West Kent · We want a society where everyone with a mental health problem can lead the life they want to lead, free from stigma and discrimination. Mission To work with and on behalf

West Kent

Annual Review

2019 /20

F O R T H E Y E A R E N D E D 3 1 M A R C H 2 0 2 0

Strategic Objectives

1 Work with more people experiencing mental health problems in ways that meet their individual needs, hopes and aspirations

2 Expand our early intervention and prevention work

3 Encourage stronger, more inclusive, better connected and stigma free communities

4 Deliver high quality services with a focus on outcomes

5 Achieve growth and sustainability

Message from the chair

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Vision We want a society where everyone with a mental health problem can lead the life they want to lead, free from stigma and discrimination.

Mission To work with and on behalf of people with mental health problems, ensuring their fair and equal treatment, and to promote better mental health for all.

Values • Client Centred: The individual needs and aspirations of people come first

• Choice: More is achieved when people have choice and feel empowered

• Community: Communities are crucial to achieving social inclusion

• Partnership: We achieve more in partnership than we can alone

3Vison, Mission, Values and Strategic Objectives

On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I should like to formally thank all our staff and volunteers for their commitment, dedication and hard work over the past year. I believe we are making an important difference to the people and communities of West Kent.

As I write this year’s message we are just emerging from our Covid-19 lockdown. This, of course, puts a completely different complexion on the previous year and what the next 12 months will bring. Last year, as usual, we were concerned about sustainability of funding and pressures to provide more services more cheaply.

Happily we were successful in meeting our strategic objectives. We have helped more people, trained more people and continued to diversify our funding and services. We were even able to strengthen our reserves, a fact that is particularly pertinent now. You can read more about these successes within this report.

Traditionally, I comment on some instance of mental health policy and its possible repercussions. This year we will be dealing with the results of Covid-19 and not to put things too strongly, ensuring the survival of West Kent Mind. We believe demand for our services will continue to increase but competition for

funding to actually provide these will also be greater. Work is well in hand to meet these challenges. So at this point I’d like to thank all our staff, volunteers and the Board of Trustees for their commitment and achievements over the last year.

Mary-Ann Palmer Chair

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workshops training a total of 696 people in Suicide Awareness and Prevention amongst young people

47

Overall

people attended 5,104 wellbeing group activities last year

More than

4,000people trained in mental health

energetic supporters doing something active every day in January to support RED January

160

1,979

Our Year in Numbers

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Every year we aim to reach as many people as possible with our community engagement work, training and wellbeing programmes. This year surpassed all expectation. We reached over 1,000 people within the local community, trained over 4,000 people and continue to reach in excess of 7,000 people via our social media platforms.

Mental Health Training and Awareness

One important area of our work is our delivery of mental health training and awareness-raising. We have developed and maintained relationships with many organisations, the success measured by the repeat business and the ongoing support they have given us. We have delivered a total of 174 training sessions this year, averaging more than three a week.

“Since attending West Kent Mind I’ve learnt many new skills but mainly it has taught me independence and given me confidence and I am now living on my own in a supported living flat.”

Start Well



counselling sessions delivered for 182 clients

2,400

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Service User Voice Model For the last 10 years we have been privileged to hold the contract with Kent County Council and subsequently Engaging Kent to facilitate and deliver the Mental Health Action Groups – a key forum for facilitating user feedback into service provision. This is now known as Mental Health User Voice and now sits solely with Engaging Kent. We are proud to have played a vital part in enabling service user and carer’s voices to be heard and look forward to seeing it develop in the future.

Children and Young People’s Suicide Awareness and Prevention Training

We delivered 47 workshops in Children and Young People’s Suicide Awareness and Prevention Training (funded by Kent County Council) training a total of 696 people. 98% of participants were either very satisfied or satisfied. A fifth of people who attended said they had used the training in real life within

six months of the course.

Community and Schools Programmes

We continued our engagement with local schools, delivering emotional resilience (funded by Kent County Council) and enabling us to reach staff and parents from 10 different primary schools.These interventions enabled us to deliver mental health awareness, Mental Health First Aid youth training and Mind Fitness Train the Trainer sessions which provide highly interactive and fun ways to engage children and young people in understanding more about mental health, and ways to look after their

mental health.

“Very valuable – Thank you. Look forward to implementing throughout the school.”

