People with lived experience of mental health services needed

If you have used mental health services in Powys over the last five years (or care for someone who has) and want to have a say in how these services are planned and delivered then why not get involved in some CO-PRODUCTION.

The Mental Health Planning and Development Partnership is always looking for service user and carer representatives who can sit as equal members on the partnership board and give people a voice in these services. There are 4 yearly meetings, and some sub-groups as well, and it is a requirement by law to have service user and carer involvement at these meetings.

PAVO is responsible for facilitating this service user and carer involvement, and will provide training and expenses, plus support throughout your time as a representative.

If becoming a representative isn’t for you there are many other ways in which you can get involved in co-production and using your lived experience to make a difference.

We often have opportunities for single-issue co-production opportunities where you can really focus on an area of mental health service that is important to you. Examples of this could be crisis care, Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), suicide and self harm and many other aspects of mental health care. Your involvement could be as easy as an online consultation, to getting involved in a working group to create a new strategy or service.

If you would like to register your interest you can fill in an expression of interest form here, or contact the PAVO Mental Health Participation Officer at mentalhealth@pavo.org.uk​

Opportunity: Individual Carer Representative on Mental Health Regional Planning and Development Partnership

The Powys Mental Health Planning and Development Partnership is recruiting for a new Mental Health Carer Representative to help shape Mental Health services in Powys at a strategic level.  The partnership is responsible for overseeing how the Welsh Government’s Together for Mental Health strategy is delivered in Powys and consists of all organisations involved in this delivery (eg: Powys County Council, Powys Teaching Health Board, Dyfed-Powys Police).  As an equal member of the partnership board you will help ensure that service users and carers have their voice heard in the decision making process around mental health provision in the county .

There are 4 partnership meetings each year, and there are other opportunities to take part in further sub-groups looking at specific areas of services. You would also gather views and experiences of other carers and service users at meetings so that you are actively representing the views of people from around Powys. This would be supported and facilitated by PAVO.

If you would like to know more please contact the Participation Officer at PAVO  by email mentalhealth@pavo.org.uk