Tag Archive for: Mental Health

Humankind and Richmond Fellowship to merge

Humankind and Richmond Fellowship to merge to better support people facing multiple disadvantage

Richmond Fellowship and Humankind have announced that they are merging to form a single charity to better support even more people facing multiple disadvantage.

This exciting development builds on the rich heritage of two charities that share values, ambitions and decades of experience supporting people with substance use, mental health, housing and associated needs.

Derek Caren, CEO of Richmond Fellowship, said:

“Our organisations have a lot in common. We share a heartfelt belief that everyone should have a fair chance to live a life they value, and since our inception in 1959, Richmond Fellowship has worked hard to make recovery a reality for all.

“Joining forces with Humankind will allow us to break down some of the barriers that stop people getting the support they need and allow us to offer innovative, integrated services to more people across England.”


Paul Townsley, CEO of Humankind, said:

“From the very start of my career it’s been clear that drug and alcohol, housing and mental health support need to be brought closer together and work better for the communities we support. That’s why I am so excited about this new chapter for both organisations.

“This merger creates a unique opportunity to develop new, broader service models, invest more in our people, and use our shared experience and insights to influence policy and practice across the sector.”

Further information on next steps of the merger will be shared in the new year.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

Derek Caren, CEO of Richmond Fellowship, is retiring in early 2024 and Paul Townsley, CEO of Humankind, will become CEO of the new organisation and oversee the merger.

Carolyn Regan, current Chair of Recovery Focus will become the Chair of the new organisation, whilst Caroline Gitsham, current Chair of Humankind will become the Vice Chair.

Aquarius (currently a subsidiary of Richmond Fellowship) will become a subsidiary of the new organisation.

For all media enquiries contact:

Veronica Beserve
Richmond Fellowship Head of Communications
veronica.beserve@richmondfellowship.org.uk / 07468 763772

Black History Month – sharing stories from our services

October is Black History Month, this year we have adopted the theme from a respected official Black History month organiser ‘Time For Change: Action Not Words’. This year is about going beyond celebrating and remembering history, we want to recognise the achievements and contributions that Black people and the Black community make to the UK every day.  

In keeping with this Recovery Focus and its partners want to celebrate what services, staff and people we support are doing to mark Black History Month and make a difference in their local communities. 

Today we are hearing from Nisha, one of our Employment Specialist’s at our Surrey Employment Advisor’s in IAPT (Improving Access to Psychologial Therapies) Service. Our Employment Services support people experiencing mental ill health to regain meaningful employment, training, education or volunteering opportunities that are right for them. 

Nisha shares the story of a person we supported who experienced microaggressions in the workplace, which have led to a job tribunal. Nisha walks us through the support she offered at our Surrey IAPT Employment Service, and shares her own thoughts on microaggressions and stereotyping in the workplace. 

I am an Employment Specialist working jointly with IAPT services in Surrey at our Richmond Fellowship Surrey EA’s in IAPT Service. I have been working as an Employment Specialist for almost three years.  

The experience of our client

Six months ago, I received a referral from a therapist, this client wanted to find another job or to resolve her current work situation. When I spoke to this client, she reported that she was working as a waitress but had been suspended from work with full pay. This client is a black woman and was suspended because of behaviour the employer claimed was inappropriate. 

The client received a call from her manager accusing her of not completing a task. The manager used foul language over the phone and threatened to fire her, the client was shocked with everything she heard and felt bullied. She decided to go into work to explain the misunderstanding. 

In the office, she found her white manager and colleagues, the client meant no harm, but her behaviour was perceived as aggressive, she was asked to leave the premises, as she did one of her work colleagues used inappropriate language towards her.  

She was called for a meeting regarding her behaviour and then was shown a camera which she didn’t know was in the office. The decision made by her company was for her behaviour to be monitored for 12 months without training.  

The support we gave at Surrey EA’s in IAPT

When she came to Surrey EAs in IAPT, she wanted to appeal against the suspension and make a grievance appeal against her two-work colleagues. In our sessions we focused on the suspension appeal and have been asking her company to provide the sound of the video, as the video was used as evidence for the suspension even though it does not have any sound.  

