Innovations and new initiatives

Rethink aims to provide the highest possible level of socially inclusive, evidence and recovery based services to all those who need us. We rigorously examine our services and how they are delivered to find new and better approaches to provision and we explore innovative and imaginative strategies for tackling old problems to complement and enhance our existing services. We have a wide range of local and national innovative services.
Examples of local innovative services include the following:
  • Crisis support services 
    Crisis support services deal with short-term mental health crisis resolution, providing accommodation with 24 hour emotional and practical support for between one and 14 nights according to need to help people better manage their crisis. They include the award-winning Rotherham Crisis Accommodation Service which works in partnership with the statutory Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Team.
  • The Carers' Education and Training Programme
    The Carers' Education and Training Programme is an expert carers' course designed for those caring for people with a severe and enduring mental illness. It aims to convey a sense of optimism and hope while offering education and training based around the day-to-day practicalities of caring for someone with a mental illness.
  • Black and minority ethnic services
    Black and minority ethnic services include supported accommodation for the African Caribbean community, carer support and befriending services and the Asian Mental Health Helpline. Many of our services also facilitate black and minority ethnic support groups.
  • The Condition Management Programme
    The Condition Management Programme assists people preparing to return to work by building confidence and helping them to address issues that have previously caused difficulties. It is a key component of the Department for Work and Pensions' Pathways to Work programme.

The Rethink course was brilliant! I now want to go out and meet new people and make new friends. And I am now doing voluntary work because of the encouragement I received from them.

User of Rethink Condition Management Programme

  • Survivors of Suicide
    Survivors of Suicide provides crisis intervention and community based short-term support for those who have recently attempted suicide and offers support groups for people affected by suicide.
  • EMOTivatIONS (Schools Project)
     EMOTivatIONS raises awareness of, and reduces discrimination towards, mental health issues in schools as well as helping to develop emotional resilience in young people.
  • Mentally Disordered Offenders' Service
    The Mentally Disordered Offenders' Service supports people who present a risk of serious offending that is linked to their mental illness or personality disorder. The service offers emotional support, advocacy and help with identifying and accessing services and resources. Referrals come primarily from the Forensic Psychiatric, the Prison and the Probation Services.
  • On The Level
     On The Level is a mentoring service for young people who are leaving care.
  • Central Point
    Central Point is a community based service for people who are homeless.

Examples of national innovative services include the following:

  • The National Early Intervention Programme
    The National Early Intervention Programme is a joint initiative with the National Institute for Mental Health in England to provide networking opportunities, information and support to early intervention services, mental health practitioners and organisations with a youth focus. It aims to ensure appropriate, quality services for young people experiencing psychosis for the first time, their families and carers.
  • The Self-Management Programme
    The Self-Management Programme supports and facilitates people in taking active steps towards their own recovery. It is primarily user-led, researching, developing and testing models of self-management which will be applied within our services and disseminated externally.

We owe it to all those affected by severe mental illness to provide them with the services they want and need and we are determined to continue expanding and developing innovation across everything we do.