News from the Network: "FDAMH Family Support Service"

40% of CHEX network members cite mental health work as either all or part of what they do. CHEX is a member of the Mental Health Improvement National Network facilitated by NHS Health Scotland where we promote the contribution that community-led health organisations make to mental health improvement and tackling health inequalities across Scotland. 

Falkirk and District Association for Mental Health is launching a new service that aims to provide support for people and their families who are experiencing difficulties in relation to mental ill health.

The service is based around the understanding that when a person is diagnosed with a mental illness they are not the only ones affected; partners, spouses, siblings, and carers can all be in need of support.

Family members are sometimes worried that their entire family will be judged or discriminated against if people find out they have a mental illness. Keeping this concern to themselves can mean that families may be cut off from the social support they would otherwise expect when a relative is, for example, physically ill.

The aim of the work is to work on a voluntary basis with adults within the family unit by assisting parents, carers and other family members to have a better understanding of each other’s needs associated with mental health issues. Individuals with mental health concerns are central to all partnership working.

This focus on partnership working recognises the importance of ensuring that people have the knowledge, skills and confidence to play an active role in planning their own care and self-managing their condition to a level they feel comfortable with and can manage with the minimal of support. 

Their aim is to provide a service that will give families direct access to a support worker who will offer a greater understanding and knowledge of mental illness, helping reduce stress and anxiety whilst building upon resilience.

This article is taken from CHEX-Point Snippets. To subcribe click here and If you would like to have any aspect of your community-led health work featured in Snippets please get in touch. Email sam.jordan@scdc.org.uk or phone 0141 248 1924. 

Community Health Exchange

CHEX is short for Community Health Exchange. We promote and support community-led health - where local communities identify the issues that are important to them and organise to take collective action to address these issues and improve their health.

If you are a local group or organisation in Scotland working to improve the health of your community, or if you are in the statutory sector supporting this type of work, you can register with us for information, advice, networking and training opportunities.

Find out more about CHEX and our network of local community-led health organisations by selecting from the buttons below, or for more about what we do, use the menu on the left.

  What is community-led health?

Want to know more about community-led health? Watch a short clip of our film 'The Picture of Health' below featuring some of the local organisations CHEX supports.  

 

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 *further chapters of the film can be accessed here along with subtitled versions*

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