## **TELFORD MIND** ## **ANNUAL REPORT** **01[st] April 2022 – 31[st] March 2023** Telford Mind Annual Report 2022-2023 ## **Telford Mind Annual Report 2022 - 2023** Welcome to our Annual Report for 1[st] April 2022 – 31[st] March 2023 ## **Mission Statement** Telford Mind is an independent voluntary organisation that is affiliated to National Mind. It exists to promote and support better mental health in Telford and Wrekin and surrounding areas. Telford Mind works to promote recovery, aiming to provide high quality services for people who are experiencing mental health issues and / or emotional distress. It also offers support to people undertaking caring roles. Telford Mind works to promote independence and inclusion. It challenges stigma. It promotes self-confidence, self-reliance, and designs and delivers appropriate services and activities through service user participation in development and governance. We are committed to Quality and hold the Mind Quality Mark (MQM). The MQM is a robust quality assurance framework and sets out the required baseline of best practice and legal compliance in all areas of a local Mind’s governance and activities. We promote wellbeing. ## **Aims and Objectives** ## **Our Aims are to:** - Reduce social isolation and distress - Encourage independence - Increase self-confidence, self-reliance and self-esteem - Promote health and wellbeing - Encourage participation in development and governance - Develop service users’ skills for self-help and mutual support - Increase awareness and understanding of mental health - Influence the way mental health services are planned and delivered Telford Mind Annual Report 2022-2023 ## **To achieve these aims we will carry out the following objectives:** - Provide support through our Listening Service, Social Prescribing and Calm Café’s - Provide access to advocacy support and independent external organisations - Work in collaboration with relevant organisations - Provide support groups - Develop our work in response to changing needs - Liaise with the local authority, Integrated Care Service (ICS) and public commissioners to assist with planning and delivery of mental health services. In all our work we promote autonomy, equality, knowledge, participation and respect. ## **Organisational Structure** The Board of Trustees meet no less than quarterly along with the Chief Executive Officer and Operations Manager to review performance and to monitor and authorise activity and expenditure. Members of Telford Mind elect Trustees annually. The day-to-day management is delegated to the Chief Executive Officer, Louise Heap, who reports directly to the Board of Trustees. Gemma Coulman-Smith is the appointed Operations Manager. The Chief Executive oversees operational performance and service development and is supported by a small team of staff and volunteers. ## **Board of Trustees** |**Name**||**Election Date**|**Resignation Date**| |---|---|---|---| |Robert Coulman|Trustee|03 February 2018|27 December| ||||2022| |Clive Elliott|Trustee|20 November 2018|| |Rachel Preece|Trustee|10 March 2020|8 June 2022| |Zoe Davies|Trustee|10 March 2020|8 June 2022| |Jane Chaplin|Trustee|01 July 2019|30 June 2022| |Teresa McDonnell|Trustee|01 Apr 2022|| |Ellen Nolan|Trustee|01 Oct 2022|| Telford Mind Annual Report 2022-2023 ## **Trustee Recruitment** Trustees are elected and appointed at our Annual General Meeting. Trustees may also be co-opted by the Board throughout the year. ## **Overview** Telford Mind has been serving the community for over thirty years, offering a broad range of essential services to individuals with mental health challenges in Telford and Wrekin. Over the years, our services have expanded significantly, now including listening support, calm cafes, and social prescribing, among others. Telford Mind continues to grow and thrive, with an expansion in the services we offer and an increase in our staffing levels. During this reporting period, we have also introduced the following new services: - IAPT Wellbeing Service - The NET - Tackling Health Inequalities (Homelessness) - Assist and Engage Demand for our services remains to be high, we continue to regularly deal with service users in crisis, and we continue to see an increase into our services from Statutory services. We attribute this to our strengthen links and partnerships with many statutory agencies. From the 01[st] April 2022 – 31[st] March 2023, we have seen a total of 2669 **new** service users. **----- Start of picture text -----**
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Telford Mind Annual Report 2022-2023 This figure does not include those who are already accessing our service/services. Many of these new service users will also access more than one of our services/projects. There have been many changes over the last 18 - 24 months, which has seen the team grow significantly. Therefore, we took the opportunity to get the team together to gain their thoughts and suggestions as we move forward. It was also a good opportunity to review current operational processes and procedures. For the majority of this reporting period, the organisation focused on commencing work attributed to the Mind Quality Mark. The Mind Quality Mark is a rigorous quality assurance standard. It sets the bar of good practice and legal compliance for all organisations in the Mind Federation. Once every three years, local Minds are reviewed against the Mind Quality Mark standards. MQM is used across the Mind family of charities, ensuring we all work to the highest standards. It has particular relevance as a framework that’s grown and developed as an assurance that local Minds are well run and meet our expectations of good practice. The audit has given us the opportunity to review, and improve where necessary, current policies, procedures and strategic priorities. ## **Achievements, Performance and Progression** A key focus for this reporting period was the transfer from a Registered Charity to Charitable Incorporated Organisation Trustees will be the same under the new organisation and all assets and employees will be transferred to the new organisation. An EGM was held for a special resolution to be passed and agreed by members. The Board then met to agree the transfer process for all assets. From the 1st of April 2023, we will transfer to an incorporated organisation, adopting all