Deadline: 18-Sep-23
The Community Foundation for Staffordshire is offering grants under the Adult Community Mental Health Programme to support secondary care mental health service users who are digitally excluded.
This programme will support voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations that encourage engagement with and provide training and interactive training materials to secondary care mental health service users. Referral to training courses will be identified by MPFT and NSCHT.
The ultimate goal of the program is to improve digital engagement for service users of adult community mental health services, allowing them to access their personal health records e.g. – view care plans without providing technology or data packages.
Grants Available
- £1000 min – £20,000 max
- The length of project is Inclusive of mobilisation, delivery and outcomes, 12 months to mobilise and deliver the grant scheme once awarded.
Beneficiaries they can support
In the third round of grant funding there will be system-wide focus on digital inclusion.
- Target beneficiaries: The proposed submission must be specifically designed for service users of secondary care mental health services, focusing on underrepresented populations, such as those with limited digital skills, or individuals with complex mental health needs. Referrals will be identified by MPFT and NSCHT.
- Training and skill building: The proposal must provide accessible training programs to help service users develop the necessary digital skills and confidence to access digital health records and engage with online platforms. This may include workshops, one-on-one coaching, or peer support sessions.
- Digital literacy: The proposal should aim to encourage engagement with digital skills, improve participants’ overall digital literacy, focusing on essential skills such as using the internet, accessing health records, navigating online platforms and applications, using online services, and safeguarding privacy and data protection.
- Digital engagement: The proposal should emphasise the importance of digital engagement to help service users access their personal health records. MPFT and NSCHT will provide an overview of these to successful organisations, but VCSE organisations will be expected to develop the course material.
- Partnerships and collaboration: VCSE organisations are encouraged to collaborate with other stakeholders, such as healthcare providers, technology companies, and other relevant organisations, to ensure effective delivery of training programs and to maximise the positive impacts on service users.
- Evaluation and feedback: The proposal must have a robust mechanism for monitoring and evaluating its impact, with ongoing feedback channels for service users to report their experiences and outcomes.
- Sustainability: The project should demonstrate a clear plan for sustainability, outlining how it will maintain positive outcomes and deliver ongoing benefits for service users after the grant period has ended.
Geographical Reach
- They will support organisations based in, or working for the benefit of people in the following local authority areas:
- North Staffordshire – Including Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough and Staffordshire Moorlands District and Stoke-on-Trent.
- Southern Staffordshire – Including Lichfield District, Tamworth Borough, East Staffordshire District, Stafford Borough, South Staffordshire District, Cannock Chase District.
Eligibility Criteria
- They will support the following types of organization:
- Constituted Voluntary groups
- Constituted Community groups.
- Registered Charities
- Social Enterprises
- Limited companies are not eligible to apply to this programme.
- Please note that organisations must have been established for longer than twelve months to apply.
- They will prioritise applications from organisations that have not received funding in previous rounds or through MPFT or NSCHT.
- They welcome applications from VCSE organisations with experience of engaging service users with digital inclusion training. They will provide an overview of the specific areas they would like successful organisations to support with.
For more information, visit Community Foundation for Staffordshire.