Service User Involvement is about ensuring mental health services, organisations and policies are led and shaped by the people best placed to know what works; people who use mental health services, as they are experts by experience.
Service User Involvement is the active participation and inclusion of a person with lived experience of mental ill health in the design, commissioning, delivery and evaluation of services, as well as in policy development both locally and nationally.
Interlink’s Mental Health Service User Involvement Officer is Shaun Parfitt whose role entails involving with service users, unpaid carers and relevant family members in working with public and third sector partners to:
- Provide specialist information, guidance and support about service user involvement.
- Increase the range of service user involvement opportunities available to service users locally, regionally and nationally.
- Ensure that service users have the support and mechanisms to contribute to improving local mental health services.
- Support and contribute to the work of the Cwm Taf Morgannwg Together for Mental Health Partnership Board.
- Review, develop and maintain partnership resources to support the development of good practice in service user involvement.
- Work with partners and stakeholders to develop and promote opportunities to involve more service users, learn from their experiences and improve services through co-production.
- Promote and implement effective equality, diversity and inclusion to ensure opportunities are open to all.
- Produce high quality reporting and key performance indicators of service user involvement activities and keep accurate and up to date records.
- Work effectively locally and regionally with colleagues internally and regionally with CVC colleagues in relation to peer support, service user involvement & mental health support.
- Work effectively with relevant individuals connected with Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board Integrated Locality, System Groups and relevant work streams.
- Facilitate and actively promote a programme of service user involvement activities and opportunities which serves to enhance a service user’s experience and wellbeing.
- Support service users to have their voices heard, facilitating their involvement in co-production, for example, supporting them in their representative roles, attending relevant partnership and planning meetings, and interview panels.
- Develop and promote opportunities and platforms to provide feedback on mental health services.
- Support service user learning and development and access to relevant courses, events and meetings.
- Identify and build working relationships with relevant agencies, with an aim to provide opportunities for service users.
- Coproduce informative and effective literature to promote service user involvement.
- Ensure quality support is offered to service users including both one to one and group support.
- Attend forums, meetings and networking events as required.
- Facilitate meetings and mechanisms for service user involvement.
- Ensure that service users are equipped with the training and skills needed to deliver their respective roles.
