Report on the Impact of Mental Health Charities on Irish Society. Report on the Impact of Mental Health Charities on Irish Society June 2017

Transcription

1 Report on the Impact of Charities on Irish Society Report on the Impact of Charities on Irish Society June

2 Persuasion Republic

3 Report on the Impact of Charities on Irish Society Contents Introduction 2 Research Methodology 2 Vision & Mission 3 How the charity is delivering their mission 4 Summary of Key Impact of the Charity in 2015* 5 How they are delivering their mission 6 Total Income and Total Expenditure on Charitable Activities for the Financial Years Ended 2014 and Conclusions 8 Key Challenges 9 Innovation In Charities 10 1

4 Persuasion Republic INTRODUCTION This report is the second in a series of eight reports that provide an overview of the vision, mission and impact of charities on Irish society. This report focuses on the vision, mission and impact of mental health charities registered in and outlines how these charities are working towards achieving their missions. It identifies the key future challenges facing mental health charities and how these charities are innovating in the face of a dynamic environment. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The eight mental health charities selected for this research were selected at random from a list of registered mental health charities. Data was collected from their annual reports and financial statements for the financial year ended 2015, from their websites and from Benefacts.ie. VISION & MISSION Commonalities and Differences All of the charities in the research sample share a common aim of working to promote and support mental health and wellbeing. The charities can be differentiated by the type of services they offer, how they deliver their services, the needs of the people they work with, whether they work on a one-to-one basis, on a group basis, with communities, of if they work directly with the public or on behalf of other mental health organisations. 2

5 Report on the Impact of Charities on Irish Society Charity Vision Mission Aware To create a society where people affected by stress, depression, bipolar disorder and related mood disorders are understood, supported, free from stigma, and are encouraged to access appropriate therapies. GROW Jigsaw Reform Pieta House Reach Out Samaritans An where young people are connected to their community and have the resilience to face challenges to their mental health. An where people experiencing mental health difficulties can recover their well-being and live a full life in their community. An where mental health is valued as being an essential part of personal wellbeing and the health of the nation. A world where suicide, self-harm and stigma have been replaced by hope, self-care and acceptance. Fewer people die by suicide. To nurture mental health, personal growth, prevention and full recovery from all kinds of mental illness. To change how thinks about young people s mental health and to improve mental health outcomes for young people aged To be the unifying voice that drives progressive reform of mental health supports in. To promote positive mental health and wellbeing to all individuals and communities through their network of mental health associations, to support people who experience mental health difficulties on their journey of recovery. To support people and communities in crisis, through the provision of freely accessible and professional services. To increase mental health literacy among young people which will ultimately assist in reducing the high youth suicide rate in. Alleviate emotional distress and reduce the incidence of suicidal feelings and suicidal behaviour. 3

6 Persuasion Republic Charity Aware GROW Jigsaw Reform Pieta House How the charity is delivering their mission Provides support services e.g. nationwide support groups, a telephone support service, and support service. Provides education services e.g. mental health programme for senior cycle students, life skills programme for adults and students, a workplace based wellness at work programme. Provides information services e.g. monthly lecture series on mental health issues and a repository of information free through the website or by post. GROW members attend a weekly meeting at which a specific group method is followed which enables members to learn a practical psychology of mental health. GROW also organises information and education events throughout. Jigsaw offers a robust primary care mental health service to young people who do not meet the criteria for specialist mental health services, but need support that is responsive and easy to access. Jigsaw offers a brief therapeutic support service to young people to help them to cope with the challenges they face. Jigsaw has an education and training programme, it fosters engagement through their Youth Advisory panel, Adult Advisory Panel. Jigsaw conducts research and evaluation to research the needs of young people to ensure services match their needs. Identify unmet mental health needs particularly among people who can fall through the net, e.g. people with intellectual disabilities, those who are homeless or people from ethnic minorities, advise Government and champion innovation in the supports provided to people, raise concerns about mental health and the social inclusion of people with mental health difficulties, monitor the actions of Government, the HSE and other agencies to ensure that they are measuring up on the commitments and promises they have made. Development and delivery of a broad range of mental health promotion activities in conjunction with the HSE and other statutory agencies. Supporting 92 local mental health associations in their work by providing information and training and through a network of development officers working around the country. Provide information services, provide training and education for workplaces and communities, campaigning, support, peer support and recovery initiatives in communities around the country and develop projects and partnerships to promote mental health awareness in the areas of education, arts and sport. Provision of counselling services and associated education and support programmes to those suffering from suicidal ideation, to those who have attempted suicide, and to those engaging in self-harming behaviours. It also operates free counselling, therapy and support to individuals, couples, families and children who have been bereaved by suicide. 4