Her company claimed she was aggressive and inappropriate towards her work colleagues. She has been arguing that it is difficult for them to measure her body language as aggressive without hearing the foul and racial comments they are using towards her.  

Because we are not legally trained, I referred her to ACAS and a no win no fee lawyer to look at her case and see if she was subject to racial discrimination. In this case, the client was assigned an early conciliator, who is a mediator on her behalf. 

She personally thinks she was discriminated against because of her expression, which did not mean any harm, but it was perceived as aggressive behaviour. The company also have hidden the verbal abuse she received and ignored the foul and abusive language directed at her from work colleagues. 

My client fully lost her confidence and trust to work with white people because of the treatment she received from her current employer. She lost weight and hair because of the stress, and in one of our sessions she broke down in tears when she tried to explain her side of the story. 

I worked with her on building up her confidence to get back to work, by looking at her previous work achievement and contribution she made. We worked on her CV and interview preparation. As an employment specialist, I could also notice her confidence building up and now she is more aware of her employment and worker rights. She now works part time hours and is working with ACAS to solve her case that is still ongoing. 

My view on microaggressions in the workplace

As an employment specialist and a woman of colour, I have dealt with a few cases, like this one, about racial discrimination at work as well as hearing from other BAME people about how they have to deal with microaggressions in the workplace.  

Microaggression is an insensitive and problematic action or statement that often plays into racial stereotypes.  

Examples of microaggressions include: 

  • Not taking the care to correctly pronounce someone’s name or asking to shorten it. 
  • Denying someone’s racial ethnicity by stating that ‘you don’t see colour’. 
  • Like this experience above, assuming a black woman is being loud and aggressive.  

We should all call out microaggressions when we see them. 

I strongly believe that cultural awareness is a positive way forward to tackle racial discrimination and microaggressions at work. We should encourage learning of other people’s cultural norms, belief, attitudes, and behaviours, rather than allowing cultural barriers to feed into the stereotyping and prejudice narrative. 

It would be good to have an environment where people could learn about other cultures and behaviours rather than just white cultural norms. For example, African and Caribbean cultures can be more expressive which may be perceived as nosy, overconfident, or disruptive by more conversative personalities. We need the space to learn about our differences. 

Other ways to counter microaggression is to encourage microaffirmation in the workplace. Microaffirmations are tiny acts of opening doors to opportunity, gestures of inclusion and caring, and graceful acts of listening. 

World Suicide Prevention Day 2022: Kennedy’s blog

Richmond Fellowship runs a number of crisis houses and Havens across England to provide immediate intervention for someone who is experiencing a mental health crisis.

Our services are warm, welcoming and provide respite when people need it the most. They also support the NHS, emergency services and other providers.

For World Suicide Prevention Day 2022, Kennedy, Senior Practitioner at our Central Lancashire Haven explains what her service does in supporting people with suicidal thoughts, and the steps they put in place to help people along their recovery journeys.

What is The Central Lancashire Haven?

The Haven is a short-term mental health service based in Preston, Lancashire. We run a drop-in service that individuals can attend when they are experiencing a mental health crisis. At the Haven, we support individuals from every walk of life, whether it be for managing anxiety or dealing with intrusive thoughts. We have support available for everyone.

One of the topics of support we offer is around suicidal ideation, and how to keep safe when experiencing suicidal thoughts.

Firstly, we want you to know that you are not alone in having these thoughts. Suicidal thoughts can be confusing and scary, especially if it is the first time you are dealing with them. Often you may feel hopeless or trapped, and sometimes people feel tempted to do risky or reckless things because they may not care what happens to them. We want you to know that if you are feeling this way, we can help.

How can the Haven help me if I’m experiencing suicidal thoughts?

Firstly, as we operate a drop-in service, this means we are easily accessible to anyone needing support of any kind. We are also open 12 hours a day, every day, 365 days a year. You do not need an appointment to access the Haven. If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts, you can drop in, or give us a call. One of our fantastic Crisis Recovery Workers will then be there to give support and guidance.

When you come into the Haven, you will be greeted by a member of our team and will be guided into our relaxing Welcome room. In here, you will be able to sit with the Crisis Recovery Worker and tell them what is happening in your mind. You can talk about what is impacting your mental health and come up with a support plan on how to cope with suicidal thoughts.

