Our Strategy 2021 - 2024

We are Mind!

Open, experienced, unstoppable, together.

We’re here to fight for mental health

We connect minds. We support minds. We change minds. For support. For respect. For you.

Our Strategy

Strategic content

We are Cwm Taf Morgannwg Mind

About us

Cwm Taf Morgannwg Mind’s strategy is a plan that we use to measure and achieve our charitable aspirations over the next three years, it’s a plan for the post pandemic period.

This strategy describes who we are, what we do and how we do it, it describes our resources, capacity, and capabilities for achieving our aspirations. It helps us prioritise and remain true to our charitable aims, values and purpose whilst putting people, quality and organisational resilience at the heart of what we do.

Our Vision

We won’t give up until everyone experiencing a mental health problem gets both support and respect.

Our Mission

To provide quality services that promote positive mental health and wellbeing.

Our Common Purpose

Who? We are Mind. Open, experienced, unstoppable, together.

How? We connect minds. We support minds. We change minds.

Why? We’re here to fight for mental health. For support. For respect. For you.

Cwm Taf Morgannwg Mind’s relationship with Mind and the Mind Network in Wales

Cwm Taf Morgannwg Mind’s strategy takes notice of the mental health strategy and policy environment in Wales, it also reflects the strategic priorities of the Mind National Strategy, this is key to ensuring that we remain strategically relevant and allows us to remain true to our charitable purpose.

The pillars of the Mind strategy build on our existing strengths:

• Connecting minds – Bringing people together to make change in their communities

• Supporting minds – Delivering life changing mental health support (locally & nationally)

• Changing minds – Speaking out and demanding better from policy makers and the public

The three strategic development priorities. These are areas where we must significantly increase our work to effectively respond to urgent needs:

• Becoming a truly anti-racist organisation

• Supporting young people – with a particular focus on trauma

• Fighting for the mental health of people living in poverty

Key strategic influences

1. We are Mind - Mind Strategy 2021

2. Mind – The Mental Health Emergency, How has the Coronavirus Pandemic impacted on our mental health

3. Our Cwm Taf, Wellbeing Plan 2018 – 2023

4. Talk To Me Too, Suicide and Self Harm Prevention Strategy for Wales 2015-2022

5. Strategy for Preventing and Ending Homelessness in Wales

6. Together for Mental Health, Delivery Plan 2019 – 2022 in response to Covid 19

7. Matrics Cymru, Guidance for Delivering Evidence-Based Psychological Therapy in Wales The Mental Health Emergency - How has the Coronavirus pandemic impacted on our mental health

We are Mind - Mind Strategy 2021

Strategy for Preventing and Ending Homelessness in Wales

Together for Mental Health, (Delivery Plan 2019 – 2022 in response to Covid 19

Matics Cymru, Guidance for Delivering Evidence-Based Psychological Therapy

Cwm Taf Morgannwg Mind

Our Position

• Cwm Taf Morgannwg Mind is a forward-thinking community-based charity whose purpose is to provide better mental health and wellbeing outcomes to its population by providing a range of relevant support services.

• Our core business is to provide services in Mental Health Primary and Secondary Care, Housing and Homelessness and Recovery sectors. Our activities are reflective of the strategic environment in which we operate.

• The organisation’s operations are coterminous with that of Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board and the unitary authorities of Merthyr Tydfil, Rhondda Cynon Taf and Bridgend.

• We are committed to the Mind family, both nationally and regionally by applying the principle of stronger together. Cwm Taf Morgannwg Mind is partner within the Mind Federation, working in partnership with Local Minds and Mind.

• We serve a resident population of over 450,000 and work closely with our University Health Board, Local Governments and Funders to address the poorest population wellbeing needs in Wales.

• We will challenge stigma and discrimination in everything we do, encouraging people to stay well, empower choice, enable social participation, remove inequality, and improve services and support through service excellence and innovation.

• Our work is founded on developing meaningful partnerships, active participation, strategic engagement and evaluating the impact of everything we do through our commitment to people engagement and evaluation.

Building on our Foundations

Why we do what we do!

“The skills the team have to help people are impeccable, truely amazing people. Thank you so much for helping me but also helping me feel independent and in control throughout. Keep on doing a fantastic job helping people, you all deserve the highest recognition and praise.”

