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Action Learning for Living (ALL) | WEA Nottingham

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Action Learning for Living (ALL) | WEA Nottingham

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https://mhfe.org.uk/content/wea-clmhp

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WEA in Nottingham - Action Learning for Living ALL | MHFE

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In phase 2, we developed the Action Learning for Living (ALL) model in response to DfE randomly allocating us to intervention Group B (traditional community learning courses to help people bothered by symptoms of mild to moderate mental health problems develop strategies to better manage their symptoms).

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Hope and Wellbeing | London Borough of Ealing

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Hope and Wellbeing | London Borough of Ealing

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Hope and Wellbeing - Ealing CLMH research project | MHFE

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Welcome to 'Hope and Wellbeing', the Ealing Community Learning Mental Health (CLMH) Research Project. On this page, we describe why we got involved in the CLMH research and what we did in 2015/16, Phase 1, of the Project.

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In August 2017, Blue Sky Derby hosted a well-attended celebration event for learners and other stakeholders, which showcased achievements over two years of the CLMH project. Below is a short film, which summarises the event.

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Darlington Borough Council Learning and Skills

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Darlington Borough Council Learning and Skills

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Phase 1 research (2015/16) was delivered by Darlington Mind which limited the Darlington Borough Council Learning and Skills' insight into what was done and how.

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Help Improving Potential and Personal Opportunities (HIPPO) | Cornwall Adult Education Service:

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Help Improving Potential and Personal Opportunities (HIPPO) | Cornwall Adult Education Service:

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Help Improving Potential and Personal Opportunities (HIPPO) Cornwall Adult Education Service: A DfE Community Learning | Mental Health Research site 2015/18.

Cornwall Adult Education Service was successful in bidding to be part of the first phase of the research, which was a process evaluation. Following the challenge period from April-July 2016 to see if providers could meet the demands of a more ribust study, we were invited to take part in phase-2. Projects were randomly allocated to one of 3 intervention groups, testing out whether short, part-time community learning courses help people develop strategies to manage their mild to moderate mental health problems (like stress, worry, anxiety, and depression).

HIPPO was a partnership between Cornwall Adult Education, Pentreath (a Cornish mental health charity), Cornwall College and Cornwall Partnership Foundation Trust.

In phase-1, we offered community learning courses in art, coding, cupcake decorating, floristry, IT, physical activities for fun and well-being, silver jewellery making, yoga and zentangles. We continued our involvement onto Phase 2 (follow link below).

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Help Improving Potential and Personal Opportunities (HIPPO) Cornwall Adult Education Service: A DfE Community Learning | Mental Health Research site 2015/18. Cornwall Adult Education Service was successful in bidding to be part of the first phase of the research, which was a process evaluation.

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Welcome to the dedicated web page for Portsmouth City Council's Navigate - Wellbeing Through Learning research project. The project is managed by the Portsmouth Community Learning Service and focuses on Portsea Island, the UK's only island city.

Portsea Island is one of the most densely populated, fastest growing cities in Europe with a population of 207,100. The city's health is worse than the national average, with higher than average risk factors for mental health: teenage pregnancies, obesity levels, smoking at the time of infant delivery, violent crime, winter deaths, self-harm admissions, STDs and below average GCSE attainment. There is 25% child poverty and among some of the highest levels of multiple deprivation in the country. On the other hand, there is a lower rate of statutory homelessness, recorded diabetes and infant mortality.
View Portsmouth area statistics here.
Aim of our research project

The Government's mental health strategy wants to see parity of esteem; valuing mental health equally with physical health. Implementing the strategy means that local planning must take into consideration the population's mental health needs.

Our aim, through community learning, was to create an environment for people with mental health needs to discover how learning can help to expand their social network and to find support and empathy amongst their peers. We wanted learners to learn a new and enjoyable skill to support their recovery and well-being. To achieve this, we would work with established and new mental health organisations, to obtain value for money and ensure no duplication of services; thus making available services more obvious and easier to access.

Planning and partners

Portsmouth has taken part in all phases of the MHFE research. During Phase 1 we developed a learner-led syllabus, created after consulting each learner who completed an Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) session. In Phase 1, there was a drive to establish partnerships with other organisations, we partnered with Solent Mind, The Recovery College, local colleges, the WEA, a troubled families charity and a youth charity.

We worked with Solent Mind to create co-produced courses that a team of Navigator Volunteers co-delivered with tutors and provided support learners in the classroom. The Recovery College provided referrals, mental health advice, and training; they delivered mental health awareness training for partner organisations.

