Write a report that provides a justification for the mental health interventions to be delivered by an organisation that seeks to improve the levels of mental health within a community (as described in the hypothetical scenario provided in the next section). Your report should be written in language suitable for an audience that is used to understanding evidence but does not necessarily have expertise in this field. The report should refer to evidence and theory to support the case being made.
Your organisation is run in collaboration with people who have lived experience of mental health distress and it takes a collaborative approach to service planning, meaning that all services are produced in consultation with people using the service.
Merston is a deprived community with high levels of poverty, unemployment, substance misuse and crime. People who have been detained are often discharged into housing which makes them vulnerable to exploitation. They also face the risk of being taken back into detention if they relapse or reoffend.
You have been asked to write a report providing a justification for receiving funding for the service that you would like to provide. Your planned service is seeking funding to provide interventions at two levels:
Peer support provided by people who have lived experience of mental health difficulties. This service would recognise the particular challenges that may face those who have experience of mental distress and who have been detained in hospital under the Mental Health Act and/or have had experience of prison.
Activism and campaigning within the community. This would involve initiatives and campaigns within the local community on issues that have been identified as relevant to mental health problems experienced by people who have been detained in prison or hospital. These issues can include the effects on mental health of the impacts associated with stigma, poverty and social exclusion (e.g. housing, access to benefits, social support), and one aim of the planned service would be to build the capacity of the community to respond to these issues.