“This service has been excellent. I don’t know where I would have been without it, Sharron actually listened to me, she is the first person that has, she really understood how I was feeling. I feel so much happier and more positive now.”

“This course has been really helpful in educating about how low self-esteem and confidence may come about, what I can do to improve my confidence and to be more assertive. I am hopeful now I have a plan in place to improve my assertiveness and have set targets to achieve my goal. I would definitely recommend this course to others who want to improve their confidence. I can’t think of any improvements to be made, it was an excellent experience.”

“Mind has provided me with an incredible service, the team has addressed my needs and helped me through a very difficult time. My self-esteem and confidence has been restored and anxieties eased, which will help me move forward and regain a more normal daily life.”

“Mike was fantastic from the very start, he listened with a friendly ear and didn’t judge me. It was instantly like speaking to an old friend. He asked all the right questions to get me to open up. He gave me great advice and helped me put a lot in to perspective. Over a period of months and regular chats he helped me find my confidence again. He gave me goals to aim for and made me feel like a normal life and feeling good about myself was achievable again. He helped me find myself.”

“It was really nice to have someone to talk to about my worries and Sharron really helped me to manage my anxiety and see that there are so many ways in which I can become reconnected with the community even during these awful times. Thank you Sharron for your calls and all your help, it was so nice to have someone to listen to me and to really understand how I was feeling. I will miss your calls. “

Organisational Resilience

Purpose, Money & People

Organisational Resilience is the ability of an organisation to anticipate, prepare for, respond and adapt to incremental change and sudden disruptions in order to survive and prosper.

The Principles of Organisational Resilience

Purpose

Principle 1: Understands and clearly articulates its value and purpose.

Principle 2: Invests in developing its internal resilience and its interaction with external stakeholders.

Principle 3: Thinks and acts strategically and prepares effectively for an uncertain future.

Principle 4: Creates a joined up working culture where all disciplines work towards a collective purpose.

Principle 5: Is led and managed with financial confidence and supported with robust financial management

Principle 6: Builds an appropriate level of financial security and creates financially resilient external relationships.

Principle 7: Assesses and manages internal and external risk to respond and adapt to change.

Testing our resilience

Principle 8: Has a Board and Leadership team who invest in good governance.

Principle 9: Recruits and develops people who bring a diversity of experiences and knowledge to the decision making and delivery processes.

Principle 10: Thinks and acts strategically and prepares effectively for an uncertain future.

The Board and the Chief Executive Officer will test the charities resilience through applying our internal ‘Resilience Toolkit’, this will enable our response.

1. We will identify the strengths and weaknesses within the business against each of the principles outlined.

2. We will develop plans and appoint key people and resources to respond to those plans.

3. We will apply the Resilience Toolkit as part of the Boards Annual Plan which is reviewed every year over the next three years – keeping us on track.

Our Priorities - Covid 19

2020 and 2021 has seen unprecedented economic and social disruption as a direct result of the Coronavirus Pandemic. Mind published the ‘The mental health emergency, how has the coronavirus pandemic impacted our mental health? June 2020 Wales summary report’.

We will use the evidence in this report, together with other strategy and policy in Wales, to understand our strategic priorities whilst continuing to understand the needs within our community. Using this research together with our own insights, we will continue to invest in our services and respond to new priorities with a focus on:

Key insights

• More than half of adults (60% of those over 25) and three quarters of young people (74% of those aged 13-24) said that their mental health has worsened during the period of lockdown restrictions, from early April to mid-May 2020.

• Restrictions on seeing people, being able to go outside and worries about the health of family and friends are the key factors driving poor mental health.

• Loneliness has been a key contributor to poor mental health. Feelings of loneliness have made nearly two thirds of adults’ and over three quarters of young people’s mental health worse during lockdown. 18-24 year olds are the most likely to see loneliness affect their mental health.

• People do not feel entitled to seek help, and have difficulty accessing it when they do. 1 in 3 (34%) adults and 1 in 4 young people (26%) did not access support during lockdown because they did not think that they deserved support.