The project team spent time building partnerships with other organisations (a local college, Maximus UK , Shaw Trust) but because of their organisational restructures and premise changes these didn't progress. Shaw Trust clients, on their work programmes, are from diverse backgrounds in both Southampton and Portmsouth and we felt this would have contributed greatly to our research data

Regular steering group meetings, with representation from our partners, ensured Navigate was kept at the forefront of our partners' agendas.

Navigate's marketing was jointly produced with our partners. Posters and fliers were circulated widely including at community centres, the hospital and colleges. The visual impact worked well, with people remembering the balloons.

Learning opportunities

In Phase 1 our learning offer included photography, animal care, pottery, first aid, painting, music, mindfulness, confidence building, cookery, and jewellery making. We continued to consult learners during IAG (and their courses) to identify new courses and as a result, we expanded the offer to include DIY and gardening. Our youth groups covered a variety of courses including, graffiti, rifle shooting, snowboarding, archery and horse riding. Take a look at our padlet board where you'll find photographs from some of the courses that took place.

Partnership work enabled us to offer clay painting and print making as a progression route for our learners.

Two learners (volunteers) proved invaluable to the project, they supported Navigate courses and between them oversaw the Volunteer Group that met every Friday. They even made resources for learners, including this resource about zentangles: The Art of Zentangles. The project helped some of our volunteers to progress into employment or to becoming volunteers within community learning courses.

By the end of Phase 1 we had widened our marketing strategy. We were included on Portsmouth City Council Integrated Commissioning Unit's page, we had Facebook access and our programme was advertised in a local free magazine distributed city-wide. Our partnership with Solent Mind finished at the end of Phase 1.

Phase 2

We'd recognised, as both learners and professionals the value of the project and were keen to particpate in Phase 2.

Phase 2 was approached differently: the syllabus was refined and our approach to learners focussed on addressing self-limitation and achieving the skills to move forward. We used the Discovering Potential Wheel, taking learners the the process gave them something tangible to refer to and got them thinking about the possibilities of changing. We highlighted through our information, advice and guidance sessions that everybody has a choice in the direction they want to take and the things they want to do.

We learned that in order to increase awarenessof the programme it was necessary to speak to the operational side of an organisation; those people dealing with the public on a daily basis. In spite of the best intentions in approaching managers, it was only when we addressed team meetings and spoke to staff working directly with the public that we got results.

Many people in Portsmouth have benefited from Navigate and are keen to see something similar continue. We hope this is the beginning of important changes to the way treating mental health is delivered.

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Portsmouth Navigate - Wellbeing Through Learning

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Welcome to the dedicated web page for Portsmouth City Council's Navigate - Wellbeing Through Learning research project. The project is managed by the Portsmouth Community Learning Service and focuses on Portsea Island, the UK's only island city. Portsea Island is one of the most densely populated, fastest growing cities in Europe with a population of 207,100.

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We held promotional events in Wolverhampton, Walsall, South Staffordshire and Sandwell and regularly attend local community events and craft shows to promote the research project and the courses we offer. We also made extensive use of free marketing opportunities via Wolverhampton voluntary sector's e-bulletins circulated to over 300 local voluntary sector and community organisations.

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Learning Well - City of London and Hackney CLMHP - Phase 2 | MHFE

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A network for anyone with an interest in adult education and mental health

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Active Wellness | City College Peterborough

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Active Wellness | City College Peterborough

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Active Wellness Project - Peterborough CLMH research | MHFE

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The City College Peterborough, 'Active Wellness Project' was about encouraging adults to take a proactive step in managing their own wellbeing. All our courses are designed to teach those experiencing mild to moderate mental health challenges a variety of wellness tools that they can use in their everyday life to help improve their wellbeing.

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Positive Steps...Bury CLMH phase-2 research | MHFE

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With a hindsight, we could have produced more glossy materials for the project, which may have had a more positive impact on recruitment. The fast-moving pace of the project resulted in many courses being put on quickly as a result of meetings with organisations or as a result of demand from individuals or referring agencies.

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Learning for Wellbeing Bristol City Council 

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Learning for Wellbeing Bristol City Council 

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Refresher sessions had a high level of attendance, with an average of 10 people per session. People found these sessions valuable and worthwhile; they looked forward to them. It was a way for them to stay in contact with each other after the course had finished, consolidate their learning, and find out information about other wellbeing services they can access.

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Wellbeing in Mind | Bracknell and Wokingham College 

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Wellbeing in Mind | Bracknell and Wokingham College 

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2 projects covering Bracknell and Wokingham local authorities

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A DfE Community Learning | Mental Health Research site (2015/18)
Our community 'Wellbeing in Mind' programme was part of the research project scheme headed by the Department for Education to assess whether short college courses can alleviate mild to moderate mental health difficulties.

