Tuesday 22nd October 2019 - DWP Possibilities and targets

Posted 2:45pm

When Healthy Minds, Healthy Bods was first created it was initially aimed at working with the unemployed, especially those newly signing on - as a preventive intervention. Things have moved on a lot since then, and we have enjoyed working with  broad spectrum of clientele, but we still would like to demonstrate how outcomes to the job centres.

Lazza has been working very hard on this front. In face he has the DWP Borough Managers of four London boroughs all interested in the project. We have Islington, Camden, Haringey and Hackney all on board. In fact, Hackney also covers Tower Hamlets and City of London areas too.

The reason why we have not, as yet, managed to run any courses is money. Nobody seems to have any,, even though their have been many announcements in the last year of how the government is providing more funding for the mental health community - especially when it comes to preventive.

So, I have now asked permission from the four DWP Managers to use their names as we approach Central Government to see just how we can work with their users. I would like to see this as a pilot, as it is a different approach, with a unique delivery, and covers a plethora of topics.  It is not about what they cannot do, but what they can do to see how this can start.

I do not know if we will get anywhere.. Maybe we are playing with fire. We do have contacts in various CCGs and Public Health too. Altogether, surely it is a direction we can go in?  How does any new project start?  We have to remain positive.

We will get a letter of at the end of this week - and copy in all the relevant people too. Let's see if something can happen. Of course all this talk of a General Election looming may count against us, but we have to try something. Time is against us too.