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Path: Home > Projects > Making the Connection

Making the Connection

Duration of the project: April 2007 to March 2009
Funder: Department of Health, Section 64

Background

A large proportion of adults in contact with mental health services are parents and levels of depression are highest amongst mothers of young children, lone parents and those who are economically inactive (ODPM 2004*). Family learning is particularly successful at reaching adults, parents and carers who would not usually participate in learning and Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) organisations are able to provide accessible learning opportunities without the barriers that prevent involvement in more mainstream educational provision. This funding provides an opportunity for practitioners working with these groups to be aware of their needs and to access the expertise and support of mental health practitioners.

Mental health practitioners will develop their understanding of the benefit of family learning for adults who are considered ‘hard to reach’ and in working with practitioners. They will be able to refer service users to family learning provision available locally. There is often a gap between provision for adults and for children experiencing mental health difficulties, which means family issues are often neglected (ODPM 2004). This project provides an opportunity for mental health practitioners to work with organisations who engage with families.

*ODPM, 2004. Mental Health and Social Exclusion: Social Exclusion Unit Report. London: Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. Available at: http://archive.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/seu/docs/mental_health.pdf

Aims and Objectives

Making the Connection: mental health and family learning, aims to bring together mental health organisations and family learning practitioners in the VCS build partnerships between the two as well as developing good practice that promotes positive mental health to adults engaged in family learning.

	Engaging mental health professionals, family learning practitioners and the VCS in working in partnership to promote mental health awareness to those facilitating and those engaged in family learning;
	Raising awareness of mental health issues and challenging discrimination and stigma among practitioners and adults - parents and carers, engaged in family learning;
	Raising awareness amongst health practitioners and organisations of the value of family learning for parents and carers who experience mental health difficulties;
	Developing inclusive learning opportunities for adults with mental health difficulties to participate in family learning, their community and in volunteering activities;
	Developing a resource pack, that can be used to raise awareness amongst practitioners;
	Nationally disseminating the good practice identified in developing these partnerships.

Year 1

In summer 2007, NIACE facilitated a cross-agency event in three regions – the North West, the West Midlands and the South West between mental health organisations and family learning practitioners. The events helped to develop an understanding of how they can work together to create inclusive learning opportunities for adults with mental health difficulties. Through these events information was collected to develop a resource pack by NIACE, which the partnerships agreed to pilot. Colleagues returned their evaluation forms and the results were collated in order to improve the pack in year 2. The draft pack has been received well, as the following comments illustrate:

“Positive mental health for all is a good concept” (Care Co-ordinator)

“Brief and useful information, easy to access, sections are clearly marked and easy to read - simple language and easy to understand” (Partnership Education Service Manager)

At the end of year one the resource pack will be shared, promoted and reviewed at a number of relevant network events.

Year 2

The resource pack has been finalised and will launch at 3 events:

	Leeds, 14th October 2008
	Leicester, 15th October 2008
	London, 10th November 2008

Apply for a place on these events here:

It is hoped that the resource pack will create a greater national awareness of the issues around mental health and family learning.

The Pack

Download Making the Connection pack - [PDF 845 KB]

If you have an example of work involving mental health and family learning which you would like to share with us, please contact Clare below.

Further information

If you would like to know more about the project, please contact one of the following:

Dr. Rachel Spacey
Research Officer, NIACE
rachel.spacey@niace.org.uk

Clare Meade
Project Officer: Family Learning, NIACE
Clare.meade@niace.org.uk