Personal budgets have introduced the concept of individual choice and control over the purchasing of care and support. Nationally driven, they provide the potential for individuals to design creative, inclusive plans to meet their eligible social care needs. Experience in Southwark to date has shown the benefits of personal budgets to the quality of life of our eligible service users.

Services traditionally commissioned by the council, such as day centres, are now being purchased individually by people via their personal budgets.

While we recognise the benefits personal budgets offer, the council believes that there is a need for an additional layer of support for adults with mental health needs to sit alongside the services being purchased with personal budgets. We have undertaken an extensive engagement programme over the past 18 months to explore what support service users feel is needed and how it can best be provided. We have used these discussions to develop the proposed service model that we are now consulting on.

This consultation is looking at an increased investment in support and information for people with mental health needs that focuses on regaining skills and reconnecting with their communities. We want to support people to find their own sources of wellbeing and identity beyond their mental health difficulties.

The consultation is designed to understand if people agree that additional funding is needed to support people with mental health needs and what that support should look like.

The consultation

The consultation takes place from Monday 12 August to Sunday 3 November 2013.

Please read the full consultation and frequently asked questions for more information.

We welcome your feedback and comments. There are a number of ways in which you can do this.

You can complete the consultation feedback form online

OR

please email  MHdayopps@southwark.gov.uk or write to:

MH Day Opps Consultation
Commissioning Unit 
Southwark Council 
Floor 4/ hub 4 
PO Box 64529 
London SE1 5LX 

 

There will also be a number of facilitated sessions to discuss the proposed new service model and ask some key questions.

Southwark Carers have been offered the chance to host one of these consultations on Thursday 10th October between 10:00 and 12:00, please let us know if you would like to attend as we need to guarantee 7 people to run the consultation.