Voluntary and community sector support for people with severe mental illness
There is a range of voluntary and community organisations that support people with severe mental illness, including organisations offering social support. This section is not comprehensive but covers some of the largest local organisations, CPSL Mind and Lifecraft.
- It is estimated that 1 in 8 people with poor mental health/mental illness in the community receive support from a mental health charity (Hanif, 2023).
- Key facilitators for working with Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) partners across the NHS, local authority and voluntary and community sector include (Rethink Mental Illness, 2023b):
- Engaging with the voluntary and community sector
- Making local authorities an equal partner in the ICS
- Considering contracting and funding (such as considering if contracts are long enough to enable sustainability in voluntary sector organisations)
- Facilitating data and reporting
- Ensuring coproduction is central to decision making
- Building alliances across different organisations and sectors
- Integrating delivery (such as improving transitions between services
CPSL Mind
CPSL Mind (Cambridgeshire, Peterborough and South Lincolnshire Mind) provides a range of support services and activities that promote good mental wellbeing through the Good Life service. This includes peer support groups, which offer opportunities to people to connect and form supportive bonds with others who have had similar experiences. There are 5 types of peer support groups offered:
- Personality disorder, for adults living with a diagnosis, or experiencing feelings and behaviours associated with a personality disorder.
- Waves, a weekly life skills programme for anybody who identifies with experiencing symptoms of a Personality Disorder is eligible to join this programme.
- Hearing voices, for adults living with hearing voices.
- Five Ways to Wellbeing.
- Anger Management Workshops.
The average number of people each specialist support group varies. From May 2022 to July 2023, on average:
- 3 people attended each session of the personality disorders peer support group.
- 4 people attended each session of the wellbeing peer support group.
- 5 people attended each session of the hearing voices support group.
Figure 75: Average attendances per session at CPSL Mind support groups, May 2022 – July 2023.
Note: the wellbeing peer group was on hold from August to October 2022
Lifecraft
Lifecraft run a range of services, which are developed and run by people with lived experience of mental health issues (Lifecraft, 2023a), including:
- Creative Groups: groups which offer people the opportunity to express themselves creatively.
- Recovery Support: support groups and courses.
- Social Activities: group activities for people living with mental health issues.
- Employment and volunteering: support to enter the workforce or begin volunteering, including within Lifecraft.
- Suicide bereavement support: a support services for friends and family who have experienced the loss of a loved one by suicide.
- Counselling: long-term counselling for up to two years.
Lifecraft also runs Lifeline, a confidential telephone helpline service that provides support to people experiencing mental distress.
Membership
In 2022/23, Lifecraft delivered 279 sessions and groups. Over this time period:
- 42 new members joined Lifecraft.
- 108 members attended at least one group session. Members from all districts attended, including an increase in members from East Cambridgeshire.
- An average of 7 to 10 people attended each of the weekly ongoing groups.
Ely activity groups
18 unique people access the Ely groups and activities, with an average of 7 people a week at the drop-ins.
- 9 member employees or volunteers working for Lifecraft via the member employee scheme.
- Average of 2.2 work hours per week provided by each member employee or volunteer.
Counselling service
The Lifecraft counselling service offers in-person sessions in Ely and Cambridge. In 2022/23:
- 12 people started counselling and 18 completed treatment.
- 87% available appointments were attended.
Suicide bereavement support
Through additional funding from the local authority, Lifecraft has recently increased their provision of specialist emotional and practical support, established a new suicide bereavement counselling service (providing up to 14 sessions of therapy) and is working to reintroduce our peer support groups.
Active suicide bereavement support is currently provided to an average of 60 people per month, with 110 individuals supported during 2022/23. Over this timer period:
- There were 1,344 contacts with clients, over approximately 380 hours.
- 83 people were referred into the service and 88 new clients were supported.
- People supported had a range of relationships to the person who died from suicide, including their spouse/partner, parent, child and sibling.
Additional resources
References
Full list of references is included at the end of this chapter.