Putting us First is a project about direct payments and individual budgets for people who use mental health services. It is a joint project between Mind and the Norah Fry Research Centre, University of Bristol, running from October 2008 to March 2010.
Mind has published three resources as part of the Putting us First project's first phase. They have been funded by the Department of Health and will be launched at the Putting us First conference.
Personalisation in mental health: a review of the evidence (PDF)
Creating a vision: views of personalisation from people who use mental health services (PDF)
Breaking down the barriers: a guide for care coordinators (PDF)
The resources have been written for Mind by Pauline Heslop and Val Williams of the Norah Fry Research Centre, University of Bristol, with support from Helen Spandler from UCLAN, Maureen Harris at Southampton Centre for Independent Living, and Tina Coldham at HASCAS.
The Government wants more people who use support services to have 'choice and control' in their lives. That is why they have introduced direct payments and individual budgets. But people with mental health support needs are often left out. We want them to have an equal chance.
Mind has been awarded funding from the Department of Health. The aim of this project is to make sure more people with mental health support needs get a chance to use individual budgets and direct payments. To do this, we will:
Mind has asked the Norah Fry Research Centre to manage this project.
We are working with the Health and Social Care Advisory Service, the University of Central Lancashire and the Southampton Centre for Independent Living.
We know that people have used direct payments for lots of exciting things, like:
We hope that more people with mental health support needs will have the chance to do things like this with direct payments and individual budgets. With this in mind, we are producing resources aimed at service users and a guide to direct payments and individual budgets, which will be published by Mind. We will also organise training for professionals.
By the end of the project, we hope that many more people with mental health support needs will benefit from direct payments and individual budgets, and enjoy having more control over their own lives.
Having a direct payment or an individual budget can put you more in control of your own life. It can give you more choices.
Val Williams: val.willams@bris.ac.uk
Pauline Heslop: pauline.heslop@bris.ac.uk
or phone Sammantha Cave on 0117 331 0982
Norah Fry Research Centre
University of Bristol
3 Priory Road
Bristol BS8 1TX
www.bris.ac.uk/norahfry