Bracknell and Wokingham College had two Community Learning Mental Health research projects; One in Bracknell Forest (Group B) and one in Wokingham Borough (Group A).

What we did

We offered a wide range of courses, some specifically targeting a certain aspect of mental health and others which offered people a chance to switch off from worries and meet new people. The courses covered topics such as building self resilience, stress management, confidence building and more typical courses such as pottery, art or gardening - all the time keeping a check on the effect the courses were having on the mental health of individuals.

The courses were designed to help people with symptoms including anxiety, stress, sleep problems, and prolonged low mood and we hoped that the end goal is to improve their mental wellbeing but that was what the research would determine.

Tutors helped in a multitude of ways for instance teaching coping strategies, how to relax and release tension, or how to raise self-esteem. We were also exploring if simply learning a new skill such as art or cookery, alongside other people, may help our research volunteers in their journey to good mental health.

Learners could self-refer or were signposted to us by GPs or local mental health services. New learners were all given 1:1 advice and guidance before being taught by experienced and supportive tutors.

What worked well

Marketing

We were able to advertise our course on our own college website but also on bith Bracknell and Wokingham local authority websites. Wokingham Borough Council even provided one of our marketing leaflet for people to download.

During 2017 Bracknell Council ran a Year of Self Care and during February they focused on mental wellbeing and listed our project on their calendar.

We built close connections with GP Surgeries and we had referrals to our project from them; one surgery, The Waterfield Practice, advertised our courses on its website

Case Studies

Some of our research volunteers provided us with a very detailed insight into how the courses had an impact on their lives. In Richard's case study he describes how changes at work and the passing of his mother affected his mental health and how having access to this project helped. He explains why he thinks it's important for people to have free access to courses like the one's run in our proect.

Our second case study is from a research volunteer who suffered with post traumatic stress disorder having been in a car accident as a teenager. The voluneer chose to Glass Fusing course to support the work they'd begun on overcoming their fear of broken glass. By the end of the course our research volunteer had created a number of artworks.

Challenges

Running two projects at two locations, six miles apart was a challenge. Both projects were managed by the same team but the tutors were different for each project.

We needed to ensure fidelity of each project and so we had to split the two projects by geographical location and used postcodes to achieve this:

Wokingham project covered all RG postcodes except RG42, RG12 and RG45 and any area North and West of Wokingham

Bracknell project covered RG42, RG12, RG45, SL and GU postcodes including areas South and East of Bracknell

We also had to consider local transport routes to ensure we had not excluded individuals from accessing courses.

We provided individual marketing for both projects to a Wellbeing in Mind webpage. The webpage included eligibility criteria for both projects and listed courses under each project. We followed the protocol used by other multiple project providers in deciding to market in this way.

We had 2 people conducting Information Advice or Guidance (IAG) sessions and assigning to appropriate courses. We made the decision to limit people providing information to ensure that the research volunteers receive the correct information from the start of the process and for easy updating to the information available. We were able to ensure this process was followed by directing all enquiries to our project email address or Admissions and Enquiry email or telephone number. At times when neither Advisor was available we took minimal contact details so that their enquiry could be followed up.

Prior to starting any IAG session research volunteers confirmed their postcode ensuring that they were attending the IAG for the correct project and the correct Smart Survey was being used for data collection.

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Wellbeing in Mind - Bracknell and Wokingham CLMHP

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A DfE Community Learning | Mental Health Research site (2015/18) Our community 'Wellbeing in Mind' programme was part of the research project scheme headed by the Department for Education to assess whether short college courses can alleviate mild to moderate mental health difficulties.

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Blackpool Adult Learning held a couple of district-wide promotional event to raise the profile of the project and courses. Professionals were invited from local services such as health, police, housing and social care, from both, the statutory and voluntary sector.

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Aspire Sussex CLMH research project | MHFE

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Within our first round of courses, we learned how to better promote our project and when the most appropriate time to engage the research volunteer in the discussion about their mental health, whether they declare that to us or not.

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Learning for Wellbeing Oxfordshire | Oxfordshire Adult Learning (part of Abingdon and Witney College)

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Learning for Wellbeing Oxfordshire | Oxfordshire Adult Learning (part of Abingdon and Witney College)

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Learning for Wellbeing Oxfordshire | MHFE

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In phase-2 (2016/17), Oxfordshire Adult Learning (part of Abingdon and Witney College) was assigned to one of 3 non-equivalent intervention groups - Group A.