We were delighted to receive funding from Brachers Solicitors to engage with a selection of new schools and implement a whole school approach reaching approximately 200 staff and parents.

September marked World Suicide Awareness and Prevention day and we were proud to invite film maker Ben Akers to host a screening at Knole Academy, Sevenoaks of his film ‘Steve’, made in memory of his childhood friend who took his own life. This event attracted an audience of over 100 people and proved to be a poignant but powerful evening delivering a vital message.

“The Mind group is an anchor for me, it is essential to my life.”

“It makes me feel as if I’m real. A human not a mess. It helps to stop the isolation, helps me engage with other members of the group. West Kent Mind helps my lack of confidence. It is something I really look forward to. It also shows me I can achieve. I feel a part of something rather than feeling very useless.”



Live Well Kent servicesWest Kent Mind is proud to be a delivery partner for Live Well Kent – a county-wide community wellbeing programme delivering a range of social activity and engagement groups. These are designed to build social connection, increase skills and provide access to both peer and professional support for people experiencing mental health problems. These groups include Life Skills courses, Creative Minds, Living Well, Natural Ways to Wellbeing and Peer Support Groups at four venues in Sevenoaks, Tonbridge, Edenbridge and Ashford. During the year we recorded more than 2,500 attendances at these groups.

West Kent Mind wellbeing support workers facilitate the groups along with volunteers and encourage all participants in decision making within their group. Clients report that these groups support their wellbeing, build confidence and self-esteem and reduce social isolation.

In addition to the Live Well Kent programme we delivered a variety of groups for people with longer term mental health problems including:

• Art Club • Gardening Club • Soup & Roll • Wellbeing Meditation group • Music for Wellbeing group • Make Friends with a Book • Allotment Group

These additional groups are funded through public donations and provide important daily structure and connection for many of our clients. 1,979 people attended these group activities last year.

PATH ProjectWe are one of the partners for the PATH (Prevention of Actual and Threatened Homelessness) project. This is a partnership project across West Kent led by North and West Kent Citizens Advice and includes Choices (homeless hostel for under 25’s), Samaritans, Crosslight (debt advice), West Kent Mediation, Porchlight and West Kent Mind. The project offers help through crisis by focusing on the needs of people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. Mental health problems can lead to homelessness and people who are homeless are more vulnerable to developing mental health problems. We are pleased to be a delivery partner for this important work for some of the most vulnerable people in our communities and supported 34 people through this programme during 2019/20.

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We were privileged to be offered green space in Shoreham to develop as an allotment. A regular hardy group has been working hard on transforming the space and growing fruit and vegetables. We are grateful to Robert Lynch for inviting us to share this beautiful allotment.

We were also pleased to be supporting Kent Wildlife Trust’s Take Root project at Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve connecting people experiencing isolation and loneliness with others through nature and conservation activities.

Community Wellbeing“Since I have been attending Mind in Sevenoaks my self-confidence has grown and I feel less isolated. I am able to talk to staff, volunteers and other service users. I have learnt new skills in art and music and in turn this has helped me deal with life outside my home and Mind.”

Stay WellW E S T K E N T M I N D A N N U A L R E V I E W 2 0 1 9 / 2 0


Alan’s StoryAfter the breakdown of his relationship Alan became depressed, lost his job, lost his confidence and found himself homeless.

Alan was in such a dark place that he found it difficult to engage with us. He was having panic attacks, had money problems and couldn’t afford the bus to access West Kent Mind groups. With support from our PATH partners, Crosslight, Alan applied for and received Universal Credit and debt advice. Citizens Advice supported Alan to secure permanent accommodation.

Once Alan’s housing and finances had been resolved he could afford bus fares and he started attending the West Kent Mind gardening group which helped with his confidence and social isolation.

Alan says he feels much better; the panic attacks have subsided and his confidence has grown. He has made new friends and is a keen gardener. Alan is now volunteering in the community and says his next aim is to get back to force.

Mums’ Support Group and ASD Carers’ Support Group

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Supported Housing

Our two residential houses in Sevenoaks provide a safe and supportive environment for 15 people with long term mental health needs. Key workers support residents to work towards their agreed goals. This includes emotional support, encouragement to look after their physical health and support to manage their finances. Many residents have increased confidence and social skills. The aim is to move on to independent living within two years. This year two residents started part-time work and two residents moved on to alternative accommodation.

