Cupp worked jointly with the Community and Voluntary Sector Mental Health Network to map out community and voluntary sector mental health service provision arrangements, identify current levels of capacity among service providers and obtain their views on how to develop a voluntary sector mental health strategy.

Development of a voluntary sector mental health strategy

In the Green Paper ‘Independence, Wellbeing and Choice’ the Government proposed that the local strategic framework builds capacity by supporting voluntary and community sector services to help build choice and diversity in the provision of local services. In view of the Green Paper, the Community and Voluntary Sector Mental Health Network aims to develop an overarching strategy in order to participate in the Government’s vision for the future.

This is an opportune time for this piece of work as it coincides with wider national voluntary sector infrastructure development with its intention to increase the capacity and capability of the sector generally, as well as increasing the quantity and quality of services provided from within the sector. Emphasis is being placed on a greater focus to strategically plan and develop services within the sector which integrate and complement local, regional and national planning and policy objectives.

In the absence of a voluntary sector mental health strategy, the lead for development has been held by statutory organisations that need to meet statutory obligations. The Voluntary Sector Mental Health Strategy is not intended to oppose statutory strategies but to complement existing strategies and operate alongside them. Where helpful, it will meet the aims of the Voluntary Sector Strategy while aiming to offer a distinct and separate set of service provision objectives that closely match the aspirations of service users and carers. It is generally recognised that this approach is central to the values and philosophies of the sector.

To take this process forward a need for research at a local level was identified so that the participatory model of development could be adequately understood and potential learning captured in an accessible way.

Project partners

The Community and Voluntary Sector Mental Health Network

The CVSFMHN was a network of organisations within the voluntary sector that was supported by the Community and Voluntary Sector Forum in Brighton and Hove. It provided a platform for the interests of mental health organisations in the sector. It also seeked to represent the views of service users and carers.

Former HSPRC - now SSPARC at the University of Brighton

In order to reflect the breadth of the centre's research interests they changed the name from Health and Social Policy Research Centre (HSPRC) to the Social Science Policy and Research Centre: SSPARC.The SSPARC research still includes health and social policy but now also encompasses criminology, sociology, psychology, psychosocial studies, public policy and politics. The centre runs professional courses in social work, counselling and psychotherapy, and applied interests in other areas of social practice such as work with substance misusers and community development.