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Positive Minds| Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council Adult Learning

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Positive Minds| Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council Adult Learning

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Positive Minds Blackburn with Darwen | MHFE

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One learner from year one volunteered to make a short video talking about her experience on the Positive Minds Course and what she had achieved since attending. She has now completed her Level 2 Foundation in Art and Design and is progressing onto a level 3 qualification in September 2017.

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Great Minds Think Differently | The Northern College | Barnsley

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Great Minds Think Differently | The Northern College | Barnsley

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A DfE Community Learning | Mental Health Research site (2015/18)

Great Minds Often Think Differently, is the Northern College-led Community Learning Mental Health pilot project in Barnsley, South Yorkshire.

Our Community

he 2015 Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) ranks Barnsley as the 39th most deprived area in England out of 326, with 21.8% of areas among the 10% most deprived in England. Between 2010 and 2015 there has been a significant negative shift in the Health Deprivation and Disability Domain (HD and DD), with Barnsley being ranked the 20th most deprived out of 326. The Mood and Anxiety Disorders indicator is of particular concern and Barnsley's rate for the number of people known to GPs as having been diagnosed with mental health problems at 9.6% is much higher than the England rate of 7.3% - this represents 18,840 adults living in Barnsley who have been diagnosed with depression.

Phase-2 (2016/2017)

In phase-2, Northern College delivered courses in partnership with Barnsley MBC Adult Skills and Community Learning.

Courses and Refresh Top Ups

This year, the research design was quasi experimental. As a result, providers delivering the Community Learning Mental Health reseafrch offer were randomly assigned to one of three non-equivalent intervention groups groups. Northern College was allocated to Group C which differed from Groups A and B as 50% of our students this year were experiencing mild to moderate difficulties with their mental health and 50% of our students had no or very few mild symptoms relating to mental health. Groups A and B only offered courses to people that were experiencing mild to moderate difficulties with their mental health.

We delivered courses in the community in various venues across Barnsley and we also offered residential courses at Northern College. The course subjects on offer reflected those traditionally associated with community learning.The courses involved 15 hours of learning over 6 weeks.

To enable Northern College to offer residential courses the national research design included the opportunity for Northern College only to offer the 15 hours as a residential including follow-up over a period of no less than 3 weeks. This flexibility was built into the research design at our request, solely to accommodate Northern College's preferred delivery model. The remainder of Northern College's courses and the courses offered by all other providers in all 3 intervention groups were supposed to be delivered over a period of 6 weeks

On completion of their course, students were able to attend Refresh 'Top Up' sessions. These subject or wellbeing-based 3 hour courses were offered to year one and year two students.

Our Students

We have actively recruited a diverse range of individuals to the project. Mental health difficulties affect all communities, but the mental health services often find it difficult to engage with some of these communities. We successfully engaged with retired individuals, people from various ethnic communities and adults with learning disabilities.

Our Teaching Methods

We included the following teaching methods in our teaching:-

'Thinking Environment' practises

Students working together and independently

Friendly and welcoming tutors

Safe and positive learning environment

Encouraging social connection and openness

Starting and finishing each session with positive reinforcement

Incorporating strategies and opportunities to empower students

Beyond the Courses

Following the courses, our students have continued to engage in the following ways:-

Refresher sessions - A wide range of subjects including resilience, communicate with confidence, glass painting, photography and dance. These sessions have enabled students to seek support, access IAG and try different subjects which helped them to engage with further learning.

'Time to Talk' day - For the second year, our students organised and delivered a very successful 'Time to Talk' day. The event was attended by project students, college staff, students from other courses and representatives from external organisations including Barnsley MBC, the local mental health service and the Samaritans. To challenge the stigma of talking about mental health, the day started with a coffee morning where the attendees talked to people they had not met before about mental health. This was followed by a quiz which sought to raise awareness and understanding of mental health. The day finished with a 'Community Philosophy', looking at positive ways that local services could be improved to support people experiencing mental health difficulties.

Raising awareness within college - The students have been active in raising awareness of mental health in college. This included creating an interactive display where people were asked to pledge how they would challenge stigma and talk about mental health. This campaign was hugely successful with staff, students and visitors making pledges.

Northern Mental Wealth Festival - Northern College held a festival to celebrate mental wealth within our communities, creating opportunities to share good practice and diversity within mental health. The two-day event was attended by over a hundred people. Some of our project students spoke at the event, describing their learning journey and explaining how the courses at Northern College had improved their mental health. The event included a surprise dance 'flash mob' made up of project students and staff members. Sir Vince Cable attended the event and took the opportunity to meet with our project students to hear how the project had benefited their mental health.

