Liverpool’s community-based and family oriented mental health and wellbeing offer has been recognised by peers at a prestigious award ceremony.
Delivered by the team behind Mersey Care’s The Life Rooms, the Early Years’ wellbeing and resilience offer was set up in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and shaped in partnership with the council’s Public Health team.
Accessible via Children’s Centres it focuses heavily on preventative support, empowering residents to make positive changes within their lives and be in control of their own physical and mental wellbeing.
Using a social prescribing model, delivered by specialist pathways advisors with an in-depth knowledge of local services, the team has supported on issues which impact on families such as caring responsibilities, financial difficulties, employment and housing.
A key priority of the pilot has been a preventative approach to reducing adverse childhood experiences – which can impact lifelong mental health and wellbeing.
Childrens centres are unique in their position and ability to help with many issues, as they are a trusted point of contact and offer important links with families – something which is particularly important due to the current cost of living crisis and ongoing recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.
The award was presented in the Children’s and Young People Category at the recent The Positive Practice MH Awards Ceremony – a multi-agency collaborative of seventy-five organisations across the UK, which includes NHS Trusts, CCG’s, Police Forces, third sector providers, front line charities and service user groups – http://positivepracticemh.com/
Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care, Cllr Frazer Lake said “The Life Rooms offers a safe and welcoming space for people to talk about wellbeing concerns and emotional distress they may be experiencing, and I want to thank the team for the difference they make to residents’ lives.”
Director of Public Health for Liverpool, Professor Matthew Ashton said “Mental Health and wellbeing has been heavily affected by the pandemic and the cost of living crisis and families with children have been amongst the most impacted. I’m really pleased to have been a part of this innovative way of working to make a difference for families”
Michael Crilly, Director of Social Inclusion & Participation at Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust said ‘’We are delighted by this national recognition for our ground-breaking partnership with Liverpool public health. Our Early Years Team have been working closely with children centre staff across the city to proactively support the mental health of the families and communities we serve. This is a great testament to collaborative working across systems’’.
For more information on services available from The Life Rooms, visit: https://www.liferooms.org/
And for information on improving mental health and wellbeing in Liverpool visit: ttps://kindtoyourmindliverpool.co.uk/
