funding

> Maintaining close control over all expenditure headings

> Using reserves, where appropriate, to deliver our aims and objectives.

an increased focus on business development, tighter cost control and a review of menus which looked at prices, costs and margins. Sales remain strong in the new financial year.

Expenditure was reduced in line with the reduced income due to tight budgetary control. As part of this our Central Management Team was reviewed and reorganised resulting in a small annual saving. As a service delivery organisation salaries are our single biggest area of expenditure. Expenditure on salaries totalled £1,029K in 2013/14, over £50K lower than the previous year.

Our aim for this year was that all projects operated with balanced budgets. Most projects broke even or generated small surpluses. YASP is a project where some costs cannot be recovered through grant income. Unfunded costs include some property costs and any deficit on YASP’s café. These costs were met out of unrestricted reserves.

We also incurred higher operating costs managing the charity during the year which were funded out of general reserves.

At the end of the year our group general reserve reduced by £50,601 to £332,712. Restricted reserves increased by £84,569 to £125,001 principally due to funding received in advance of expenditure. The reserve designated for YASP remained at £33,692 to

43

Where our money comes from How we spend our money

Public Sector

Charitable Funds

Earned Income – Food Sales etc.

Donations

Casework, Outreach and Advice

YASP and Youth Projects

Café and GMF Catering

Governance, Central Management and Support

Families

Volunteer Projects

67%

6%2%

25%

17%

5%2% 2%

12%

62%

44

We may not say it enough but THaNK yOu to all our staff and volunteers. Without your commitment and support we would not be able to carry on the delivery of the services talked about in this report.

We also need to say a big thank you to all our funders; without your continued financial support we could not develop new and maintain existing projects. We know from our feedback how valuable they are and hopefully this comes across in our annual review of 2013/14.

You are helping us to make a difference to people’s lives.

> Big Lottery Reaching Communities

> Big Lottery Target Wellbeing

> Big Lottery Awards for All

> Big Lottery Advice Transition Fund

> Comic Relief

> Children in Need

> Manchester City Council

> Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust

> Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit

> Cheetham Hill Advice Centre

> Manchester Refugee and Support Network

> Young Peoples Support Foundation

> Citizens Advice Bureau

> Wai Yin

> Barnardo’s

> Emerge Team

> Primary Care Mental Health Teams

> Homestart (North Manchester)

> Lifeline Eclypse

> Manchester Women’s Aid

> Shelter

Thank You A special thank you to

And finally thank you to our partners who have supported us in delivering services:

Registered in England & Wales. Company No: 4738057 Charity No: 1102058

Manchester MindZion Community Centre339 Stretford RoadHulmeManchesterM15 4ZY

telephone: 0161 226 9907 email: info@manchestermind.org website: www.manchestermind.org