Decision details

            The Board received a report of the Strategic Director, Children and Enterprise which provided an update on the mental health scrutiny topic following presentation of the report to the Health PPB on 5 March 2013.

            It was reported that the Health PPB approved a topic brief to review mental health prevention and promotion provision in Halton. A copy of the brief and membership of the topic group were appended to the report for information.

            Members were advised after considerable discussion the topic group examined the feasibility of establishing a joint Health / CYPF topic group to consider mental health provision across Adult and Children’s services, and it was noted that there were already significant pieces of work being undertaken in relation to mental health that fell outside of the proposed scope of the scrutiny review topic.  Therefore it was proposed that the Health PPB topic group would focus activity on the mapping of mental health prevention and promotion in addition to the development of a joint, intergenerational prevention and promotion campaign.

            The Board received a presentation from Mr Dave Sweeney, Operational Director of Integration, Halton CCG/LA, on the development of a joint intergenerational anti-stigma campaign around mental health issues.

            The presentation set out the following:

·         the main focus was around preventing people across all age groups developing mental illnesses;

·         a joint mapping exercise had been undertaken to assess the services and assets available for supporting people who had psychological problems;

·         one of the largest factors for young people not seeking help was the stigma around mental health issues;

·         a campaign was to be launched entitled “Halton’s Like Minds” which would involve 16 pieces of artwork being displayed in the form of life size exhibitions spanning all generations, that would use local people and local stories as case studies and would signpost access to help; and

·         the aim was to raise awareness of mental health and wellbeing and help reduce the stigma surrounding mental health;

Arising from the presentation Members discussed ways of portraying mental health issues in really young children, the importance of including schools in the campaign, the percentage of young people that did not attend sessions once they had been referred and how to improve it, and the importance of evaluating the campaign regularly to ascertain whether its “fit for purose”.  

RESOLVED: That

1)    The focus of the mental health scrutiny review be the joint mapping of mental health prevention services across Children’s and Adult’s services; and

2)    the development of an intergenerational anti-stigma campaign be approved