Please watch our students' dance flash mob below (unfortunately some of the music has been removed due to copyright)

Students with Learning Disabilities

It is estimated that 50% of adults with learning disabilities suffer from depression. Mental health difficulties are often not recognised because people with learning disabilities may not understand mental health and there is a lack of awareness within support staff. Causes of depression and anxiety for people with learning disabilities can include:-

Feeling excluded from the rest of society

Finding it hard to make friends or have relationships because of difficulties with communication

Not being able to get a job because of their disability

Not understanding difficult life events such as bereavement

Being told they cannot do things when they can

We were keen to include adults with learning disabilities as part of this project. We offered film-making courses which were inspired by Mencap's 'Here I Am' campaign. During the course we discussed stereotyping, stigma and discrimination and then created short video clips. The students reported feeling empowered as a result of attending the course.

Click on the screenshots below to play.

To see more videos created by these groups, please click here.

Year One (2015/2016)

In year one, we delivered courses in partnership with Barnsley MBC Adult Skills and Community Learning, Creative Recovery, the Exchange Recovery College and the Workers' Educational Association (WEA).

Courses and Refresh Top Ups

We enrolled over two hundred students onto short adult education courses. These indviduals were experiencing mild-moderate difficulties with the mental health. Non-residential courses were delivered at various locations in the Barnsley area in order to engage with learners in different communities. These courses were delivered by Northern College and our partner organisations. We also offered residential courses at Northern College. The College is set in the extensive grounds of Wentworth Castle and specialises in bringing people back into education and building confidence which fits well with the ethos of this project.

We offered courses in a diverse range of subjects including:-

Confidence and Motivation

Feel Good Food

Walking and Navigation for Wellbeing

Music Moves Us

Digital Photography

Introduction to Mindfulness

Film-making

Creative Writing

Various crafts including Textiles and Glass Painting

Refresh 'Top Up' courses were offered to those completing their Community Learning Mental Health course. These varied from one-day events to two-day residential courses. Subjects included:-

Non-Violent Communication

Cooking

Cartoon Drawing

Singing

The Psychology of Surviving Christmas

Crafts

Learner-led mental health awareness campaign

As part of the 'Top Up' Sessions, some of our learners created their own Mental Health Awareness video. Please see check out the campaign video created by learners in January (2016)

Click on the screenshot below or here to play

Learner-led 'Time to Talk' event

Our learners supported 'National Time to Talk Day' on 4th February 2016. It is a day that brings the nation together to get talking and break the silence around mental health problems. This was a learner-led 'Top Up' event where the learners explored mental health stigma. Staff members got involved by attending the coffee morning on the day and having discussions with our learners. The learners spent the afternoon learning about compaigning and they worked together to raise awareness by issuing Tweets and creating awareness video clips.

Learner feedback

Please click on this link which will take you to our Padlet page containing feedback from our learners at the end of their course - https://padlet.com/carolinecl77/j463q1q6ltza

Please click on the case studies below to hear some of our learners' stories.

Which organisations did we work with?

We worked with various organisations in order to reach as many individuals as possible in our community. These included:

Jobcentre Plus

MIND

Barnsley Metropolitan Council

Voluntary Action Barnsley

The Forge Community Partnership

Local Mencap Barnsley

Sunnybank Children's Centre

Secret Garden Children's Centre

Royal Volunteer Service

TADS Barnsley

The Disabilities Trust

DIAL Barnsley

Mencap (National)

Age UK

Barnsley LMC

Sheffield Occupational Health Advisory Service

The British Legion

Riverside Housing

Barnardos

Lifeline Project

Rdash

Rotherham Deaf Futures

Positive Me

Rotherham Rise Refuge

ANEW Approach

Lessons Learned from phase-1

There was a need to educate referral partners about mental health. Initially we found that partners were identifying and referring potential students who had severe, long term and enduring mental health difficulties. Once educated about mild to moderate mental health difficulties, we received appropriate, eligible referrals.

Evening and weekend courses were very useful for people that are working and experiencing difficulties with the mental health.

We found that individuals with learning disabilities were often particularly uncomfortable with answering the mental health questions with unfamiliar IAG staff. We, therefore, worked alongside their families/existing staff who accompanied them during IAG sessions.

We identified the need to arrange specific refresh top-up sessions for certain groups of students. We arrange specific top ups for individuals with learning disabilities. We also found that students that had previously attended the Introduction to mindfulness course were not interested in attending alternative subjects therefore specific mindfulness top ups were arranged.

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A DfE Community Learning | Mental Health Research site (2015/18) Great Minds Often Think Differently, is the Northern College-led Community Learning Mental Health pilot project in Barnsley, South Yorkshire. he 2015 Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) ranks Barnsley as the 39th most deprived area in England out of 326, with 21.8% of areas among the 10% most deprived in England.