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Getting Through - Access to mental health services for people who are homeless or living in temporary or insecure accommodation: A good practice guide

“It’s harder when you’re on the streets. I went into day centres and asked them to get me into places (for treatment). They said they can’t help me.”

This good practice guide to improving access to mental services for people in these circumstances was jointly commissioned by the Department of Health and Communities and Local Government, in collaboration with the Care Service Improvement Partnership.

Download the full guide here.

Download the executive summary here.

Briefing document on Choice Based Lettings for People with Mental Health Problems

The second briefing document in the series outlines the key elements of Choice Based Lettings (CBL) for people with mental health problems following the publication of Implementing and Developing Choice-Based Lettings: A guide to key issues by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (now known as the Department of Communities and Local Government) in March 2005.

To download a copy of this document please click here.

The full DCLG (formerly ODPM) guidance Implementing and Developing Choice-Based Lettings: DCLG have also published a fact sheet on Choice Based Lettings, which can be found at: www.communities.gov.uk


Briefing document on Improving the Effectiveness of Rent Arrears Management for People with Mental Health Problems

In June 2005, the Department for Communities and Local Government (formerly the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister) published guidance on ‘Improving the Effectiveness of Rent Arrears Management’ following research undertaken by Glasgow University. The guidance reflected specific strategies, and interventions/ approaches which may help tenants to avoid accruing unnecessary rent arrears.

Download the Briefing document on Improving the Effectiveness of Rent Arrears Management for People with Mental Health Problems here.

DCLG have developed a summary version "Guide on effective rent arears management" which can also be found on the DCLG website at: www.communities.gov.uk/

The Code of Guidance for Local Authorities

The Code of Guidance for Local Authorities has been published by the Department of Communities and Local Government

The Code provides statutory guidance on local authority housing and social services statutory functions in respect of people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. This updated guidance now includes reference to people with dual diagnosis and personality disorder. It suggests that Housing Authority assessments, where the person being assessed has a mental health problem, should be carried out jointly with Social Services/Mental Health agencies or have a Mental Health practitioner on the assessment team. This can be found at www.communities.gov.uk/

At Home - A study of mental health issues arising in social housing - Full Report

This is the report of a study of the views and experiences of frontline housing staff in working with tenants with mental health problems. The study originated as part of the mental health, housing and social inclusion partnership programme developed originally by NIMHE's North East, Yorks and Humber Regional Development Centre.

Download the full report here.

Download the executive summary here.

Other published articles

In addition, the NSIP team have written, commissioned and/or published a string of journal articles on housing and social inclusion, including:

Mental Health Today

  • Bates, P. Churchill, S. Dowson, S. Edmondson, P. Hart, A. Morris, D. & Johnson, R. “Learning from Experience; Innovation mapping can ensure good practice is shared so that projects learn from each other”, May 2005
  • Johnson, R. Griffiths, G. & Nottingham, T. “Housing and community care; housing workers have a key but often un-acknowledged role in community care today”, Nov 2006
  • Johnson, R. “Housing, home and recovery; supported housing can provide the community and peer support that many vulnerable groups need to maintain well-being”. Dec 2007

Housing with Care and Support

  • Johnson, R. “Mental health, social inclusion and housing: mapping the issues for service providers” Vol 8 Iss. 1, June 2004
  • Johnson, R. & Robinson, Z. “Innovation, local engagement and leadership; the future of the supported

A Life in the Day

  • Johnson, R. “Bringing it all back home” Vol 12, Iss 2, May 2008
  • Johnson, R. introduction to: Wilson, T & McCrudden, A. “Supporting strengths: the work of Julian Housing”, Vol 12. Issue 1. Feb 2008
  • Johnson, R. introduction to: Bartle, J & Burroughs, S. “ Right on the button: new technology bringing peace of mind”, Vol 13 Issue 1, Feb 2009
  • Johnson, R. “This is not a pipe” Vol 13 Issue 2, forthcoming

Community Care

  • Johnson, R “All in the same boat” ( March 2006)
  • Johnson, R “The twain shall meet” ( February 2006)

Journal of Public Mental Health

Johnson, R. “Mental health and housing; making the links in policy, research and practice”, Vol. 4, Iss. 4, Dec 2005

also

Johnson R, Williams C “What is to be done? Mental health, housing and social inclusion” Originally published on NIMHE NEY&H RDCwebsite (June 2005)

Further Resources

The Strengths Model

The Strengths model, as outlined in the supported housing service website, is similarly an approach to mental healthcare which focuses on personalised solutions and is, in principle and in practice, readily compatible both with the recovery approach, and with the underlying approach taken in housing-related support services.

For more information about the Strenths Model please click here

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Capabilites for Inclusive Practice

This best practice guidance document, produced by the National Social Inclusion Programme, explores the distinctive skills that explicitly promote socially inclusive opportunities. Consultation on this framework involved a representative from each of the core professional groups in the mental health workforce.

The capabilities were also mapped to the core and developmental standards of the Healthcare Commission as described in Standards for Better Health (2007), and the individual capabilities are mapped to the core dimensions of the Knowledge and Skills Framework (KSF) (2004).

To download your copy of the guidance please click here

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Connecting Housing to the Health and Social Care Agenda – a person-centred approach

This is from the Integrated Care Network that locates housing’s role in mental health within the broader health and housing agenda.

For more information please click here

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Supporting People Guide to accomodation options for people with mental health problems

This guide was produced by the former ODPM (now DCLG) and gives a detailed account of the range of housing-related support services that could be provided through the “SP” programme.

For more information please click here

(See also “The National Service Framework for Mental Health”, and “Housing and Community Care: Establishing a strategic framework” and many other related documents in the Policy Frameworks section.)

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Breaking Down Barriers: the clinical case for change

In this document the National Director for Mental Health, Prof. Appleby, comments that “Employment, housing and a strong social network are as important to a person’s mental health as the treatment they receive” and explains why we have to continue to improve community care and break down the barriers that can prevent people from rebuilding their lives.

To download this document please click here

Similarly, in The NSF Five years on Prof Appleby stresses the need to focus on mental needs of the community as a whole, and not simply on secondary mental health services.

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Personality Disorder

"Personality Disorder: no longer a diagnosis of exclusion" a policy statement from the National Institute for Mental Health in England which indicates a significant shift in thinking on the role of mental health services for individuals with a diagnosis of personality disorder. (This paper may be of particular interest to housing resettlement services for service user groups with a known high prevalence of personality disorder.)

To download this paper please click here

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Updating Information

Considerable work has gone into collating this information but we are aware that information and policy changes on a regular basis. Updates on relevant areas of housing and community care policy and practice can be found at:

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Bridge building projects database

Information on projects that enable people with mental health issues to engage with their local communities.

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