The new ‘MyCare’ app, developed by Meriden Family Programme in partnership with families and carers of people who live with a mental health condition, is designed to help carers take good care of themselves.
The app is free to download for phones and tablets that are running Android or iOS from either the Google Play or the Apple App store. Download it here.
Or view a web-based version of the app here: www.mycareapp.co.uk
The newly developed Recovery for Families, Friends and Carers section of our website was the overall winner of the Birmingham & Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust Board Challenge 2014.
The Trust Board Challenge is a way of recognising the effort teams make to provide quality care and act as a showcase so that others can apply the learning in their own areas. There were 46 entries and 11 finalists in this year’s awards. This gives a really important message about what is important for families. You can watch a film of the project here.
Carers were at the forefront of the development of this site designed to advise, support and aid the recovery of carers, families and friends. Both service users and carers can benefit from a wealth of helpful information that is available 24/7 at a click of a button.
For more information about recovery please go to the recovery section of the website.
The Meriden Programme are pleased to announce that Dr. Lina Gatsou and her team at the Leicestershire Partnership Trust (LPT) have been one of 3 submissions shortlisted in the East Midlands Innovation in Healthcare Awards (mental health category). Their innovative programme of work entitled “Think Family – Whole Family Multi-agency Training and Intervention Programme” was chosen from almost 100 submissions from throughout the NHS, health and social care, universities, the third sector and industry.
The aim of the “Think Family” programme was to train 100 frontline professionals from across a range of organisations in an evidence based family intervention based on the principles of Behavioural Family Therapy and informed by the ‘Think Family/ Whole Family Approach’. The Meriden Programme assisted training multi-agency staff in a specifically adapted model of family intervention, providing a bespoke manual and adapted resource materials. The intervention used and evaluated by the team comprised of 8 sessions with the following main themes:
During their work with families, family workers were receiving supervision and additional support in the way of regular email contact, on-line resources and blog.
The project was developed and delivered by the core Think Family Project Group with members from Leicestershire Partnership Trust (LPT), De Montfort University and the Meriden Family Programme. A full description of the programme was submitted by Dr. Gatsou to our June 2013 newsletter.
The awards will be presented at an event on Wednesday 22 October 2014 at the East Midlands Conference Centre, Nottingham. We wish Dr. Gatsou and her team the very best of luck.
Rethink Mental Illness and the Meriden Family Programme have created a resource called Caring for Yourself which has been developed to help carers, family and friends who support someone with a mental health problem.
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Caring for Yourself is a self-help workbook in eight parts that can be used in an entirely flexible way. The workbook is available as a very useful information and educational resource designed to help carers. It will also be helpful for professionals who work with carers so that they can refer carers to the resource where appropriate. To download the guide please click on the links below
Each of the eight parts of the workbook cover a different topic:
The self-contained workbook can be used at the carers own pace and in their own time. It can be used along with a training programme for carers such as Rethink Mental Illness Caring and Coping Programme or Meriden’s Caring for Carers Programme or it can be used independently.
The resource is available online and is free to download. However, Caring for Yourself cannot be completed online. Carers who are unable to download a copy and who would like further information should contact:
Sam Farooq on 0121 301 2896 or email [email protected]
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The June 2014 newsletter has been published. You can download and view a copy here.
The June 2013 newsletter has been published. You can download and view a copy here.
The August 2012 newsletter has been published. You can download and view a copy here.