"Stress, depression and anxiety are the cause of more working days lost than any other work-related illness."

Recent projects

A brief description of some of our recent work

Business Mentality
In partnership with The London Development Centre for Mental Health Open Mind is undertaking the design and development of a new funded project which will assist 120 small businesses to improve business performance through a better understanding of workplace mental health issues.

This project will help to tackle mental health discrimination and contribute to the provision of improved working environments and recruitment policies. Designed particularly to support smaller businesses, Business Mentality will be engaging directly with employers in Hackney, Waltham Forest, Enfield and Haringey to raise awareness, reduce stigma and discrimination and promote 'mentally healthy' workplaces.

The overall objective is to improve employment prospects and in-work support for those suffering from or with a history of mild to moderate mental health conditions.

For more information please visit the project website
www.businessmentality.org.uk

The Disability Support Network (DSN)
In partnership with John Grooms charity Open Mind is currently co-coordinating the development of an organic network designed to link service providers, beneficiaries and employers in Haringey, Waltham Forest and Enfield.

The DSN is a two strand project comprising direct services to unemployed disabled beneficiaries (offering advice, guidance, training and support into employment) and the development of the network itself. The network draws together a growing range of organisations and representatives from: health and regeneration; the statutory and voluntary sectors; employment and training bodies; and employers and employer facing organisations. The DSN covers Enfield, Haringey and Waltham Forest and is funded by Urban Futures Employ ULV programme.

The overall project objective is to provide improved access and opportunities for unemployed disabled people seeking sustainable work across the 3 boroughs.

For more information, please visit the project website
www.disabilitysupportnetwork.org.uk

Hackney Employer Survey on attitudes to mental health
As part of a wider study being undertaken by the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health (SCMH) Open Mind recently contributed to a research project within the borough of Hackney to examine organisational attitudes, understanding, stigma and prejudice relating to mental health in the workplace. Over 100 organisations were approached and 50 questionnaires were completed representing statutory, voluntary and private sectors.

For more information about SCMH, please visit their website
www.disabilitysupportnetwork.org.uk

Mental Health Business
As part of the Government's call for a major cultural shift in attitudes towards people with mental health problems, the Small Business Service Phoenix (SBS) Development Fund recently provided £1.5 million over two years to support people with mental health problems interested in enterprise and self-employment.

For some people, an alternative to trying to compete directly in the job market is to look for opportunities to become self-employed, running their own business either alone or with others. To help address that situation, the SBS commissioned 13 projects to pilot a variety of approaches to help people with mental health conditions to set up and run their own businesses.

Open Mind developed and managed a national web portal to support and co-ordinate these 13 projects across England.

For more information, please visit the project website
www.mhb.org.uk

Positive Minds
Positive Minds, was one of the 13 pilot projects referred to above. Conceived and managed by Open Mind over a period of 15 months (Jan 2005 - March 2006) it supported 75 individuals in the North London area to explore ways to enter self-employment.

For more information, please visit the project website
www.postiveminds.org.uk