Doing something different: Collaborating in Communities for Mental Health

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A new report shows how giving community organisations small pots of funding to buy in mental health focused activities and services from social enterprises can make a real difference to the health of people, workers and local organisations.

CHEX, in collaboration with SENScot and Scottish Communities for Health and Wellbeing, has been piloting an approach to using funding to promote mental health. The pilot was officially titled Collaborating in Communities for Mental Health, but was more generally known as Pockets and Prospects, which is the name of a wider programme of funding provided by the Scottish Government via Scottish Community Alliance. It ran from 2020 until 2021. The website for last year’s project is available to view at https://collaboratingincommunities.org/about-the-project.

Under the approach, 15 community organisations from across Scotland were each allocated £1300 to buy in mental health focused activities and services from a menu of social enterprise providers. This included both virtual and face-to-face sessions for staff, volunteers and community members. They included counselling, mindfulness, mental health first aid, creative arts and a range of outdoor activities.

The impact of the programme included improvements to mental health and wellbeing for staff, volunteers and beneficiaries. There is also evidence that this model strengthened local wellbeing economies and networks.

Click here to read more about the programme and it’s impact (link to pdf on SENScot website)

Watch this space…

CHEX will be offering an opportunity to organisations in our network for more community organisations to sign up to this year’s Pockets and Prospects programme.