• Over a sixth of adults, and a third of young people who tried to access support were unable to do so. Not feeling comfortable using phone/video call technology has been one of the main barriers to accessing support.

• Around 1 in 8 adults (12%) and young people (11%) have said their mental health has got better during lockdown. These people may benefit from information and advice on how to continue positive habits after lockdown, or how to come out of lockdown, as Mind is already providing.

1. Mental Health & Money

2. Mental Health & Housing

3. Mental Health & Children and Young People

4. Mental Health & Peer Support

5. Mental Health & Suicide Prevention

Our Plan on a Page

Our Strategic Goals for the next three years

Leadership & Governance

1. A Board annual plan, strategy and business plan and Mind Quality Mark (MQM)

Services & People

1. Services are safe,innovative and have a positive impact

Finances & Policies

1. Robust strategic financial planning, performance, and reporting

2. An effective Board, Leadership and Management Team

3. A positive performance culture - delivering on our aims

Influence & Engagement Quality & Performance

1. Robust feedback, evaluation and data centralisation

2. People are engaged, invested in, listened to and supported

3. Services reach out to those in need

1. Mind Quality Mark (Years 1 - 3)

2. Robust business sustainability and growth plan

3. Fit for purpose policies, regularly reviewed

2. Part of the Mind network and external partnerships

3. Communication, Marketing and Fundraising is engaging

2. Measuring impact via robust data systems and processes

3. Talking Treatment Standards Advocacy Standards Employment Standards

Services Structure

The structure will enhance performance, accountability and resource management

TEAM 1

Mental Health Prevention Services

TEAM 2

Housing, Homelessness & Recovery Services

MIND CORE SERVICES

Mind A-Z Information & Advice

Mind Advice & Legal Helplines

Mind Side-by-Side Peer Support

Team 1: Mental Health Prevention Services

‘Single point of access’

ENTRY POINT

• Mental Health Support Hub - Single Point of Access

• Mind Core Services

• Mind Active Monitoring +

• Talking Treatments

• Psychoeducation Programmes

• Mind Information, Advice & Assistance

Team 2: Housing, Homelessness & Recovery Services

• Housing / Homelessness Support

• Advocacy

• Suicide Prevention

• Older Persons & Carers Services

MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT HUB

THE HUB

Communication, Marketing & Fundraising

Our profile is our brand’s professional introduction to our stakeholders. It’s meant to inform people about our services and how they can get involved.

We must communicate our current positioning in the market and tell the story of our successes. A well-crafted organisational profile is a way to make ourselves stand out from the competition and offer our uniqueness.

Our profile is supported by having a well written description of how to contact us,

Income generation

who we are, what we do and why we do it, together with any recognition for our achievements, such as quality standards and any accolades.

Our profile is more important now than ever before, it is enhanced through our investment in communications and marketing.

We have a far greater investment in charity fundraising by engaging our community and cooperate partners whilst also developing our cooperate training offer, all of which is necessary when generating free income.

Commercial Services & Fundraising delivering on the strategy

Charity Ambassador

Ex Wales Rugby International Tom James (aka TJ), winning 12 caps for Wales during his international rugby career. Tom is a positive champion and supporter of our work and uses his influence to raise vital funds and our profile.

Community & Cooperate Fundraising

Registered with the Fundraising Regulator and applying the ethical fundraising code by improving fundraising standards and building public trust. Delivering a range of community and cooperate fundraising events.

Commercial Training

Poor mental health is now the number one reason for staff absence. Mental health training from Mind offers a cost-effective way to promote mental wellbeing in local businesses.

Social Enterprise

A business with an aim of making a profit which is reinvested in positive social change. Cwm Taf Morgannwg Mind will develop a business and investment plan to develop its approaches to social enterprise.

Closing Remarks

Cwm Taf Morgannwg Mind’s Strategy for Growth, Sustainability and Excellence 2021-2024 is a post covid strategy which focuses on the need to build upon the organisation’s solid foundations.

The plan seeks to deliver strategically relevant services in the most effective way, it focusses on quality, resilience, business sustainability and growth, it puts people at its heart.

This strategic plan is ambitious yet deliverable when applying discipline and focus, I look forward to leading my team and delivering this plan for better mental health.

Julian John – CEO