Sheffield Mental Health Citizens Advice Bureau Limited Supporting people using adult mental health services in Sheffield

INVITATION TO OUR

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

on Friday, 21 November 2008 (see Invitation)

Our Services:

The bureau provides an advice service for mental health service users in Sheffield and priority is given to inpatients and users of the Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment service.  We help our clients with a variety of enquiries such as benefits, consumer issues, welfare rights etc, and legal advice under the Mental Health Act.

We also have an advocacy service for adults using mental health services in Sheffield which is to help them have their say about the care they receive etc.

The Bureau office opening times are as follows:

(The bureau will be closed for Bank Holidays and two weeks at Christmas.)

Telephone Advice: is available on 0114 271 8025 on Mondays 10.00am — 12.00noon

An opportunity to speak to an Advice Worker, who will be able to help with your enquiry. 

At all other times, there is a voicemail facility.  Please leave a message and someone will get back to you.  Please note that voicemail is checked several times a day (except weekends and bank holidays).

How to Access our Services as follows:

Advice via Email: is not currently available.

Home Visits: We will do home visits only when there isn't an alternative and we have advisers available.

Legal Help: This service is funded by the Legal Services Commission to provide independent advice to people detained under the Mental Health Act.

Advocacy Service: Freephone 0800 035 0396.  Our Advocacy Service is to help adult mental health service users in Sheffield have their say about the care they receive.  We can help with complaints, attend meetings eg Care Program Approach (CPA), appointments with psychiatrists etc.

Printable Leaflets in different languages: If you wish to print off a leaflet about our service, select the language desired below:

• CAB - Advice Service - English, Arabic, Urdu, Somali 

• Advocacy Service - English, Arabic, Urdu, Somali

For further Advice:

Try Citizens Advice's 'adviceguide' by clicking on the picture below.

or try 'Directgov' by clicking on the picture below

 or visit the 'Sheffield Advice Link' (SAL) website at http://www.sheffieldadvicelink.org.uk

to search for your nearest Specialist and Neighbourhood Advice Centres in Sheffield

(or click on the picture below)

Smooth Guide (www.smoothguidesheffield.info/mhd)

 this online version is a guide to adult mental health services available in Sheffield and contains a wealth of mental health information. 

(Set up by Sheffield Mind.)

The Agency Directory

Directory of Services for Vulnerable People in Sheffield

A new online Directory of agencies that offer advice, support and accommodation to vulnerable people.

(You can also search quickly for places where people can go for hot meals.  Additionally the Directory also includes the Employment Database which lists agencies that offer training and support for employment for vulnerable people

Older People Sheffield (www.oldersheffield.org.uk)

(website provided by Age Concern Sheffield)

The place to find out what's on offer for people over 50 in Sheffield.

oOo

Contact Details:  

Address: Sheffield Mental Health CAB Limited, Michael Carlisle Centre, Osborne Road, Sheffield, S11 9BF

Telephone No: 0114 271 8025

Unfortunately, we are not always able to answer the phones, so if there is no-one available to take your call, please leave a message and someone will get back to you.  Messages are checked several times a day (except weekends and bank holidays when we are closed).

Fax No: 0114 271 8683

Email: smhcab@cabnet.org.uk (unfortunately, we are unable to provide advice via email)
 

If you wish to contact our bureau for advice, then please phone 0114 271 8025 and leave a message on the voicemail and someone will phone you back.  Please state clearly your name and telephone number and the reason for your call (but please keep it brief).  The voicemail is checked several times during the day except weekends.

Alternatively, you could ask your support worker to contact us on your behalf.
 

Volunteering Opportunities:

If you would like to volunteer, either with the CAB or the Advocacy Service and would like to know more, please phone 0114 271 6067 or email smhcab@cabnet.org.uk for further details.
 

We have volunteering opportunities:

• Trustee

• Advice Worker

• Advocate

• Website Designer and IT Maintenance

• Social Policy Work

• Fundraising

• Marketing

Unfortunately, we do not have any admin opportunities at present.
 

Who are we?

Sheffield Mental Health Citizens Advice Bureau Limited are a specialist Citizens Advice Bureau, providing help, advice and advocacy to mental health service users in Sheffield. 

We can give independent help and advice on a variety of subjects such as benefits, debt, housing and also help you with complaints about your care and helping you to get your views heard.

As members of Citizens Advice (national organisation), we have to work within strict guidelines and provide a high standard quality of advice service, scoring 90%+ in the last audit, which few bureaux achieve.  (Find out more about Citizens Advice nationally.)
 

The History

Sheffield Mental Health Citizens Advice Bureau was set up as an independent advice centre in 1976 to provide a service to the patients and staff at Middlewood Hospital.  With the closure of the hospital in line with the government’s policies of Community Care, the Bureau moved into Nether Edge Hospital (now the Michael Carlisle Centre) in the south of the city with an outreach at the Longley Centre in the North.

The Michael Carlisle Centre and Longley Centre sites are primarily in-patient units.  People are seen on the wards or in the interview rooms.  Most of the enquiries are to do with people’s money in hospital, including benefits and debt.  We also give advice on housing and relationship problems and can represent patients at Mental Health Review Tribunals. 

Referrals are often taken from nursing staff and social workers, with whom we work closely at the patient’s request.  We are also able to offer a telephone advice service (see How to Access our Services above for further details). 

Patients who have used our service while in hospital often return to use the Bureau after they have been discharged.  We also have a customised vehicle that visits outreach sites at Northlands Community Mental Health Centre and St Wilfrid’s Day Centre.

In 2006, we celebrated 30 years and below shows the highs (ie the introduction of the Advocacy Service and the Mobile Service) and lows (ie the fire at Hillsborough and having to reduce our Mobile Service due to funding running out) of the service in that time.
 

How are we Funded?

We are funded primarily by the Sheffield City Council, Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust and Sheffield Primary Care Trust, although we also have to fundraise from other sources to ensure that we can continue to provide our service. 

With the changing climate of the funding sector, we also have to look at ways to develop our service such as providing training about benefits, mental health etc.

Want to Know More about What We Do?

For more information about the kind of work we do with and on behalf of our clients, please see our annual reports as follows:

CAB: 2005/06, 2006/07, 2007/08

Advocacy: 2005/06, 2006/07, 2007/08

Registered Charity Number: 1089383

Registered in England & Wales - Registered Number: 4275776