The Haven staff will provide you with coping skills and de-escalation techniques to use when you are experiencing a crisis. We will also schedule some support with the Haven and offer an assessment with our registered Mental Health Practitioner. If it is agreed that you may benefit from further support, we will provide signposting to other relevant services.

The Haven also runs many groups, so we often encourage people to join these as we find that reducing social isolation during a crisis can often result in a positive outcome.

If you are feeling suicidal and are unsure of who you can speak to our of service hours, you can call the Samaritans on freephone 116 123 or your local Crisis Team.

Grounding technique to help distract the mind when experiencing suicidal thoughts.

The 5-4-3-2-1 technique uses the five senses to distract the mind when in a moment of crisis. Doing this technique can help ground you in the moment and allow for your mind to have some time to free itself of negative thoughts.

  • What are 5 things you can see? Look for small details – the more details you can identify and focus on, the longer you remain distracted.

  • What are 4 things you can feel? Run your finger up and down your arm, pay attention to the feeling of this. Does it tickle? Is it relaxing? What else can you feel?

  • What are 3 things you can hear? Pay close attention to your surroundings. Can you hear cars? Is there music playing? If so, do you like the song that is playing?

  • What are 2 things you can smell? Try to recognise some of the smells in the air. Do you have a favourite perfume that you can spray that holds positive memories?

  • What is 1 thing you can taste? Using a strong mint or some chewing gum is a great technique for this step. The strength of the mint can help you to take in a deep breathe, which opens up your airways and sends signals to the body’s relaxation system indicating that you need to relax your mind and body.

Inspired by our work? Did you know Richmond Fellowship is a national mental health charity and your donations to services really help the people using our services by providing activities to support their recovery? To donate to The Central Lancashire Haven, click here.

World Suicide Prevention Day 2022: A person we’ve supported story

At Richmond Fellowship, the people we support are at the heart of everything we do.

Our services up and down England provide support to people who are experiencing mental ill health . In recent years we have pioneered the provision of crisis services, designed with and in response to the needs of the people we support.

These early intervention services support to people who are experiencing suicidal thoughts or a mental health crisis.

For World Suicide Prevention Day 2022, a person we’ve supported at Willow House in Chorley explains how the coping skills they learnt at the service have helped them on their recovery journey.

“Every day I felt empty and numb. There was no emotion and I forgot how to smile. Too often I would find myself in a bottomless dark pit. Honestly, I hated my own existence.

I looked at myself and saw nothing but flaws and failure. I believed people when they told me I was fat, ugly weird. A freak. In my mind I was all of those things. Useless and a burden.

Coming here, although challenging, was the break I needed. As humans we often forget to look after ourselves. We believe that we can take on way more than we can handle but, everybody needs a break at some point.

During my time here I’ve taken social media breaks, fell back in love with old hobbies such as art, colouring and being outside. Depression took my joy and motivation to anything I ever enjoyed away from me. I’ve missed them.

I’ve learnt a lot about myself. I can meet new people, I can do the things I enjoy, I’ve thought up great distractions that I will practice probably for the rest of my life when things get dark again. For me nothing makes me feel better than sitting under a warm cosy blanket watching my favourite movie. Self-care is so important.

I now feel as though I will be capable of using these to my advantage. I don’t need to give in to the dark thoughts. I will feel OK again”.

Inspired by our work? Did you know Richmond Fellowship is a national mental health charity and your donations to services really help the people using our services by providing activities to support their recovery? To donate to Willow House or any of our services across England, click here.

Young People’s Week – opening the doors to Castle Supported Housing

At Richmond Fellowship we are proud to be part of the Recovery Focus Group of charities, supporting people impacted by mental ill health, domestic abuse, and the harms caused by alcohol, drugs and gambling.   

This week the Recovery Focus partners are focussing on our Young People’s Services we collectively deliver across the Group. At Richmond Fellowship we deliver the Castle Supported Housing service in Cambridge supporting young people aged 16 – 25 years old with their mental health. Our Castle Service recently became part of the Young Futures Partnership, working to support young people in Cambridge threatened with homelessness. This partnership will help the lives of many young people in Cambridge, with all organisations associated drawing on their collective experience, expertise, and resources to offer a consistent and quality service. 