policies. We will actively recruit for Trustees to join our Board under our new Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO). The role will be advertised on Reach, Indeed and our social media channels. A new Trustee Induction Pack has been produced which clearly explains the roles, responsibilities and expectations of a Trustee. When recruiting new Trustees, we should be looking to fill skills gaps, such as HR, Safeguarding, finance, governance etc. Another area identified as part of the MQM process was to strengthen our service user involvement. The Operations Manager will engage with the Mind Influence and Telford Mind Annual Report 2022-2023 Participation team to help us to engage service users and how we can work toward having Service User Representation on the Board. Following feedback from various members of the team, we introduced a Buddy System. The main purpose of the buddy system is for peer support, come to solutions together, share the responsibility. A staff survey was completed to help us move forward as an organisation and understand where there may be gaps in our service provision and the support and opportunities we offer. Themes identified from this survey were: Staff/personal progression, the need for Children and Young people’s services and service expansion. In March 2023, we were pleased to welcome MP Rachel Hopkins, Shadow Minister for Veterans, to our Veterans Café. She was eager to hear directly from veterans and their families about any challenges they have faced and how the Armed Forces Covenant has impacted them. This visit highlighted the national focus on veterans' support in Telford & Wrekin. As in previous years, the CEO and Operations Manager have continued to actively champion Telford Mind, fostering strong and collaborative relationships with key organisations across Telford and Wrekin, including the Crisis Team and the Community Mental Health Team (CMHT). This has been another highly positive and successful year for Telford Mind, as we continue to grow and strengthen our role as a vital part of the local community. ## **Service Provision** During this reporting period, the areas of service provision at Telford Mind include the following areas: ## **One to One Listening Support** The Listening Support Phone line provides support for those who are in emotional distress, struggling to cope or need to talk. By calling our mainline individuals can gain ‘in the moment’ support such as signposting or advice or they can refer themselves for Listening support sessions. Listening support sessions take place on a weekly basis for around 4-6 sessions. ## **Calm Café** The Calm Cafes provide support and safety to people aged 18+ who are finding themselves in a crisis or who are in need or support with their emotional/mental health to prevent a crisis. The Calm Café is a partnership project between Telford Mind and Telford & Wrekin Council Mental Health Social Work Team. We are also supported by A Better Tomorrow to provide tailored support within the Café setting. ## **Dual Diagnosis Café** Telford Mind Annual Report 2022-2023 The Dual Diagnosis Calm Cafes provide a platform for social interaction, mental health and wellbeing and substance misuse support. We provide support and safety to anyone in need by offering coping mechanisms and management techniques to help reduce the risk of crisis. The Dual Diagnosis Calm Cafés are delivered by Telford Mind, Telford After Care Team, A Better Tomorrow and Telford & Wrekin Council. Telford Mind Annual Report 2022-2023 ## **Veterans Café** The Veterans Café offers the space to meet and talk to likeminded people with similar day to day issues. Our aim is to bring the Veterans community together whilst ensuring that they are able to access tailored social and mental health support. ## **Suicide Bereavement Service** The suicide bereavement service is available to families, friends, colleagues and anyone living in Shropshire Telford & Wrekin who feels affected by a sudden unexplained death and suicide. The service provides: - Early contact - Home visits, phone or email contact - Support to manage the procedures that take place after a suicide - Help to access any other support you need - Practical and emotional support ## **Tackling Inequalities (Homelessness)** A service, that improves accessibility and engagement with primary and secondary care services for the homeless population. The service support individuals to take control of their wellbeing and live happier, healthier lives To provide excellent volunteering opportunities in the provision of an outreach and buddying service that will: - Promote recovery and autonomy - Focus on community participation - Reduce social isolation - Meet the needs of diverse groups - Expand and maintain multi agency collaboration ## **Care Leavers** The Care Leavers project is a short-term project that seeks to ensure that the Care Leavers identified within Telford & Wrekin are effectively supported into Adult Community and Voluntary services. Flexible support is offered and can include evening and weekends. This service offers a ‘Calm Café’ on a fortnightly basis to provide an opportunity to meet the Care Leavers to build a relationship and trust. The Cafés are complimented with the following support: - Regular telephone outreach to keep in touch (reducing isolation, exploring or reinforcing coping positive coping strategies) - listening support which is problem focused and goal orientated – particularly when most other services are closed. This will include weekends and early evening. - Support within the community to access services such as Adult Mental Health community and the voluntary sector services to ensure that when the project Telford Mind Annual Report 2022-2023 ends the young people has a robust support network or has knowledge of where to turn when in need of support. - Emotional Wellbeing Sessions. ## **NEET project** The NEET project provides support and mentoring for young people who are identified as not in education, employment or training, to build confidence and resilience. This service provides emotional health and wellbeing support to improve the overall mental health and wellbeing of NEET, EHCP and SEN Support. The project aims to help the young people to make connections with the local community and voluntary sector services. ## **Stay Mindful** Stay Mindful is a