If you are passionate about improving mental health for all our communities, there are currently opportunities to become a volunteer member of the Wales Mental Health and Wellbeing Forum. These opportunities are for people who have personal experience of mental health services in Wales and their carers, friends and family.
The Forum brings together individual representatives from the Local Partnership Boards across Wales, the members of the National Partnership Board and ten Service Users and Carers appointed into national roles.
The Forum particularly welcomes applications from people representing diverse communities and ranges of experience from across Wales. More information about diversity and the Forum can be found further down this page.
There are a number of ways you can become involved with the Forum, ranging from joining as Forum member, to just signing up to our newsletter to keep up to date with our work. Some of the other areas you can support the Forum include:
- Taking part in surveys or workshops we may be holding to share your views and experiences
- Taking part in consultations about topics you have a particular interest in
- Attending our events
- Keeping us updated on things happening in your area that we can promote on our social media platforms
For details on how to join the Forum, please contact us using the ‘Get in touch box’ on this page, or email mhforum@practicesolutions-ltd.co.uk and request a recruitment pack. Alternatively, you can ring the Forum on: 01443 742384.
Representation, inclusion and diversity within the Forum
Since the Forum was established in 2013, it has influenced positive change in Mental Health Services and continues to respond to policy and ongoing strategy and delivery plan development. The Forum provides a perspective on the personal experiences of the Members, ie. those using mental health services and their carers, friends and family.
To be effective, it is important that the Forum membership represents the diversity of Wales and includes a strong voice for people who experience a range of disadvantages. We are therefore looking for people with personal experience of Mental Health Services to help support communities from across Wales and to ensure that existing networks are engaged in the work of the Forum. In particular, we are looking to increase diversity by inviting service user and carer representatives from the following backgrounds:
- Members of minority ethnic groups
- People with experience of specialist services e.g. Forensic Psychiatry, Eating Disorder Services, Neuropsychiatry, Personality Disorder Services
- Members of the LGBTQA+ community
- People who have experience of homelessness
- Prisoners and those with experience of prison
- People living with physical or sensory impairment or disability
- Members of the Gypsy / Traveller community
- People with experience of seeking asylum in Wales
- Older People
- Young people experiencing transition to adult mental health services
- Expectant parents and parents of a young child / children
- Veterans
- People from minority religious/faith groups
- Others who feel excluded e.g. financially or digitally