7 Report on the Impact of Charities on Irish Society Charity Reach Out Samaritans How the charity is delivering their mission Operates an online service to help young people get through tough times and engages in research and evaluation to better understand the mental health needs of young people, focusing on the age groups. Provides information and advice to parents through reachoutparents.com. Offers a free mental fitness app. Offers an online training programme to increase mental health literacy and to learn ways to promote positive mental health and holds an annual technology for wellbeing conference. Operates a telephone, and SMS helpline service available 24 hours a day to provide emotional support for people who are experiencing feelings of emotional distress or despair, including those which may lead to suicide, reaching out to high risk groups and communities, working in partnership with other organisations, agencies and experts, and influencing public policy and raising awareness of the challenges of reducing suicide. Charity Summary of Key Impact of the Charity in 2015* Aware Beat the Blues programme delivered in 477 schools nationwide reaching 27,790 students, 64 life skills programmes to adults and 5 online programmes to 2,557 adults, 27 life skill programmes to senior cycle students. Delivered 138 Wellness@Work sessions in the workplace to approx. 2,000 employees, 11,137 calls answered on the support line, offered 39 support groups nationwide with 12,617 visits to these groups, responded to 2,366 requests for help and support. GROW Jigsaw National network of 130 weekly support groups in. GROW s unique Group Method, 12 Step programme, and its Caring and Sharing Community, benefit its members in many ways. International research shows that over a period of time members need significantly less professional help and have less chance of relapse. Members are significantly more likely to be in employment and will have wider support networks. Members are also more likely to reduce, or dispense with, medication. (Rappaport et al, 1985) 80% of year olds had a reliable reduction in psychological distress after visiting a Jigsaw Service for sessions with a mental health professional. 4,070 is the number of young people given direct and indirect support by Jigsaw services. 62% of year olds had a reliable reduction in psychological distress after visiting a Jigsaw service for sessions with a Jigsaw mental health professional. 2,110 is the number of young people who attended Time to Start Talking workshops. 10,176 people attended Supporting Young Peoples mental health workshops. Research findings are disseminated through journal articles, conference presentations, reports, community talks, blogs and the media 3 peer reviewed research articles in Continued overleaf... 5

8 Persuasion Republic Charity Summary of Key Impact of the Charity in 2015* Reform Increased membership to 54 members. Held 4 public consultation meetings with service users and family members and received online feedback from 281 individuals about mental health supports. Secured additional funding in Budget 2016 for the development of mental health services, got agreement on a Standard Operating Procedure for child and adolescent mental health services, secured commitment to a clinical care programme on dual diagnosis (mental health/addiction), roll-out of Self-Harm Liaison Nurses in hospitals, a Comprehensive Employment Strategy that addresses people with mental health disabilities, deletion of the term unwilling from the Act, 2001, and a commitment of 2 million to improve mental health services for homeless people. Made 25 submissions to government. Ran a campaign to keep mental health on the political agenda. Pieta House Reach Out Samaritans In 2015 a total of 442 training and information sessions were delivered by Area Development Officers to 14,827 individuals nationally. The newly developed Mind Your training programme accounted for 90 sessions to 1,941 participants. Information sessions accounted for 143 sessions to 6,295 individuals. Three one day workshops, Mind Your, took place in Sligo, Dublin and Athlone. New campaign launched Smiley Pancake Campaign. 60 people joined the first Solstice Wellbeing national event in the Burren. Over 300 events organised by mental health associations for Week. 895 pieces of art and 164 photographs received for the art and photography competition. Since 2006 Pieta House has helped more than 22,000 people in suicidal crisis or who engage in self-harm, with 5,500 clients in Attracted 4,000 Irish visits per week and 714 comments were submitted in ,400 active volunteers. 1,145 face-to-face contacts at festivals as part of the Samaritans outreach service. *Further details can be found in the charities annual reports and on their websites 6

9 Report on the Impact of Charities on Irish Society Total Income and Total Expenditure on Charitable Activities for the Financial Years Ended 2014 and 2015 Charity Total Income Financial Year FY Ended 2015 ( ) Total Income Financial Year FY Ended 2014 ( ) Total Charitable Activities FY Ended 2015 ( ) Total charitable Activities FY Ended 2014 ( ) Aware 1,667,026 2,151,101 1,237,851 1,402,827 GROW 1,438,044 1,441,872 1,456,561 1,440,573 Jigsaw 5,820,390 4,600,095 5,547,507* 4,477,336* Reform 310, , ,740** 239,834** 2,296,074 2,153,887 2,302,270* 1,927,065* Pieta House 5,970,238 5,420,470 4,419,676 4,349,528 Reach Out Samaritans *** 545, , ,231** 552,333** 862, , , ,115 * Total resources expended/total expenditure **Administrative expenses ***This does not include branches of Samaritans. 7

