South London Listens: Be Well Hubs initiative supports community mental health
Be Well Hubs are launching around south London this week to help tackle the cause of mental ill-health, promote access to mental health services and support people in the community.
Be Well hubs are a key initiative of the South London Listens programme, launching in community organisations where members have had mental health training to become as Be Well Champions.
Through this training and ongoing supervision, the Champions are being equipped to listen to people in the community, provide information, resources and signposting to mental health support.
The hubs’ main purposes are to de-stigmatise mental health, to use community organising principles to build strong relationships with local health services, and to organise leaders to listen and take action on the barriers and systemic problems impacting mental health. They will report back on key themes and trends from their communities.
Faiza Mulbocus, a Be Well Champion said: “It is a responsibility when people trust you with their stories, but it is so good to see people coming forward to look for advice. People are quietly starting to talk more about their mental health which is good.
“I’ve done my training to be a mental health champion and I have a background in social work so I feel well equipped to listen and support people. People do come to us in crisis which is always hard, but we can offer practical support and signposting when people need it most.”
Find out more about Faiza’s experiences and ambitions for the Be Well hub.
Norman Lamb, Co-Chair of South London Listens Taskforce and Chair of South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust said: “The Be Well Hubs and Be Well Champions programme will develop the capability and capacity of community and voluntary organisations to support the wellbeing of local people and to strengthen collaborations between health services and voluntary organisations. I am delighted that the Be Well Hubs will begin to support people in our communities.”
Ann Beasley CBE, Co-Chair of South London Listens Taskforce, and Chair of South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust said: “The launch of the Be Well Hubs is a really significant step forward in our South London Listens story, and I’m really looking forward to attending the Be Well Hub event in Kingston and meeting the inspiring community leaders.”
Launch activity taking place this week includes:
- Southwark Parents and Communities Together holding a launch meeting at St Michael’s Church
- A Be Well Hub interfaith event being held at Kingston Library with representatives from Jewish, Muslim and Christian Communities
- A Lambeth Be Well Hub launch event with IQRA primary school and St John the Divine
- Greenwich leaders launching their Be Well Hub in Creating Ground, an organization that works with women from migrant backgrounds to promote cross-cultural awareness, learning and sharing across different communities in South-East London
Launched in 2020, South London Listens is a unique partnership between the three mental health Trusts in south London, Citizens UK, local authorities, and community organisations who are working together to help our communities recover from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Find out more about South London Listens https://www.southlondonlistens.org/ and read the South London Listens story https://www.southlondonlistens.org/about
South London Listens has launched its second community survey to find out how the mental health and wellbeing of south Londoners has changed over the last year.
Take the survey now - https://citizensuk.typeform.com/to/CCBJbay5
Pictured: PACT Core Team Meeting with Be Well Champions Training Certificates
