We support minds
Located in the heart of Wales, Mid and North Powys Mind deliver life-changing support to children, young people, and their families through their Youth Service offer, something that has developed significantly in the past year to meet the rising demand for mental health support amongst children and young people.
Youth Service works in both school and community settings providing 11– 25 year-olds with support in a one-to-one setting through services such as supported self-help. Also in group settings working with partner organisations such as story writing with Mid Powys Youth Theatre.
There is something for parents too, with support for parents and carers to help them understand some of the feelings and experiences their young people might be going through.
Picking up lots of tips in a secure and friendly environment. I will definitely be using all the information in my folder. Already, I feel my teen and I have had more helpful conversations.
One part of the Youth Service sees the delivery of an innovative project developed with Ysgol Calon Cymru across the school’s Builth Wells and Llandrindod campuses.
Working in partnership with Ysgol Calon Cymru, Mid and North Powys Mind started by supporting year 12 and 13 pupils around exam pressures.
However, based on a developing need in the school community, following the pandemic, along with the impact of cost-of-living, the local Mind worked with the school to reshape the service and lower the age range to support more pupils.
A package of tailored well-being and emotional support was put in place for more pupils at the school including one-to-one support and group wellbeing clubs, with sessions proving a lifeline for those engaged. Many participants hailed the support as life changing.
As a result of the local Mind support, Ysgol Calon Cymru pupils shared tools and techniques for better mental health, featured as part of Mind Cymru's Youth Mental Health Day activities.
1 in 6 children and young people have a diagnosable mental health problem [3. Health Research Wales].
Mental health is the issue most commonly raised with the Children’s Commissioner for Wales [3. Health Research Wales].
1 in 3 people in Wales live in an area classed as rural, presenting challenges accessing mental health services and isolation that could make mental health problems worse. [4. Mentally Healthy Schools]
Mid and North Powys Mind supported 176 children and young people across its Youth Service offer delivering the following outcomes:
95% of those engaged said the support helped them find out and address what is important to them.
85% said their mental health improved because of the support.
89% reported feeling better able to manage future challenges.
98% felt listened to, their voices heard.
82% said support helped them move towards the life they want to live.
During the reporting period 3,697 children and young people were supported by services taking place in both a school and community setting, including one to one and group support, along with supported self-help in a school setting.
I like the help and being able to talk without judgement.
Lorna, from Mid and North Powys Mind starred in a video, sharing her passion for positive affirmations.
Money and Me is a Mind product delivered by Neath Port Talbot Mind. It aims to support people in their community who are struggling with their mental health and finances.
It is a free to use, 6-week programme that supports people to better understand their relationship with money and how this can play a part in impacting their mental health, whilst being open to both self-referrals and those from professionals.
100% of beneficiaries would recommend Money and Me to a friend.
On average, beneficiaries reported better overall wellbeing indicated by a 1-point improvement through the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (SWEMWBS)
On average, beneficiaries reported a reduction in anxiety, reporting a 3-point reduction in scores through the General Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7)
On average, beneficiaries reported a reduction in feelings of depression, reporting a 4-point reduction in scores through the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), representing a movement from moderately severe to moderate depression severity.
Individual one to one support delivered in person, online or via telephone is designed to help people develop skills and confidence to better manage their mental health in periods of financial difficulty.
In Wales, 20% of adults in the most deprived areas report being treated for a mental health condition, compared to 8% in the least deprived. [5. Senedd Research]
61% of adults in Wales said their current financial situation was damaging to their mental health.
[6. The Guardian]
51% of people participating in a Mind survey said they would be interested in a support service that combines mental health and financial support [7. Mind]
Neath Port Talbot Mind have supported over 90 service users through the Money and Me 6-week programme.
An additional 61 people have been supported through workshops separate to the 6-week programme.
Across Wales 6,558 people have accessed support from local Minds on money related issues including:
Advice on welfare and benefits and money and debt management
Employment support
Housing support
Money and mental health problems exist in a vicious cycle. Poor mental health can make it difficult to manage money and vice versa.
As part of Diverse Cymru’s Cultural Competence Certification Scheme, Mind Cymru was awarded a Silver Award to recognise its ongoing commitment to making a positive difference to racialised communities in Wales. This made Mind Cymru one of only seven organisations in Wales to hold the certification at the time.
The scheme is an award-winning workplace development tool funded by Welsh Government and available to private, public, and third sector organisations, inclusive of Wales’s local health boards and leading mental health charities. It is independently validated by the UK Investor in Equality and Diversity (UKIED) and endorsed by the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
The scheme has supported Mind Cymru to initially self-assess its current approach to equality and cultural competence in the workplace. An action plan has been developed to ensure support for ongoing development and improvement in ensuring services are fair and equitable for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people in Wales.
As part of working towards the award, Mind Cymru also benefitted from a series of awareness sessions for both staff and committee members, on topics such as: disparities; culture; unconscious bias and practical considerations to improve cultural competency in practice.
Following the award and as part of the ‘One Mind in Wales’ three-year strategy, there is an ambition for the local Mind network to undertake the certification scheme in their own organisations, ensuring their mental health support and services are fair and equitable in their local area. So, what does the future hold? We will work towards achieving the gold standard of course.
More than 1 in 4 people from racialised communities have experienced issues while receiving mental health support and felt the support they received wasn’t effective [7]
Black people are 40% more likely to be turned away when seeking help from mental health services [8]
Black people are four times more likely to be detained under the Mental Health Act than white people [9]
Across Wales 1,996 people identifying as belonging to an ethnically diverse community accessed support from local Minds during the reporting period.
(previously Active Monitoring) is an evidence-based mental health and wellbeing service for anyone over the age of 18.
The service is free and provides a 6-week self-guided programme to support people to better understand and manage their feelings.
of beneficiaries reported improved levels of anxiety
of reported improvement in levels of depression
reported improved levels of wellbeing
of clients would recommend the service
Across Wales the service supported 6,400 people (6,000 in 2021/22), thanks to the collaboration and joint delivery across all local Minds in Wales.
I think everybody should have access to a service like this. With long waits for mental health support, it would be wonderful for everyone to have a trained practitioner to talk to about any mental health problems they may have.
(16% in 2021/22)
(4% in 2021/22)
(45% in 2021/22)