partnership project between Telford Mind and Stay (a local housing and homelessness charity) This project is a National Lottery Community funded project available to Stay’s clients and offers counselling and one to one listening service. Stay Mindful provides a safe, relaxed, and confidential space to start understanding and coming to terms with difficult life experiences. ## **Assist and Engage** The Assist & Engage project aims to provide improved mental health support for people who attend the emergency department, also for referral from EDT. The project offers extra support and signposting for further services to those who are experiencing a delay in either transport or for a mental health admission after a mental health assessment. The support may include providing practical and emotional support to the individual and their family. The service provision will be available on call Thursday to Tuesday evenings at 18:00 – 24:00 hours. ## **IAPT Wellbeing Support** The service is available for people who are on the waiting list for IAPT support and in need of emotional support, often with complex emotional needs. The service will: - Support people who are waiting for treatment and ensure they are actively waiting and using materials that have been sent to them - Ensure those waiting have extra support to access third sector services whilst waiting - Improve IAPT links to the third sector including Telford Mind - Reduce waiting times for treatment - Develop and deliver a wellbeing check in service, ensuring that the service supports people to take control of their wellbeing - Support people with their emotional health and wellbeing needs Telford Mind Annual Report 2022-2023 - Carry out an assessment to help people identify their health, social and wellbeing goals. ## **The NET** The Net project is a partnership approach between Telford Mind, Stay and Citizen’s Advice. The support is offered to those who are in crisis support and intends to fill the gaps identified from cuts in support provision across Telford & Wrekin in order to ensure that people are able to access the support they need, when they need it. Offering support and drop in service provision for targeted communities and up to 6 months intensive support for marginalised individuals who are not managing in a high number of support areas and therefore identified as meeting the threshold to access the service, followed by support to move on to alternative provision. ## **Social Prescribing** Is an approach that connects people to community activities and services to improve their health and wellbeing. Taking a holistic approach to promoting and improving individuals’ health and wellbeing. Adapting a person-centred approach with an ethos of "What matters to me". The main aim of this service is to support individuals to access community services, projects and activities to benefit their health and wellbeing. We deliver Social Prescribing three Primary Care Network’s within Telford & Wrekin. ## **Counselling** Our Counselling team work with people aged 18+ and also offers relationship counselling to couples. Our Counsellors work with people to help them make sense of what is going on for them. To understand their feelings and to work out ways to tackle their problems. ## **Workplace Wellbeing** Telford Mind provides customised mental health support for employers and their employees within Telford and Wrekin. This can include tailored mental health training sessions, one to one listening support and mental health awareness promotional events. This support is offered both face to face and online. Telford Mind Annual Report 2022-2023 ## **Finances** Funding for the financial period April 2022 - March 2023 funding has been received from the following: - Telford & Wrekin Public Health – Bereavement Support, Tackling Health Inequalities, Assist & Engage - Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin ICB – Calm Café & Dual Diagnosis Café, IAPT wellbeing support - Telford and Wrekin Council - Care Leavers, NEETs, Veterans’ Cafe - South-East Telford Primary Care Network – Social Prescribing (ARRS) - Newport Primary Care Network – Social Prescribing (ARRS) - Wrekin Primary Care Network – Social Prescribing (ARRS) - Stay Telford (Lottery Funded Partnership Project) – Stay Mindful, The Net - Client payments and Carers Centre- Counselling - Capgemini – Corporate partnerships - Donations - Workplace Wellbeing Revenue Donations that are received continue to contribute towards service delivery, particularly our one-to-one listening service which is at the heart of what we do but is an unfunded service. As part of the MQM process, National Mind engaged an external consultant to provide financial consultancy services to Telford Mind. The consultant will oversee the transition of our financial operating system from Sage to Xero and collaborate with the Board to determine how financial information should be presented. Additionally, training will be provided on financial reporting. ## **Reserves** Telford Mind’s Board of Trustees agreed that the level of reserves that should be held are a minimum of three months’ expenditure. If the level of the reserves fund falls below the agreed level the trustees will review Telford Mind’s expenditure and look for opportunities to make savings. If this is not possible Telford Mind will add to its reserves, when the opportunity arises, until the agreed level of reserves is met. Telford Mind Annual Report 2022-2023 ## **Chairperson’s Report 2022/2023** This reporting period has seen a focus on organisational structures and systems, ensuring robust policies and procedures are in place to support future growth and development. This year has seen further growth for Telford Mind and the range and volume of projects we’re engaged in continue to grow and diversify. External organisations increasingly recognise Telford Mind's adaptability, and we’re rapidly becoming one of the leading ‘go-to’ organisations. This progress has only been possible thanks to the unwavering dedication, commitment and passion of our small but committed team. We’re excited to continue building and evolving the organisation in the years ahead. Clive Elliott Chair of Trustees ## **Annual Accounts 2023** The Annual Accounts, including the Examiners/Auditors report, for 2023 can be found via the PDF link here: Telford Mind Annual Report 2022-2023