The young people that enter the Castle service are often in a vulnerable state, unsure of where to turn next. Some young people have suffered a death in the family that trigged mental ill health. Others faced harsh experiences as a child that led to poor relationships with their parents or carers. Some young people were originally planning on pursuing education but a life altering experience made them change course. These young people have experienced a lot already at a young age in a very formative part of life when they are trying to figure out what their next steps are, what they want to do and who they want to be.  

With the support of the Castle service, young people have a safe place to live while they consider what those next steps might be. Our recovery workers work with the young people to develop their confidence and independence. The young people can learn how to budget, look after their own home, access training and education opportunities, learn coping mechanisms for their mental health and much more. 

There are many recovery stories to tell from our Castle Service. Below is some insight into the kind of impact our staff have seen in the young people that they have supported. 

“The service has offered Ryan a safe space to grow, express and action change of his own choices. The space he now has from his parents has had a positive impact on his mental health. He has decided he would still like to engage with the mental health support he has on offer and in place already, but this is now his choice, not his parents. The service has allowed Ryan to become more independent and self-confident to make choices of his own.” 

“Liam admits he is in a much better place and his relationship with his father is finally getting a chance to flourish. His job has given him a sense of belonging and being offered a promotion has proven to him that people have faith in him. He has seen the importance of engaging with support and has learnt how to access these independently so that he has a safety net going forward. Liam watched other service users move on positively and at one time felt very negative that this would never happen for him. Securing his own place has been and will continue to be a life changer. Finally having the opportunity to grow and become fully independent. 

“Julia is now set and determined to go to university and improve her future opportunities and although even six months ago she could not allow herself to feel excited, she says she is excited and not so fearful of change, she has acknowledged all the change she has already survived through no choice of her own. Going to university is her choice and her chosen change.” 

The names of these young people have been changed to protect their identity. 

Help us to continue offering this essential support to young people. Donate now to the Castle Service here. The Castle Service is one of the chosen charities for this year’s Northstowe Running Festival, find out more and donate now!

Mental Health Awareness Week 2022 – #WeAreHere

This year Mental Health Awareness Week is tackling loneliness. As a provider of mental health support across England, we see day in and day out the impact that social isolation and loneliness can have on people’s mental health. The pandemic has only made this worse. 

All our services across Richmond Fellowship work to combat loneliness. Whether you’re having an at-home visit from someone in our community service team or gathering for lunch living in one of our supported housing services, our staff are there building safe spaces for the people we support. Throughout the pandemic all our services made sure they continued delivering this support at a time it was needed most. Our services helped people feel less alone. 

So, what can you expect from us this week?  

This year we wanted to keep things simple and recognise the important work of our amazing staff and services – not just for delivering high quality support throughout the pandemic, but also for all they do to help people feel less alone.  

So, on our social media we’ll be showing how our services, staff and people we support combat loneliness. Some of our staff will be sharing their experiences with loneliness to help break the stigma and encourage people to seek support for their mental health. 

We’ll also be sharing a RadioSparky Podcast featuring Nicholas, Peer Support Coordinator at Crawley Staying Well, one of our Crisis Havens in Surrey about his experience with loneliness and how the service supports people in their local area. 

How do our models to support recovery tackle loneliness? 

At Richmond Fellowship we have various models to support recovery including Employment Services, Residential Recovery (including Supported Housing and CQC Registered Care Homes), Community Based Services, Crisis Services and Domestic Abuse Services. Each working in their own specialised way to make recovery reality for the people we support.  

  • Models like our Crisis Services are a lifeline for people experiencing a mental health crisis, acting as a sanctuary when people feel most alone. People can find respite either within our Crisis Houses, or peer and professional support in our Crisis Havens. 
  • Our Community-based Services bring people together to connect. They give people the confidence to get back into society through community groups and at-home support with shopping, finances and independent living. These services are essential in reaching people who are isolated and feeling lonely. 
  • As for our housing services, living around likeminded people and having a safe space to grow and recover is hugely beneficial in tackling loneliness and isolation. Our housing services deliver either 24-hour or 12-hour support. Our staff, as well as the other residents, are there to support people on their recovery journeys and to ensure they never feel alone. 
  • Our Employment Services keep in regular contact with the people we support, checking in on their job applications and CV writing, but also their mental health and any other difficulties they might be having. Our employment services work hard to get the people we support into employment that is right for and interests them.  
  • Our Domestic Abuse Services are there for people affected by domestic abuse who are in situations that can leave them feeling entirely alone and isolated. 

