Community Engagement works connecting people with their communities and support and connection to others within them. Woodside Day Service is at the heart of this.
At Woodside day centre we offer lots of community based support to people who might be struggling with their mental health - for all sorts of reasons. People come to the day centre to be supported by mental health professionals, meet with other people, do therapeutic activities that they enjoy and move forward towards improved mental health.
This service is for adults aged 18 and over, living in Dudley borough, or with a Dudley borough GP.
Staff work to support each person to identify their own goals and aspirations, then work with them to realise these. People are often connected to other council, health, voluntary or community organisations and services to support them going forward.
How can you be refered to Woodside Day Service and Community Engagement?
Referrals to the service can be made by many people and organisations.
These include:
- GPs, practice nurses, GP clinicians
- Community mental health services
- Hospitals
- Social workers
- Council officers
- Voluntary organisations
To be referred a person must have a diagnosed mental health condition. This includes 'low level' mental health concerns such as anxiety or depression. This diagnosis can have been from a GP, it does not need to be from a hospital.
Referrals should be made to the council's Adults Front of House Service:
- Call: 0300 555 0055
- Email: accessteam.dachs@dudley.gov.uk
What support is on offer?
- Support can be provided for just one week or up to twelve weeks depending on a person's level of need. A twelve week programme at Woodside day centre is on offer for everyone.
- A bespoke support plan will be developed for each person and reviews completed along the way. Within the twelve week period staff will discuss and develop ongoing support plans for the future with each person.
- Individuals might be connected to community or voluntary groups, or a person’s needs may be assessed as needing further input from other support services such as counselling or psychological services. They would then be referred to these.
Woodside Day Service
Woodside Day Service works to support mental health recovery, providing high quality services for people who are experiencing mental health issues, or emotional distress.
The team works with people who are managing their mental health at home but would find it helpful to get more support, or to have opportunities to meet other people in similar situations.
People might use Woodside Day Service alongside other support, for example, from their GP, community health team, crisis team or social care team.
Woodside day centre is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, staffed by a dedicated support team who have a good knowledge of local services and close links with community mental health teams.
People are offered a twelve week programme and will be supported by a dedicated team member. Helpful self management techniques and tools for managing mental health will be covered.
The programme runs Monday to Friday offering the following morning and afternoon sessions:
- Healthy lifestyles
- Exercise
- Music and performance
- Creative arts
- Exploring who I am
- 5 ways to wellbeing
- Social networking and confidence in the community
On Friday each week there is a morning drop-in session which anyone from the community can attend to ask for help, support or just a chat about their mental health.
After the programme ends, people are helped to access supportive and appropriate services, organisations and agencies. The aim is that they have received help and support to continue their mental health recovery journey back to a full life. They can subsequently attend another programme but would need to be referred back in.