Our work Is driven by our commitment to promote mental health as a crucial part of overall wellness. Our core values of recovery, advocacy and reducing the stigma of mental health are met through early identification, assertive intervention, proactive advocacy and holistic support.

Staff are trained and committed to meeting clients where they are in their recovery journey and working with them to sustain wellness. 

We provide semi-independent accommodation in a 24hr staffed environment. We also provide a follow-on community service for young people when they move on and live in their own homes, via an outreach/ floating support service. This provides practical, emotional and social support to young people living in the community and experiencing mental health challenges.

Our Aim

The aim of our Young Persons Service is to provide a warm, secure and supportive environment in which young people can develop resilience, independence and choice, whilst enhancing their core living skills and ability to transition into adulthood. We work in partnership with local authorities to achieve positive outcomes for our young people, and to enable them to acquire practical life skills notwithstanding measured in accordance with the five core outcomes of ‘Every Child Matters.’

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What’s the Need?

Research indicates that early, targeted and assertive support and intervention for young people at risk of developing mental ill health, reduces their risks of going on to develop a chronic mental illness.

Our Young Persons Project is borne out of a desire to see young people including those for whom there might be concerns that they are on the cusp of developing a mental illness due to their fragile and emotional health, get the targeted support they require within a homely 24 hour staffed house.
We offer the provision of high quality, 24hr staffed semi-independent accommodation in Addiscombe, Croydon. The project is a 6 bedroom house with one room reserved and utilised as a therapeutic room/safe space. Individual bedrooms are decorated to a high standard and there is a games room for young people to socialise in, along with a chill zone. The home has internet access, is near a library and internet cafes. Magazines of interest are purchased regularly, as well as board games. Residents are allowed a TV for their room and they may have a radio/CD player in there also, if these are played at a reasonable level.

The house is located in a tree lined residential area and it is a 5-minute walk to Addiscombe Tram Stop which take you directly into East Croydon in less than 10 minutes. East Croydon Station boasts direct links into London.

Who is it for?

• Young persons aged 16-21
• Young persons who are deemed vulnerable; including care leavers
• Male, female or gender neutral
• Young people where there are possible concerns about an emerging mental health challenge and in need of early intervention support due to their fragile emotional or mental health
• Young people considered vulnerable as a result of CSE, bullying, parental mental health or self-harming

What do we offer?

• 1-2-1 key working support
• Support with registering at local GP and other allied primary Health Services
• Intensive support which includes therapeutic interventions by staff
• Advocacy and liaison with CAMHS and active promotion of engagement with all services working with young people. (Health Education, Medical)
• Access to ETE- providing opportunities to volunteer and work experience placements
• Access to an independent visitor as necessary
• Therapeutic Support and interventions
• Weekly residents' meetings
• Developing group living and skills of engagement
• An environment that is therapeutic
• Daily routines including maintaining hygiene
• Maintaining a clean and safe environment
• Support to acquire budgeting skills
• Reflecting on conduct and behaviour; reduction of offending behaviour
• Socialising and community integration
• Support to access welfare benefits
• Independent living skills support
• Activities and leisure

Additional services by the Young Persons Service include:

• Outreach/ floating / family support
• Appropriate adult services at the Police Station
• Escort services
• OpenMinds provides the safe and secure movement and transportation of young people to and from placements, appointments, pick up from police stations, health or medical appointments.

For more information

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What do we do?

OpenMinds offers two different levels of flexible support:

Intensive Short-term Support

This intervention is for those who are in a crisis and the support required is focused around relapse and where possible prevention of a hospital admission. This service is also suitable for those for whom consideration is being given to discharge form their respective Home Treatment teams, with the aim of consolidating any improvements made.

Long-term support

This intervention provides long-term support to maintain recovery and increased independence, with the aim of discharge from community psychiatric services to primary care services.

How do we do it?

We work collaboratively to provide a range of flexible floating support packages for people living in any type of accommodation including their own home. To achieve this aim we work closely with our multi-agency partners e,g Social Workers, CPNs, GP’s, Therapists, Primary Care, Families, Carers etc to provide one to one interventions such as:

• Help in understanding and expressing their needs to medical and mental health professionals;
• Support to foster a structured day and maintain the activities of daily living;
• Supervision (not administration) of medication for both physical and mental health;
• Support to engage and link with other services and professionals;
• Support through advocacy to promote social inclusion and reduce the stigma associated with mental health challenges;
• Support to manage a crisis;
• Assisting the development of self-confidence and self-esteem;
• Support to access local services including employment, education, training, leisure and other community social activities;
• Support to acquire budgeting skills and maintaining a tenancy.

Outcomes

OpenMinds works with clients to achieve a range of outcomes including:

• A reduction in relapse of mental health difficulties;
• Sustained improvement in client’s physical, emotional, psychological and general wellbeing;
• An overall reduction in crisis or admissions to hospital;
• Better insight and understanding of recovery;
• Promotion of stable lifestyles, social inclusion and integration into the community.

Who is it for?

Our floating support service is available to adults aged between 21 – 65 years living in the community. We also accept referrals for those who are on the verge of discharge from long-stay hospitals and require support with reintegration back into the community. This includes people who:

• Experience some difficulties due to their mental health;
• Struggle with addictions e.g. drugs or alcohol;
• Require support to manage their medication/treatment;
• Have become socially isolated or excluded as a result of their difficulties;
• Require support to attend appointments and engage with other statutory services;
• Need support with day-to-day tasks and could benefit from one-to-one support and advocacy and
• Require support to help maximize their independence.

 For more information

Click here.