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The Mums’ Support Group helps women with post-natal depression and other mental health problems. The groups offer a welcoming and understanding environment for mums to feel safe and accepted when they are struggling. We received 46 referrals this year.

The Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Carers’ Support Group helps parents/carers of children with ASD. The group offers a relaxed, friendly and confidential place to share experiences and feelings with carers and parents who have had similar experiences. During 2019/20 we received 40 referrals from parents.

With both of these groups, looking after children can affect attendance. This year, the ASD Carers’ Support Group decided that a drop-in group would suit their needs best. This has allowed us to further promote the group to those who would value this kind of support and give flexibility to group members.

Kent County Council (KCC) Special Education Needs and Disability (SEND) Family Engagement Officer visited the group to give an update on how KCC have improved services and how parents can be involved in shaping future services.

“Throughout the uncertainty, confusion, despair and changeability that is mental health, having non-judgemental support from kind, empathic people at West Kent Mind, along with accommodation to remain safe, has been the scaffolding that should be more widely available and accessible.” Resident



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Therapeutic programmes

CounsellingAffordable counselling is a service that people expect from local Mind associations and we continue to deliver and grow the service. The demand increases relentlessly. Our client group is diverse and in order to offer a complete service we depend on a cohort of practitioners that includes experienced and qualified therapists. Recruiting, inducting and retaining sufficient volunteers for a burgeoning service is both rewarding and challenging. In the coming year we hope to sustain a team of at least 40 practitioners, which is about the maximum capacity of our Sevenoaks and Tonbridge centres. We are keen to respond to the need in other areas of West Kent and will be pursuing this goal.

During the year we delivered over 2,400 sessions to 182 clients, up by about 50% on the previous year. 296 people referred themselves to the service and we conducted 207 face to face assessments.

New BeginningsThis project began with a year of funding from Sevenoaks District Council, which ended in March 2018. The first year was very successful and we developed a lot of experience and expertise. Hoarding behaviour is complex and distressing with far-reaching effects on the hoarder, friends and family, neighbourhoods and the wider community. We are the only charity in Kent providing knowledge and support to those who are impacted by the effects of hoarding disorder and those that work with them.

This year we sought new funding, and although reaching the final shortlist for a Nationwide fund we were not ultimately successful. Consequently the programme looked to have an uncertain future. However a careful review of the programme has shown that it can be self-funding and that we can retain the skills and expertise we have acquired in this area of great need. We anticipate a re-birth in the coming year.

Live Well Kent ServicesLife SkillsLife Skills is a programme of six 90-minute psychoeducational classes for men and women to help with problems such as anxiety, depression, stress and panic attacks.The programme helps to challenge unhelpful thinking and behaviours in order to make positive changes to lives.

Last year we received 188 referrals and delivered 13 programmes in Sevenoaks,

Tonbridge, Tunbridge Wells and Ashford.

Brighter FuturesBrighter Futures is a counselling programme for people who want help to deal with loss of some kind. This could be the loss of a partner, loved one, a pet, loss of employment or a home, loss of mobility or any other kind of loss. The programme offers eight weeks of counselling with a qualified professional counsellor in Sevenoaks or Tonbridge. 30 people benefited from the service.

In a new development, we provided a professional counselling service package to support staff in an organisation experiencing sudden change. This brought in valuable revenue and offered paid opportunities to our volunteer counsellors and we plan to further develop this service offer.

The coronavirus pandemic has led to a surge in people using videoconferencing platforms like Zoom. In March, as the nation went into ‘lockdown’, we suspended face to face sessions and therapists worked remotely via videolink and telephone.The success of this remote working has encouraged us to further develop this as an option in the coming year, as we can offer counselling in this way right across West Kent and not just at our Sevenoaks and Tonbridge centres.

We are very grateful to our dedicated and enthusiastic team of volunteer counsellors, who make it possible for us to provide this much valued service.


Get Well


13%

34%

26%24%

2% 1%

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A Resilient Organisation The landscape of the Charity sector has changed significantly over the years and West Kent Mind has taken a more holistic approach towards sustainability. This year, we have focused our resources on laying the foundations needed to maintain a sustainable and viable charity in today’s climate with a long term focus.

