Minister for Justice, David Ford MLA, has visited Action Mental Health’s site in Antrim, hearing first hand from clients and staff about the excellent work carried on by the charity. Mr Ford, who was visiting in his capacity as South Antrim MLA stayed for over an hour, seeing the new gardens which the clients are working hard to develop, as well as talking with clients about their lives, the challenges they face and their fears ahead of the upcoming Welfare Reform changes to benefits.

Speaking after the visit, AMH’s Chief Executive David Babington said that he was hugely impressed with the Ministers’ clear empathy for the clients, and interest in the work being done by the organisation.

“Mr Ford was clearly very interested to hear first hand about the work Action Mental Health does, as well as about the challenges which our clients face on a daily basis. He asked a lot of questions about the impact of the changes being brought about by the forthcoming Welfare reforms and about the daily lives of the people who come to Action Mental Health. This visit is part of a process of outreach by our charity, and we plan to have the remaining MLAs for the South Antrim constituency come to our Steeple Road premises very soon.”

“Working your Way to Recovery” was named runner-up in the Partnership Category at the recent Belfast Trust Chairman’s Awards. The entry focussed on the employment scheme Individual Placement & Support (IPS) currently based in North Belfast’s Mental Health Team in partnership with Action Mental Health and was submitted jointly by Occupational Therapy staff and AMH.

The Belfast Trust Chairman’s Awards celebrate innovation and service development by recognising ground-breaking health and social care projects that are taking place in the Trust.

The five winning projects were selected for “their ability to bring real benefits to patients and clients who use the services.”

Submissions from staff were invited under five categories which reflect the Trust’s five corporate objectives: safety and quality, modernisation, partnerships, people (staff), and resources.

Action Mental Health, the Northern Ireland Assembly charity of the year, is rolling out a bespoke training course for MLA constituency staff across Northern Ireland.

The charities’ training division AMH Works has been offering mental health awareness training courses to businesses and organisations across Northern Ireland for some time.

This bespoke course has been developed with input from MLA staff on what they feel are the issues most affecting constituents who are coming through their doors.

The training will explain the various issues around mental ill health and will help staff react to the growing incidences of constituents coming to their local MLA office for advice on how to help loved ones and family members, as well as how to signpost constituents to the correct organisations. Speaking prior to the first training session at Stormont, Gary Kane of AMH Works said that the training had been designed to offer practical help to MLA staff as they work to help their constituents across Northern Ireland;

“MLAs and their staff do an immense amount of crucial work with constituents on the ground. As Assembly charity of the year, we have developed a deeper understanding of the breadth of issues which staff deal with on a day-to-day basis and how the issue of mental health is often one which comes to their attention when they are assisting constituents in dealing with housing, financial and personal issues. We’re delighted to be rolling out a bespoke course which will explain the prevalence of the four main mental illnesses affecting people in Northern Ireland today. Next, we will raise their awareness of their signs and symptoms and will also attempt to dispel a lot of the myths and misunderstandings surrounding mental health.”

Each of the conditions is comprehensively explained with pertinent and relevant examples used in order to give these conditions some real world relevance. The course also incorporates videos, case studies and group work to ensure that staff are getting the most from the training course.

“Finally, and very importantly, we also include information on appropriate bodies to whom staff can safely signpost people and who is the best in their respective fields in helping people. We hope that our time as Assembly charity of the year will have had a positive impact on the daily lives of MLA staff and the people they work so hard to serve, and this training course is a practical example of the deepening understanding between Action Mental Health and the work of the Northern Ireland Assembly.”

Also included in this course is an information pack including fact sheets on the mental illnesses referenced throughout the course, along with methods for reducing stress and supporting a colleague who may be showing signs of distress.

To find out more about accessing this training, contact Gary Kane from AHM Works at [email protected]