10 Persuasion Republic CONCLUSIONS According to Aware there are an estimated 45,000 people in who experience bipolar disorder, which is a life-long condition. The World Organisation reported that has the seventh highest rate of suicide in people in the EU in the age group, and other research studies indicate that mental health difficulties peak during teenage and early adult years but young people who experience mental health difficulties are unlikely to look for help. The number of suicides reported in has risen over the decades from 76 deaths recorded in 1950 to 554 in However most experts agree that the numbers of suicide are under-counted (suicide was decriminalised in 1993). These statistics and the uptake in the various supports offered by the charities included in this research (e.g. Pieta House had 5,500 clients in 2015 alone) point to an obvious need for the range of services provided by these mental health charities. To meet the mental health needs of people resident in, the charities included in our research sample provide a diverse range of services from immediate response mechanisms (e.g. Samaritans); counselling, education and support in the area of suicide prevention (e.g. Pieta House); face-to-face (e.g. Jigsaw) and online (e.g. Reachout.com) youth mental health counselling and education; support groups (e.g. GROW, Aware); general mental health awareness (e.g. ) to advocacy and awareness (e.g. Reform). 8

11 Report on the Impact of Charities on Irish Society KEY CHALLENGES health charities operating in face four key challenges: 1. Uncertainty of funding Despite the fact that six of the eight charities (75%) in our research sample reported an increase in their total income when compared to 2014, building a stable financial base remains a key challenge for charities. The uncertainty of the economic climate impacts on the ability of individual donors to contribute to charities but also the likelihood of corporate donors being able to continue to support charities. Charities in receipt of government and HSE funding are also reliant on their continued financial support. This is against the backdrop of a change in the way the State engages with the third sector, i.e. the State is moving to a much more business like model of service commissioning, with defined quality standards and outputs required in return for contracted prices. 2. Fluctuating levels of public trust in charities Another key challenge for charities is ensuring public trust in charities and managing their reputations when scandals do arise. The appointment of a Charity Regulator, adopting the Governance Code for Community, Voluntary and Charitable organisations, adhering to the Statement of Guiding Principles of Fundraising, the voluntary adoption of Charities SORP by many charities to enhance the transparency of their financial reports are all examples of measures that charities have taken to reassure their donors and the public that they are trustworthy. 3. Availability of volunteers to match the needs of the charity Charities are highly dependent on volunteers. The ability to attract and retain volunteers is a further risk to charities and their capacity to deliver their stated missions. 4. Government Policy and Commitment Charities need to ensure that mental health remains on the political agenda, in the programme for government and ensure that the services delivered by charities which are dependent on government funding are provided for in the budgetary process. 9 9

12 Persuasion Republic INNOVATIONS 1. Research into Service Offerings Research indicates that mental health difficulties peak during teenage and early adult years but young people who experience mental health difficulties are unlikely to look for help. For these reasons, Jigsaw engage in a research programme to understand Irish young people s mental health needs to make sure that the services offered are of a high quality and work for young people, and to improve and be better at how they support young people with their mental health. To support their commitment to research Jigsaw introduced a research bursary scheme in 2014 to support research being undertaken by post-graduate students in the area of health and social sciences. Reachout.com is also engaged in conducting research to ensure that it understands the needs of its target audience. For example it conducted a What s wrecking your head online youth mental health survey, targeted at year olds. The survey had 2,500 respondents in three days. 2. Expanding reach Because young adults are deemed most at risk from mental illness, GROW in is developing resources specifically to help their particular needs. GROW s ultimate goal is to provide a large network of easily accessible young adult support groups countrywide. GROW define a young adult as anyone between the ages of 18 and 30 and currently have three GROW young adult groups in 1 in Cork and 2 in Dublin. In 2015 the HSE committed to supporting Jigsaw to develop three new Jigsaw projects in Dublin City, Cork and Limerick. Jigsaw aim to have a national network where every young person in can reasonably access mental health supports in a local Jigsaw service. Pieta House is also expanding its reach with one of their goals is aiming to have a centre within 100km of every person in. The Samaritans are increasing their outreach activities bringing Samaritan services in to towns, villages and communities particularly via festival work during the summer months. The Festival branch offers one-to-one emotional support at festivals, concerts and events throughout. The Samaritans Feet on the Street offers one-to-one emotional support on the street late at night and in the early hours in urban centres near pubs and nightclubs. 10

13 Report on the Impact of Charities on Irish Society 3. New campaigns To reach as many people as possible new campaigns are being developed e.g. launched their Smiley Pancake Campaign and held their first national Solstice Wellbeing event in the Burren. 11

14 Persuasion Republic John Sutton is Managing Director at Persuasion Republic. Persuasion Republic offers a full range of research and training, design, fundraising and advocacy services. For further information on this research report contact: John Sutton Persuasion Republic Building Three Kilmainham Square Dublin 8 john@persuasionrepublic.ie (01) persuasionrepublic.ie 12