Some key highlights from 2019/20 have been:

Sustainability Strategy – we

started work on developing

a Sustainability Strategy that

focuses on key areas within

the organisation - social,

economic and environmental

sustainability; all three factors

play a significant role in ensuring

the ongoing viability of West Kent

Mind. We began a new strategic

planning process to build on our

successes and to operate an

efficient and ethically-motivated

organisation that plays its part

in a connected and flourishing

world.

Theory of Change – this

was a detailed assessment

of how and why changes are

expected to happen amongst

our beneficiaries.We held a

number of Away Days with

key stakeholders (volunteer,

trustees and clients) to ensure

we captured the views of

those involved with West Kent

Mind. The feedback from these

sessions have been invaluable

in our planning for the

development of future

service provisions.

Solace CaféThe Solace Café (funded by the West Kent Clinical Commissioning Group and the Police and Crime Commissioner) provides mental health and wellbeing support on Thursday and Saturday evenings and aims to deliver the following outcomes:

• Prevent escalation of mental health problems and thereby avoid a crisis

• Prevent unnecessary referrals to secondary mental health services, A&E departments and other emergency and out of hours services

• Improve mental health and wellbeing

• Reduce isolation

The dedicated staff team have worked hard at building trust with the people we work with and they are at the very heart of what we do; for each individual we adopt a person centred, holistic approach in order to assess and support their needs. We have continued to forge links in the community with a range of statutory and voluntary agencies where we signpost or refer clients, for example GPs, Mental Health Specialists, Citizens Advice, Victim Support, Change Grow Live, Friends, Live Well Kent, and many more. We have continued to have considerable support from our local police who regularly check in with us to see our clients and offer advice on staying safe.

This year there were 1,430 repeat attendances from existing clients and we welcomed 76 new clients. The chart shows the number of clients who stated they would have accessed other services or been at serious risk if the Solace Café had not been open.

Partnership – We continued

our valued and established

relationships and partnerships

with organisations and

businesses across West Kent.

These included Kent County

Council, Shaw Trust, Southern

Housing, Sevenoaks District

Council, Tonbridge & Malling

Borough Council and Tunbridge

Wells Borough Council, local

voluntary organisations, statutory

organisations, the Clinical

Commissioning Group and

with schools and colleges.



Number of Solace Cafe Clients who...

Avoided A&E (152)

Avoided Police (78)

Avoided Crisis Team (217)

Avoided out of hours GP (166)

Avoided self harm (14)

Avoided suicide (5)

Looking aheadWhilst we planned for 2020/21 to be a year of finalising our new strategy and beginning its implementation, we entered into a significant period of uncertainty and change as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is clear that our plans, ambitions and aspirations will be put on hold whilst we navigate our way through a changing world. Throughout this period of transformation, we will continue to deliver our services to those most in need and will commit to responding swiftly and effectively to our communities and the mental health needs that they may have.

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Statement from TrusteesThe charity achieved a surplus after gains/(losses) on investments of £21,826 for the year compared with a surplus of £28,646 for the previous year. Income decreased from £862,319 in the previous year to £850,241 in this year. Given the ever increasing demand for our services in the current climate of cutbacks and the fact that the majority of our income is not guaranteed, this is a good result and was achieved through the hard work of our staff and volunteers.

The Trustees are aware of the potential economic and social effects of the COVID-19 virus outbreak. The full impact of the pandemic on the UK economy is yet to be seen, but the Charity will continue to seek to mitigate this risk by following the UK Government’s guidelines and adapting/developing its own internal strategy.

Statement from AuditorsThe abbreviated statements show the Statement of Financial Activity and Balance Sheet only. A copy of the full Trustees Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2020 is available on request or available via Charity Commission and Companies House.

“In our opinion the financial statements:

• give a true and fair view of the state of the charitable company’s affairs as at 31 March 2020 and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure for the year then ended;

• have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and

• have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.”

