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Community Support          Policy & Campaigns

MHA Policy and Campaigns

Historically, mental health has not enjoyed a positive public profile.  Individuals affected by issues related to their mental health have experienced stigmatisation and discrimination across a wide range of settings.  MHA is committed to tackling discrimination and stigmatisation in all its forms and to promoting positive images of mental well-being through celebrating the successes of people living with mental health challenges.  Additionally, MHA is active in promoting ethical practice and the raising the profile of mental well-being at both a local and national levels.  The driving force of MHA’s  campaigning activities will always be to positively promote mental health and mental well-being and to challenge negative stereotypes.

MHA recognises that maintaining and recovering positive mental health are both personal and collective responsibilities.  As individuals we require information, encouragement and social networks to promote our own mental well-being and develop positive mental resources and coping mechanisms.  Positive attitudes to our own mental health are driven by a range of factors including equal opportunities to meaningful employment, access to mainstream facilities, real friends and social networks and access to choice, much of which is denied to people who have experienced challenges related to their mental health.  MHA therefore strives to campaign at all levels, from basic human rights and access to person centred services at one end, to tackling issues of social policy and legislation at the other. 

As discussed earlier in this report, MHA operates in a complex and challenging environment. The challenges of meeting the core needs of the organisation to adequately support service users are significant.  The current financial circumstances of MHA’s commissioners require that the agency must be able to demonstrate high quality outcomes measured against quality indicators driven by the requirements of Service Level Agreements and regulatory bodies such as The Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care (Care Commission) and others.  At a time when there is a direct threat to current services, MHA must have a strong and well informed voice to enable it to campaign for current services as well as advocating for future innovative services.

Historically, MHA has sought to pursue a twin track approach, delivering services to meet the needs of local people, and using that experience of the impact of mental health problems on people’s lives to campaign and influence locally and nationally.   That twin track approach continues to enjoy the full support of the Board.

Current financial challenges facing MHA, discussed elsewhere in this report, require not only a very active process of contract re-negotiation and of fundraising but also a concerted effort to influence key funders and other stakeholders regarding the nature and significance of mental health issues and of the services required to address these.

It therefore appears logical at this juncture to link the issues of fundraising, policy and campaigning so that local campaigning and influencing in support of fundraising are integrated as far as possible with the national agenda.

Furthermore, the national and local agenda in relation to services promoting and supporting mental well being in its widest sense is dynamic and ever changing.  Current initiatives such as NHS Scotland policy document “Delivering for Mental Health” (2006) and “Toward a Mentally Flourishing Scotland”, present the opportunity to contribute to the national debate and agenda. It is essential that MHA strives to have a voice at this level, both in relation to influencing change and innovation but also to develop networks outside the local area.

The inclusion of Policy and Campaigning in the Sub-Group of the Board of Directors should allow this essential aspect of our work to achieve a higher profile.