|
Download our latest Newsletter
Catalist For Change
This exciting and innovative new project in the Vale of Glamorgan aims to transform the way we work to support people’s recovery from mental health problems. In order to deliver the project Mind in the Vale of Glamorgan is the lead agency for a partnership involving all major specialist mental health service providers, community agencies together with mental health service users and international experts. A pilot year was funded in 2008 by the Lloyds TSB Collaborative fund which led to the project securing 5 years funding from January 2009 from the Big Lottery Mental Health Matters fund. This funding will allow the appointment of a Catalist Coordinator and an Outreach Worker to join the already appointed Information Officer in completing the Catalist Project Team.
Aims:
To transform our approach to how services support recovery focusing on the person and the resources of the community they live in.
-
To train and support professionals who work in the field of mental health:
To approach each service user as a resource in their own recovery, not just defined by their needs and problems but by their abilities and potential, and to embrace all of the resources of the community, not just focusing on specialist services being relevant to a persons recovery.
-
Supporting community based organisations and facilities to be more visible, accessible and effective at meeting the needs and goals of people who have experience of mental health problems.
The overall aim is to encourage and support a service culture that assists people in their recovery, enabling and empowering people to access the help themselves by giving people valued roles, supporting them to rejoin and contribute to their communities. We also intend to work with communities to challenge stigma, lack of understanding and discrimination, and celebrate responses that are supportive of people's recovery.
Methods:
To achieve our aims two linked strategies, each supported by the Catalist Task Group, are developing, implementing and evaluating the above approach.
The Community Resources Strategy aims to:
-
improve the visibility and accessibility of community services through the employment of an Information Officer and the development of an Online Directory of Community Resources (see draft site on www.catalist4change.org.uk)
improve the responsiveness of community services to the recovery of people with mental health problems through Mental Health Awareness Training and an innovative 'Mental Health Quality Mark' scheme.
Partners involved in implementing this include (among many others) Vale Centre for Voluntary Services, the Vale Local Public Health Team, Cardiff and Vale Mental Health Development Project, Barry College, Vale Volunteer Bureau, Citizens Advice Bureau, Job Centre Plus, Llamau Ltd, Careers Wales, Vale Local Authority Equalities Team, A4e and Mewn Cymru .
An Assessment and Signposting Strategy aims to ensure that all assessments made by specialist and primary care services focus on the whole person – not just their problems - and that community resources relevant to each individuals recovery are identified with specialist resources only deployed when necessary.
To achieve this we are:
-
developing, piloting and evaluating training in Whole Person Assessment (focusing on each individuals abilities, not just disabilities) and Community Signposting (focusing on using Community Resources relevant to an individual’s recovery) delivered to mixed groups of professionals in specialist Health and Mental Health services.
-
developing, piloting and assessing a user-owned assessment tool – the Personal Potential Plan - which will support people with mental health problems to identify personal goals, not just needs, and identify the resources that can help them achieve these.
Partners involved in this strategy include the Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust, the Vale Local Health Board, Vale Social Services, Gofal, ARC Day Opportunities Team (part of Bro Morgannwg NHS Trust), Mind in the Vale of Glamorgan, Primary Care representatives and service users.
In addition an Expert Beneficiary Group of between 6 and 10 people with lived experience of mental health problems is being developed. This group will be recruited and trained to assess Community Services and identify good practice in line with agreed quality standards. Jacqui Rafferty from Journeys will help recruit and train the group (building on the experience of developing a pilot group in 2008) which will then help develop the Catalist Quality Mark scheme from 2010.
Progress So Far:
A pilot year for Catalist took place in 2008 funded by the Lloyds TSB Foundation. The partnership is well established and we have developed draft assessment tools, training courses and the Community Resource database. All of these have been piloted ready for mainstreaming in the first year of Lottery Funding. The pilot year has been supported by expert advisors from national partners (Dr. Sue Newberry, Journeys, etc.) in developing the new products and services and a small pool of pilot trainers. A prototype of the online Resources for Recovery Database has also been developed to test its functionality. A new Quality Assurance tool, the Catalist Quality Mark (Kite Mark) has been designed and developed and to compliment and be consistent with other Quality Assurance systems and standards (such as PQASSO, Corporate Health Standards etc.).
An administration post, “Catalist Information Officer” has been filled since May 2008.
Download our recent Newsletters:
|
![]() |
Finding Us
We are located just across the road from Waitrose in Barry on Palmerston Road.
Opening Hours:
Monday - Friday 9.00 - 4.30
By Bus:
The closest bus stop is the Palmerstown, Waitrose stop. (1 minute walk)
By Train:
The closest rail station is the Cadoxton station (10 minute walk)
By Car:
Free Parking along Palmerston Road.
Disability access is available at our premises
View Larger Map
“The recently established Catalist for Change project also highlights the role [of Mind in the Vale] in actively linking with other community resources to offer a range of support to people who experience mental health difficulties. The project places [Mind in the Vale] as the lead agency in a partnership of local organisations who, together, aim to provide individualised support for people, based on an individual's capacity, interests, skills and needs. The project aims to support people using a range of community facilities, not solely traditional (or existing) mental health services”.
- Draft Quality Management in Mind Review Jan 2009 |
|