Kreston Reeves LLP Chartered Accountants

Statutory Auditor

Chatham Maritime

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Financial Statements

Accounts AccountsStatement of financial activities (incorporating income and expenditure account) for the year ended 31 March 2020 Balance Sheet as at 31 March 2020

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Unrestricted funds 2020

£

Restricted funds 2020

£

Total funds 2020

£

Total funds 2019

£

Income from:

Donations and legacies 102,895 - 102,895 110,762

Charitable activities 388,576 356,830 745,406 749,782

Investments 1,940 - 1,940 1,775

Total income 493,411 356,830 850,241 862,319

Expenditure on:

Raising funds 18,228 - 18,228 17,781

Charitable activities 447,285 361,327 808,612 819,296

Total expenditure 465,513 361,327 826,840 837,077

Net (losses)/gains on investments (1,575) - (1,575) 3,404

Net movement in funds 26,323 (4,497) 21,826 28,646

Reconciliation of funds:

Total funds brought forward 410,998 12,082 423,080 394,434

Net movement in funds 26,323 (4,497) 21,826 28,646

Total funds carried forward 437,321 7,585 444,906 423,080

2020 £

2019 £

Fixed assets

Tangible assets 6,160 4,471

Current assets

Debtors 41,631 89,800

Investments 44,970 46,545

Cash at bank and in hand 407,113 341,907

493,714 478,252

Creditors: amounts falling due within one year

(54,968) (59,643)

Net current assets 438,746 418,609

Total net assets 444,906 423,080

Charity funds

Restricted funds 7,585 12,082

Unrestricted funds 437,321 410,998

Total funds 444,906 423,080

The Statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. The Trustees acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Act with respect to accounting records and preparation of financial statements.

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to entities subject to the small companies regime.

The financial statements were approved and authorised for issue by the Trustees.

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“My confidence has grown to the point I can now hold a conversation. My happiness has also increased and I don’t feel so alone.”

“West Kent Mind have supported me and my family massively through the days when my mental health has been at its worst. The staff…have saved me on a number of occasions.”

“When I first started I was scared of a lot of things, coming to the West Kent Mind groups has just let me breathe again. The friendships I have made mean the world to me, everyone knows where you are coming from and it is such a comfortable place to be.”

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We continue to be overwhelmed by the phenomenal support from our community. Big, heartfelt thanks to every single person that took on a personal challenge, held a fundraising event or made a donation to support us this year. These include runs, rides, triathlons, theatre productions, golf days, darts matches, musical events, quizzes and so much more. We are in awe of all of your amazing efforts.

We had our biggest team ever running in the British 10k in London and joined the national campaign - Red January - for the first time. We had over 160 energetic supporters doing something active every day in January with support from local sports clubs, running groups and gyms.

Our thanks and praise to Jess Gibson for the impressive launch of the innovative TN card – a loyalty card for Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells with 10% of all membership fees going to West Kent Mind.

Thank you Thank you to all of the organisations below who supported us as their chosen charity during 2019/20. This support is absolutely invaluable to us and enables us to continue offering vital help to those in need:

Blue Motor Finance, Radnor House School, Kent Velo, Sevenoaks Chamber of Commerce, Chiddingstone Real FC, Haven Claims, Sevenoaks Football Club and Tonbridge Half Marathon, Catch a Fire.

We would like to thank everyone who has supported West Kent Mind in 2019/20.Thank you to the organisations, trusts and foundations who have provided funding for us to deliver our programmes during the year:

Thank you to our volunteers who give their time tirelessly to provide support to people with mental health problems in West Kent. Our volunteers support us in the office, in the counselling programme, on reception, running groups and undertake fundraising for us. We owe them a debt of gratitude for giving so much of themselves and their skills under the banner of West Kent Mind.

And finally, thank you to our clients for sharing with us their insights, wisdom and experiences of mental health and for standing shoulder to shoulder with us to provide a service that works not just for them, but for the community.

• Involve Kent

• Kent Community Foundation

• Kent County Council

• Kent County Council Members’ Grant

• Mind

• Police and Crime Commissioner

• Salway Grassroots Fund

• Sevenoaks District Council

• Shaw Trust

• The Great Stone Bridge Trust of Edenbridge

• West Kent CCG

“I have not attended a group yet due to Covid-19 but I have joined in the zoom session which is nice to see other people who may be going through the same as you.”

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West Kent

West Kent MindSevenoaks Wellbeing Centre

34 St John’s Road

Sevenoaks

Kent

TN13 3LW

01732 744950

westkentmind.org.uk

Documents

West Kent · We want a society where everyone with a mental health problem can lead the life they want to lead, free from stigma and discrimination. Mission To work with and on behalf