Supporting Independent living

For over 20 years the main aim of Black Peoples Mental Health Association (BPMHA) is to empower black people through advocacy, which supports independent living. This includes Personalisation, which is designed to empower you the service user in accessing services and information for your social care needs, in relation to mental health here at BPMHA

In choosing to receive services from BPMHA, we also work to ensure you will feel respected, and we demonstrate this by listening to you and learning what is important to you as an individual.

This also includes working with you, treating you equally and working at your pace. This will allow us to provide advice and the best possible activities and services in relation your individual needs.

We can work with you to plan your route to recovery, maintain your sustained quality of life and independence. .

Transitional Agreement

In regards to the recent cuts in central funding which we have undergone, we will continue to provide support and advocacy to adults with mental health problems within Waltham Forest and surrounding London boroughs, which is at a cost to the service user per day or half a day.

• Focus on the individual with some real choice; tailored support where necessary
• A service that meets the needs of both the individual and, where relevant, carers
• User involvement and user led services
• Reducing social isolation
• Personal or skills development
• A wider range of activities which are meaningful

WFBPMHA will be supporting those diagnosed with a mental health disorder. Our service is particularly aimed at persons of African and African-Caribbean descent and other ethnic communities. At present our users encompass 12 ethnicities, 20 languages and 9 faiths, and those of no faiths.

Project Manager - Marie Walker

Waltham Forest Black People's Mental Health Association
2 Priory Avenue
Walthamstow
London
E17 7QP
Telephone: 0208 509 2646
 
We are located in the centre of the Borough

Services at Black Peoples Mental Health Association

Black Peoples Mental Health Association (BPMHA) can support your independence by providing activities and services, which are tailored to your individual mental health social care needs, as stated in your care plan and your personal budget.

The service is provided to service users and carers who live in the London Borough of Waltham Forest, and those out of borough.

This also includes working with you, treating you equally and working at your pace. This will allow us to provide advice and the best possible activities and services in relation your individual needs.

Some of the services which we provide that you can access through personalisation includes the following:

• Supporting you with your care plan
• Outreach: Home, Hospital visits
• Support with developing independent living skills, training for work and personal development
• The monitoring of your welfare an liaising regularly with mental health professionals and doctors
• Advocacy to support independent living with personalisation

Personalisation Eligibility

If you believe you are eligible for personalisation services please complete and submit a referral form. You can complete this form yourself or we can assist you with this. One of our support workers will be able to assess your form and provide you assistance with putting together your care plan.

This information will then be passed to the social services in your local area who can then assess your needs, which will allow you to access BPMHA services suited to your needs.

Once your eligibility has been determined, you will be awarded a personal-budget, which will be an amount of money you will be allocated to pay for services you receive from BMPHA. The money allocated to you will be paid directly to you in the form of a direct-payment.

If you are not eligible for personalisation services, you can still access BPMHA services, by paying for these services privately.

You can download a assessment/referral form here

Personal Budgets

The change in funding from the government has resulted in Black Peoples Mental Health Association no longer receives funding from the government. This means service users will be required to pay for BPMHA services from their personal-budget or private funds.

If you would like to use our services we can support you with creating a care plan, to select BPMHA services, which supports your social and mental health needs, and the completion of a referral form to apply for a personal-budget.

At BPMHA we encourage independent living through personalisation in our services, in relation to your mental health and social care needs, in order for you to continue to become self empowered and confident when in the community.

BPMHA can provide you with support with the following: We can provide you with support in cooking; shopping; cleaning; holidays; leisure activities; and holistic therapy.

For further information on personal budgets, please refer to the links below.

Further Information

For more information please visit the Waltham Forest Council Website and for other boroughs please visit the councils website.

Community Care Website

NHS Direct for Health related personalisation

National Development Team for Inclusion: Paths to Personalisation in Mental Health

Personal Budgets

Disability Rights UK - Personal-budgets

NHS Choices - Personal Health budgets

Mind - Personal Budgets

Age UK - Personal-budgets