Network South Glos
Aims & Objectives
- To develop a representative and accountable model for people across South Gloucestershire.
- To foster closer links between users and providers in South Gloucestershire.
- Network South Glos will make a difference, the service will enable individuals who have experienced mental illness to use their knowledge of illness and recovery in a positive way by contributing to the way services are provided, this feedback will be acted upon.
- Ensure service users are able to work at all levels and in various role to help improve the way services are provided and ensure mental health services are developed in such a way as to best meet the needs of service users.
- To engage, bring together, empower and support service users to give advice about provision and development of services.
- Network South Glos will work in partnership, liase and communicate with local agencies to ensure a joint, collaborative working relationship between service users and service providers in the voluntary, statutory and independent sectors.
- Respect diversity – Network South Glos will actively support and encourage service users from all sections of the community to participate in the work of the project regardless of race, sexuality, culture, gender, disability, age or beliefs.
- The service will challenge inequality and is committed to provide training and information on causes and consequences of discrimination, inequality and exclusion and will support service-users to challenge any prejudice faced.
- Network South Glos will promote recovery and specifically identify Recovery as a core value on service literature and in communications with service users, as appropriate and assist in the journey of recovery through empowerment and confidence building.
- Work with service users and service providers to identify, support and develop service users skills and strengths, as appropriate, and signpost other areas of support, information or help if necessary.
- Provide support advice and information to service users working with the project by phone, email, letter, at meetings and by identifying other networks as appropriate.
- To bring together local groups and individuals into a South Gloucestershire wide network and to enable and facilitate the widest possible involvement of present and ex-service users.
- Provide access, training and development to build upon service users skills, increase awareness around mental health issues and related topics by Identifying peoples needs and strengths
- Positive risk taking – the service will actively encourage service users to challenge their own perceptions about their skills and knowledge base whilst supporting and facilitating their role as “experts by experience” in working with service providers.
- Monitor service delivery -The service will remain contract compliant by: Completion of bi-annual performance monitoring form, User satisfaction surveys, diversity monitoring surveys, completion of yearly operations audit, update quality standards regularly & ongoing maintenance of database.
- To hold 2 Project Advisory Group (PAG) Meetings per annum. Group membership will comprise of 51% service users and hold regular quarterly service user meetings to discuss issues around planning, provision and delivery of mental health services.
- To develop, inform and coordinate consultation with service users through a variety of mailings including the newsletter, publicity; locality groups to become involved in specific areas of Mental Health services.
- To act as a contact and publicity link with service commissioners and service providers to facilitate consultation as required.
- To assist service providers in producing information in accessible formats and in ensuring that meetings and events are accessible and inclusive.
Goals
- Promote the service through information and giving presentations on the service, raise the profile amongst other statutory and voluntary organizations, joint collaborative working with other partner agencies and encourage referrals as appropriate.
- Recruit, retain and assist in developing the core service user group.
- Encourage service user representation from black and ethnic minority communities and the gay, lesbian and bisexual community.
- Encourage service user representation from non-rethink backgrounds.
- Support the core group of service users in their role as members of various local strategic meetings.
- Ensure continued service user consultation and representation at key meetings within the trust and other mental health agencies. The service user involvement officer will communicate service user concerns, opinions etc where they are not represented.
- The Service User Involvement Development Officer (SUIDO) will act as a link between service users,statutory and voluntary organizations.
- Work with other rethink projects – maintain and increase the profile of Network South Glos to ensure service users are aware of the service. Offer advice to staff in ensuring good user involvement in their service delivery.
- Feed into wider service user involvement community.
Targets
- To increase the number of service users actively and regularly involved in the service or at any level.
- Measure service user satisfaction.
- Identify training needs and support service users to attend training to develop their skills and become more involved.
- To encourage feedback mechanisms.
- Increase service user representation from diverse communities