Make sure you are following us on our Facebook and Twitter. Don’t forget, we are here, a safe space is available for you to also feel less alone. Find out about your local Richmond Fellowship services here.  

Being a Recovery Worker at Richmond Fellowship

Restrictions may have eased but the impact of the pandemic continues to bite, with recent figures showing that mental ill health has increased amongst adults and young people. We know that people will need support and services like ours ahead more than ever and we are proudly able to deliver that support and be part of the solution ahead to mental health.  

However, without our Recovery Workers, this support wouldn’t exist. They are our frontline staff, providing the direct support that makes recovery a reality for many people every year. We are proud of our recovery workers and the important work they put in to make recovery reality for the people we support. We want to send out a huge thank you to all our recovery workers for their dedication to continue delivering this needed support to people experiencing mental ill health.  

So, what is it like to be a recovery worker at Richmond Fellowship and what does the role actually involve? This week you’re going to be hearing from staff in a whole range of different services and models to support recovery. People we support will be sharing their stories and how the support they received from their Recovery Workers made a real difference in their lives. And this month’s Radio Sparky will be talking to staff at Holder House about their work, and what being a Recovery Worker with Richmond Fellowship has led to for them. 

You won’t want to miss out on the week, and we can’t wait to share some of the stories of our recovery workers. Make sure you follow us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn and check out #RFRecoveryWorkers to stay up to date! 

Our recovery workers are inspiring individuals that make a real difference in people’s lives every day. Much of their work can be very challenging but equally rewarding. You could also be a part of our team of recovery workers across England. Why not see if there are vacancies in your area and start your journey with us as a recovery worker? See our vacancies here.

Opening the doors to our Kirklees Employment Service

This week we have been hearing from staff and people we support all about what it’s like to work within and be supported by one of our Employment Services. Our employment services help people to maintain or gain meaningful employment, training, education or volunteering opportunities that are right for and tailored to them. We deliver 38 employment services across England – and one of them is Kirklees Employment Service. We’ve already heard this week from some of our Employment Advisors at Kirklees over on our social media. Today we’ll be getting even more insight into the support that the service delivers, as well as hearing from our Kirklees Service Manager about what’s coming up next for the service.

So, what does the support look like at our Kirklees Employment Service? Their team of staff let us know…

Our employment advisors work with individuals aged 18 and over experiencing mental ill health and/or hidden disabilities. We work on a 1-2-1 basis to form an individual plan on how we can work together to achieve their goals. We provide practical employment advice and support around identifying skills, finding the right job for that person, creating CVs, interview preparation and much more, including retaining employment.

There’s so much more we do in between as well; we listen to people’s worries around employment and their confidence and skills, and we really focus on empowering people to see their own value and strength – there’s really nothing better than watching someone learn to realise that they can do these things and achieve their goals.

Without a doubt Kirklees Employment Service has a huge impact on the people they support – but what do they have to say about it?

“I was given so much support and encouragement that I considered a career in mental health support to try and help people as much as I was helped. I’m now a support worker feeling very satisfied in a job I might not even have considered if not for my advisor.” Person we support

“I have been able to find new volunteering opportunities which will strengthen my CV and have applied for jobs with the help of my employment advisor. Without her it would have been an impossible task.” Person we support

“The support that I have received from my employment advisor has enabled me to live a more confident and happy life. She has provided me with support and encouragement.” Person we support

“I felt like I was alone and back to square one, but my employment advisor made me feel like I mattered and always called at precisely the right time when I needed some help and guidance the most. I would definitely recommend the Richmond Fellowship for anyone going through difficulty with mental health.” Person we support

Kirklees Employment Service very recently won their contract to continue delivering this important support in their area. So, what’s coming up for service as they continue delivering support? Our Service Manager at Kirklees gave us an update.

