How you can get involved

• Email your MP to ask them to support our Early Day Motion (EDM) on the campaign
• Petition now closed.

Other ways you can support the campaign:

• Visit your MP or Welsh Assembly Member (AM) to discuss the campaign and draw their attention to the new Mind research. Remember, where possible, to also highlight your own experiences of living in the community.

If you're part of a local group or local Mind association:

• Contact your local MP and ask them to visit your group to discuss the campaign further and to see what initiatives are happening locally.
• Contact your local police force.  Invite them to pop into your local centre to meet with service users – it could just be informally for a cup of tea as a first step.
• Do you provide mental health awareness training? See if your local police force is interesting in having some mental health awareness training.  Service users who took part in Mind’s research felt police didn’t always know how to deal with people with mental health problems.
• Contact your local Victim Support group. Not all Victim Support groups have the experience of dealing with people with mental health problems and could benefit from your advice and experience in order to deliver a better service. You can find details of your local Victim Support group at: www.victimsupport.org.uk
• Hold a public meeting and invite your local police to talk about their Hate Crime initiatives to discuss how relations between service users and the police could be improved in your area.
• Your local authority will have a Scrutiny Committee that oversees the work of any agencies that affect local people, including the police. The Scrutiny Committee meetings are open to the public so you can attend as an observer.  You could submit a request from the Committee to look in specific issues around local policing.  You could ask your local councillor to raise your concerns or you could ask to give evidence to the Committee.  Further details of your local authority Scrutiny Committee can be found on your local council’s website.
• Magistrates deal daily with people with people with mental health problems, both as witnesses and victims as well as defendants.  Not all magistrates have a great knowledge of mental health issues.  You could contact your local Magistrates Court and ask if they would be interested in mental health awareness training.
• Develop your campaigning skills. Download Mind's free campaign skills guide, or contact the Campaign team on 020 8215 2424 or via action@mind.org.uk for a hard copy.

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