NIMHE policy
Policy for involving service users and carers
The Care Services Improvement Partnership (CSIP) and the National Institute for Mental Health (NIMHE) work with people and services in the health, local government, public, voluntary and private sectors. The aim is to improve services and the health and well being of people in England. Through CSIP’s Regional Development Centres and
programmes of work, we help people to put health and social care policy into practice, and help to resolve local challenges in improving health and social care.
This policy sets out how CSIP and NIMHE will promote and govern the participation and involvement of people who use services, and people who support them, in all aspects of its work.
Corporate Policy and Vision Statement
The purpose of involvement is to empower people with experience of mental health problems, and their family and friends, to work in partnership to:
- Create and deliver services that promote mental health and well being, offer optimism and hope and support individuals to manage or overcome their mental health problems.
- Shift the balance of power, challenge stigma and discrimination, respect and value diversity and promote social inclusion and active citizenship.
Principles
This policy is underpinned by the following principles:
- Empowering and supporting people to manage their own mental health.
- Creating services that promote hope and optimism and support people to achieve mental well being
- Engaging people with direct experience in the design, development, delivery and monitoring of services
- Changing the balance of power
- Respecting diversity
- Challenging Inequalities and promoting active community engagement
Values
The principles are supported by the following values:
- When Service Users and Carers become involved with NIMHE, their health and well being comes first;
- Service Users and Carers have a wide range of valuable knowledge, skills and expertise which will be drawn upon;
- Service Users and Carers have a key role to play in the work of NIMHE, and to help to develop good practice;
- The involvement of a diverse range of Service Users and Carers who reflect the community is essential for the relevance and responsiveness of NIMHE;
- Service Users and Carers will be appropriately trained, supported and rewarded for their contribution to the work of NIMHE
Purpose
This policy has been developed in order to ensure that:
- Service User and Carer involvement is sought in all work programmes
- All work will follow the principles of good practice;
- Our work demonstrates respect for all participants, and promotes their dignity, wellbeing and effectiveness if our practice falls short of these principles, we will reflect on this; learn; and try to improve.
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