“We recently won our contract to continue delivering our employment service in Kirklees. Towards the end of last year, I was lucky to be involved with the retendering of the service, working alongside our central service team. To support with this process we involved all staff, volunteers, customers, referrers and partners. We supported commissioners with consultation sessions, and made sure to use the feedback of people we support to help with identifying the needs of our service users to create a vision of a new employment service from April 2022. I was happy to see commissioners had taken on board people’s feedback from the consultation process, and the new service specification reflected the feedback of people we support.

We are always striving to increase the support we can offer to the community. As we begin a new year, and new contract, we are going to be increasing our offer to employers which will show us providing tailored support to organisations around mental health in the workplace, and support with the retention of employees.

We are linking up with far more organisations across Kirklees to provide our peer workshops around mental health and wellbeing into the community. We are also going to be providing community transition and integration workshops to minority groups.

We are excited about our new website that is currently under construction. The website will help us to reach even more people across Kirklees. The website will host some online guides to developing employability like a CV builder and interview tips. People we support will be able to seamlessly book onto peer support sessions and find out which service is best for them. The website will also host our new online referral system to services.

I feel lucky and privileged to be a part of shaping the future Kirklees Employment Service and supporting people across Kirklees.”

In 2021 our Kirklees Employment Service supported 472 people to find new employment, training, education or volunteering opportunities, as well as retain their current work. We can’t wait to see the impact they make this year – congratulations to the Kirklees team!

All our Employment Services put in important and necessary work to help people with mental ill health access employment opportunities. We are proud of the work they put in to inspire recovery. Check out employment services in your local area here, or find out more about Kirklees Employment Service here, as well as how to be referred to the service. 

Stay tuned to hear more from our other Employment Services across England this week. Including our Bath, North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire IPS Employment Service in this month’s Radio Sparky Podcast. Follow us on Twitter and like our Facebook page to keep up to date.

Spotlighting our Employment Services

Every month on our social media accounts, we take the time to really explore one of our models to support recovery. You may already have seen our Crisis Services Week and Supported Housing Week. But we aren’t just a housing charity! We also deliver 38 specialist employment services to individuals experiencing mental ill health to help regain or retain meaningful employment, training, education or volunteering opportunities. Ones that are right for and tailored to them. Last year we delivered employment support to 3,126 people! 

So this week we’re going to be opening the door to our Employment Services. Our employment teams across England help to communicate with employers to make reasonable adjustments and provide the support needed to better manage mental health at work. They help people experiencing mental ill health to feel safe and comfortable in their working environment. 

“I was given so much support and encouragement that I considered a career in mental health support to try and help people as much as I was helped. I’m now a support worker feeling very satisfied in a job I might not even have considered if not for my advisor” – A person we support, Kirklees Employment Service.

Our employment advisors meet regularly with the people we support to help develop a detailed work preference profile to ensure the work is suited to the individual. Individuals receive support and guidance on how and where to look for jobs, help writing effective CVs, cover letters and applications and help to get through interviews.  

“Our services give people a massive boost of confidence and assistance in developing key skills that they wouldn’t necessarily receive support with elsewhere. We are able to help them get back into society and give routine and structure back to their lives.” – Employment Advisor, BANeS Employment Service.

So, what can you expect as we open the doors to our employment services this week? 

  • We’ll be hearing directly from staff working in our employment services. 
  • We’ll be sharing the recovery stories of people we support and letting you know about the exciting job opportunities they now have thanks to our employment teams. 
  • Maybe you’ve thought about wanting to work within a mental health charity? We’ll be sharing what it’s like to work within our employment services, hearing from staff about what their day-to-days look like. 
  • Becky, one of our Employment Specialists at our BANeS Employment Service will be giving us some insight into her role in our RadioSparky Podcast. 
  • Kirklees Employment Service open their doors to us and let us know what’s coming up as they celebrate their newly renewed contract to continue delivering employment services to the people we support. 

“We work with such a variety of people who all have different strengths, support needs, and life experiences that we learn so much as we help them achieve their goals.” – Employment Advisor, Kirklees Employment Service. 

You’re not going to what to miss out so make sure you follow us on Twitter and like our Facebook page to stay up to date on all things Employment Services. Looking for employment support in your area? Use our find a service tool to see support near you. 

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