Mental Health Reform’s goal is an Ireland where people with mental health difficulties can recover their well-being and live their lives to the fullest. Mental Health Reform promotes improved and prioritised mental health services in Ireland.
We work towards achieving a system of good health and social care that is available to everyone no matter where they live or what their income is.
We believe it is important to provide mental health services at local level. By doing this, you can stay within your local community and continue to use the other healthcare services you’re familiar with. It also means you can have the help and support of your family and friends which is very important.
A Vision for Change (AVFC) is the national policy for reforming Ireland’s mental health services. It was published in 2006 and it proposes big changes to the way people think about mental health and the way mental health services are delivered. We aim to get these changes made by 2016 at the latest. In the meantime, we will work with our member organisations and service users to provide support and training to make sure we meet the target date.
What do we do?
Mental Health Reform works with its members through education, information, support and training to help bring about structural and cultural changes in mental health matters.
Structural change. This means making changes to the way the mental health services are organised. It includes, for example, making changes to how services are delivered, changes to how budgets are spent, changes to mental health workers’ responsibilities health services and so on. The aim of structural change is to provide the best possible mental health service in Ireland.
Cultural change. This means changing the way mental health workers, people with mental health difficulties, their families and the local communities think about mental health. In the past, people with mental health difficulties were often not listened to or treated as passive receivers of care. It is important that this changes and that they are treated as equal partners on their way to recovery. This can only be done by educating everyone involved with mental health services on the ideas within A Vision for Change.
How do we do it?
- By providing information and education on best practice in mental health service provision to groups and organisations, communities and other relevant people.
- By promoting public awareness of the importance of mental health to the achievement of personal health and wellbeing.
- By promoting the provision of the highest attainable standard of public mental health and social services which are oriented to the individual’s recovery and social integration into community life.
- By providing assistance to and representing groups and bodies working in the mental health arena through consultation, information sharing and mutual support.
- By training and working with other groups and bodies, encouraging the fullest participation of mental health interest groups in the mental health discourse and the development of quality services.
Who can join us? – Members and Supporters
Membership to Mental Health Reform is open to all not-for-profit, non-governmental organisations who share the vision and values of MHR.
Individuals can help to promote improved mental health services by becoming campaign supporters of Mental Health Reform.
Please contact us if you want to get involved in Mental Health Reform, either as a member organisation or as a supporter.
www.facebook.com/mentalhealthreform
Follow us on twitter @MHReform
Phone:01 874 9468
info@mentalhealthreform.combinedmedia.com
Company number: 506850
Registered charity number: 19958
