Ealing Community Engagement Project

This project is set in the borough of Ealing, London, and aims to bring together key stakeholders affected by severe mental illness to work together to facilitate positive change of benefit to the local community. The specific focus and purpose of the project is shaped directly by the community itself.

Through facilitation two mixed working groups of service users and carers we identified and developed two local projects. The first focuses on service improvement of a mental health resource centre, the second on developing a model template for an outreach befriending service that would target inpatients at the point of discharge. Following a participatory model of action research the two teams are consulting key stakeholders (service users, carers, mental health staff and local councillors) to clarify how best to introduce changes to local mental health service provision. Team members are supported thought the process to develop skills and expertise to benefit their local community. Findings and recommendations from the project work will be presented locally to influence community development.

Project researchers
Sarah Ajayi
John Larsen

Funded by
Industrial Therapy Organisation