Charities across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole have pledged to work more closely together to respond to rising demand for mental health support.
The commitment was made at a Growing Communities networking event hosted by Cherry Tree Nursery in Bournemouth, where Citizens Advice BCP Chief Officer Tom Lund spoke about the link between financial pressures and mental health challenges.
From January to August this year, Citizens Advice BCP supported more than 2,400 people in Poole, advising on almost 9,000 issues. Housing and debt arrears, fuel poverty and the rising cost of living were highlighted as key concerns, with many clients facing overlapping issues that contribute to poor mental health.
Tom Lund said the challenges “require joined-up responses” and pointed to the existing partnership between Citizens Advice BCP and Cherry Tree Nursery as an example of how cooperation can help people with mental health conditions access benefits advice, advocacy and tailored support.
Cherry Tree’s Growing Communities events, launched last year with support from NHS Dorset and the Dorset Community Foundation, aim to foster collaboration among local organisations. Community Liaison Officer Maria Tidy said the events help to “break down silo working and bring these groups together” so service users can be connected with additional help.
Representatives from a wide range of organisations attended, including Community Action Network, LiveWell Dorset, Help & Care and Home-Start Wessex. Future events will explore gambling addiction and wellbeing services in Poole.
Who are we? We're building a new independent free news source for BCP and east Dorset, with fewer ads, less clutter, and no filler articles. And we'd love your support. Please help us grow locally by letting your friends know about us on social media, and have a listen to Bournemouth One online and on DAB for all your local news, traffic, jobs, weather, coastal info and more.
Register below for free regular updates via email.