TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDING 31/3/2020 

The Trustees present the Annual Report and Statement of Receipts and Payments for the Federation of Experts by Experience for the year ending 31/3/2020 

Federation of Experts by Experience is a charity which has existed since 2006 when it emerged from the E.B.E. Mental Health Reference Group which was the mental health service user group to the Bamford Review of Mental Health and Learning Disabilities Services . 

The organisation registered with the Charity Commission NI under the Charity Number 106893 from 4[th] October 2017. 

It was set up to fulfil several objects which are defined by its Constitution as follows: 2;1 ‘ providing support, advocacy, networking, information, education and by any other charity means as the Trustees shall consider appropriate’ 

2.2’ acting as a representative of users of mental health services to raise awareness of the needs, experiences and issues affecting the beneficiaries to mental health services and the general public’. 

REVIEW FOR THE YEAR  APRIL 2019 TO MARCH 2020 

As mentioned in our previous year’s report there had been a lot of interest  generated in training of the use of the Maasstricht Interview Questionnaire for Hearing Voices by some service users and professionals present at the F,E,B,E Conference held at B.C.M Belfast in Novemeber 2018 when Peter Bullimore had given a presentation on this subject. FEBE therefore organised a two day workshop for ten participants which was composed of service users and mental health professionals at the Holiday Inn, Belfast on the 3[rd] and 4[th] September 2019. Everyone found the course challenging but very informative and positive in promoting an empowering and empathic approach in dealing with’ voices’ 

Another area of interest identified at the Conference was the new mental capacity legislation pertaining to Northern Ireland so training was provided on this subject by Adel Thomas, Head of the Mental Capacity Unit at Mindwise office , Derry on the 19[th] July . It was attended by Trustees, several members from Mindwise, Bee Heard and S.U.N network. The general consensus that this is a complex piece of legislation which will require considerable resources in training for the mental health workforce and voluntary organisations. 

Febes engaged in a number of networking , information and awareness events through -out this year, including meeting with members of Strabane New Bridge Advocates – a self help support group , Participation and Practice of Rights Group Conference on 10[TH] October in Belfast and the NICVA AGM in December. 



Several Trustees were participants in the Draft Mental Health Action Plan Workshop held at the Junction, Dungannon on 24[th] October  following several members involvement in devising the 10 year Mental Health Srategy. 

The Febe Committee held four Trustee Meetings in the year and some progress was achieved in creating a Febe website but this was not operational before the end of March 2020. We also launched a newsletter but were awaiting the website before putting on  line . 

We had planned to hold a FEBE strategy planning day in March 2020 but this plan was put on hold due to the worldwide covid pandemic which resulted in the government restricting numbers attending in door meetings .