Supporting everyone to achieve better mental health Annual Report and Accounts 2024/25 Rotherham and Barnsley Rotherham Barn51ey Mind Annual and Impact Report 2024/25 ising demand and falling real-term funding are colliding with deepening deprivation to create a soaring mental health crisis. Rotherham and Barnsley Mind Annual and Impact Report 2024/25 Demand is rising sharply while local systems are overstretched. South Yorkshire faces surging mental health need across all age groups, with long waits, high clinical thresholds. and overstretched NHS pathways. This Is particularly acute in deprived areas like Rotherham and Barnsley. where more people are falling through the gaps and relying on community-based charities for support. Deprivation? poverty9 and economic instability are drlvlng complexlty In mental health needs. Rotherham and Barnsley remain among the most deprived areas in England, with entrenched poverty, low income, and unemployment contributin9 to higher rates of anxiety. depression, trauma, and crisis presentations. Cost-of-livin9 pressures and inflation are intensifying these challenges while simultaneously constraining charitable and public funding. Workforce shortages and fragmented local provision are limiting access to timely support. National staffing shortages, local recruitment challenges. and fragmented coordination between statutory and voluntary services mean people often cannot get the support they need when they need it. This creates inconsistent care pathways, longer waits, and increased pressure on community organisations like Rotherham and Barnsley Mind to bridge the gaps. The shlft to dlgltal mental health support rlsks I widening inequalities with risk of unethical care. The shift to digital mental health support risks widening inequalities without locally tailored 501utior)s. While di9ltal services are expar)ding rapidly. significant parts of South Yorkshire remain digitally excluded - particularly older adults, low-income households, and rural communities. At the same time. the rise of unregulated and potentially unethical online therapy models poses new risks to safety and accountability. meaning digital-first approaches could deepen inequalities in who can access trustworthy. effective help. Rotherham and Barnsley Mind Annual and Impart Report 2024/25 Contents Section Page WeLcome from AngeLa BLand. Chair WeLcome from Rachel SiddalL, Chief Executive Who We Are - Vision, Ambition and Values 13 Service Updates and Outcomes 14-30 Governance and Trustee Responsibilities 31 Trustees and Senior Leadership 32 Workforce Development and Practice Improvement 33 Risk Management 34 Plans for the Future 35 Statement of Trustees, Responsibilities 36 Accounts 37 Independent Examiner's Report 38-39 FinanciaL Statements 40-41 Thank You - Our Supporters and Partners 42-43 Rothèrham and Barn51ey Mind Annual and Impact Report 2024/25 We are Rotherham and Barnsley Mind rt 2024125 Delivering mental health support in schools Young people said -Been able to speak to someone who listens and actually understands" Support to schools continues to be a significant area of delivery for us. The number of referrals have increased. as well as the severity and complexity of mental health and wellbeing needs. While there are always other underlying issues identified as part of the initial assessment, the most common i55ues reported by children and young people are 5elf-esteem, sleep and anger. ..I've spoken about my problems and not just kept it to myself "A space to talk about my angry feelings towards my dad" .Feel validated on how I feel through speaking has really helped me" 18 schools across Rotherham engaged in our services We deliverèd 3861 sessions 644 young people accessed our services Of which, 364 females. 244 males. 19 non-binary? 17 identifying as transgender "being able to talk about what is happenin9 in my life" "Being able to talk to someone without feelin9 jud9ed or like a burden for opening up and looking like an attention seeker" Flndlng thelr way back to hope These small check-ins became the foundation for growing self-awareness and compassion. Alex came to us feeling overwhelmed by anxiety. stress, and emotions they couldn't make sense of. As a full-time student. the pressure of daily life felt heavy, and their mind was crowded with worry. self-doubt. and constant tiredness. By the time they reached out, Alex described feeling unhappy. depleted, and unsure how to move forward. As the weeks passed, Alex learned to soften a harsh inner voice and replace self-critTcism with kinder, more supportive thoughts. Visual tools helped them name feelings like overwhelm and pressure. making anxiety easier to understand and manage. A turning point came when Alex described feeling happy for the first time in months. judgement. Working with a Young Person's Mental Health Worker. they began exploring their thoughts. worries, and what they needed to cope day-to-day. Early sessions focused on exhaustion and stress. using a simple -self-care battery- tool to help Alex recognise what drained them and what helped them rechar9e. By the final $gs$ion. Algx's wellbeing rating had risèn from 2 to 9 out of 10. Worry had eased. ¥legp had improved. and they felt hopeful about the futur•. Most importantly¥ Al•x folt h•ard. supported. and no Lon9or alon•. 15 Rotherham and BarnslÈy Mind Annual and Impact RÈport 2024125 Delivering mental health support with the Smiles for Miles project The project has been recognised locally. as an excellent example of the compound impact of collaborative working. The project has also enabled us to support other projects within the partnership. Following success of the pilot programme. we were honoured to be invited by Voluntary Action Rotherham. to continue as a delivery partner for this Rotherham wide project that provides positive activities and specialist support for children and young people. Street League supports youn9 people not in education. employment or training (NEET). They deliver a 12 week programme aimed at supporting the development of employability skills. We were asked to add value to their programme by delivering 2 sessions on 'how to keep yourself mentally healthy and ways to do this., We work in collaboration with 10 other voluntary sector organisations to deliver coordinated sUPPOrt. We delivered 145 individual counselling sessions and 8 group sessions. Coordlnated support for Jess What our dellvery partner, Street League had to say about us We received a referral for'Jess' who was feeling isolated and sufferin9 Wlth anxiety. We were able to help Jess by providing 6 sessions of counselling for anxiety, before processing a seamless referral to Rush House. a Smiles for Miles delivery partner. to access a girls group to help 'Jes5' find friend5 and reduce feelings of isolation. ..We really appreciate her knowledge and expertise, and the workshops form an important part of our Academy programme in Rotherham helping to raise awareness about mental health as well as giving young people coping strategies to manage any mental health issues they may have." 16 Rotherham and BarnslÈy Mind Annual and Impart Rèport 2024125 Providing essential and accessible therapeutic counselling services embedded in Local communities Rotherham and Bamsley Mind Annual and Irnpact Report 2024/25 Delivering high quality person- centred therapeutic counseLLing support This reporting year demonstrates that RB Mind's Counselling Service delivers meaningful. measurable. and life-changing impact. Through accessible. person-centred therapy, we improve emotional wellbeing. reduce crisis demand. and strengthen both individual and community resilience.. Clov•rl•af - Car•rs Support (Barnslèy) 24/25 represented our last year of delivering the project. which targeted counselling support to unpaid carers in Barnsley. Clients reported feeling listened to and supported. being helped to mar)age the emotional challenges of caring* highlighting the importance of accessible mental health support for unpaid carers of all ages. COPE Project Providing a valuable alternative to CB T. our person-centred therapy enabled individuals to explore triggers, behaviours, coping mechanisms, and techniques to manage future episodes independently. This approach helped to reduce the likelihood of re-referral to crisis services. supporting long-term mental wellbeing. South Yorkshire Houslng Assoclation