Mwy na Geiriau ac y Cynnig Rhagweithiol / More than just Words and the Active Offer

Helo sumai! Gwern dwi, y Swyddog Datblygu’r Iaith Gymraeg newydd yma’n PAVO. Un o fy nyletswyddau yw cefnogi’r iaith Gymraeg o fewn y drydydd sector a thu hwnt ym Mhowys. Rwyf am ffocysu ar ambell i faes, yn cynnwys Iechyd Meddwl.

Ehangwch ar eich rôl

Byddaf yn gobeithio cyflwyno’r Cynnig Rhagweithiol fel strategaeth i geisio cynyddu defnydd y iaith Gymraeg o fewn y setctor.

Beth yw’r Cynnig Rhagweithiol?

Mae’r Cynnig Rhagweithiol yn un o egwyddorion allweddol ‘Mwy na Geiriau…’ sydd yn fframwaith strategol ar gyfer iechyd, gwasanaethau cymdeithasol a gofal cymdeithasol a gyhoeddwyd gan Llywodraeth Cymru er mwyn cefnogi gwasanaethau Cymraeg yn y meysydd hyn.

Sut allith hyn fod yn fuddiol i ddefnyddwyr gwasanaeth iechyd meddwl ym Mhowys?

Wrth drafod materion personol gall defnyddwyr gwasanaeth iechyd meddwl deimlo’n fregus wrth drafod y materion hyn yn eu hail iaith. Dylent allu derbyn gwasanaeth yn eu mamiaith heb orfod gofyn amdano, ac mae’r cynnig rhagweithiol yn galluogi hyn.

Ydy’r Cynnig Rhagweithiol yn hanfodol?

Mae rhaid i fudiadau ar draws y drydydd sector a thu hwnt cydymffurfio â gofynion cyfreithiol a statudol Mesur y Gymraeg (Cymru) 2011 sydd yn ffocysu ar sefydlu hawliau, creu safonau a sicrhau y gall siaradwyr Cymraeg dderbyn gwasanaethau yng Nghymraeg.

Sut byddwch yn gweithio gyda mudiadau i hybu defnydd yr iaith Gymraeg?

Byddaf yn cyflenwi mudiadau yn y drydydd sector gyda gwybodaeth, hyfforddiant a chefnogi unrhyw angen arall ynglŷn â’r iaith Gymraeg. Gwelaf newid agwedd tuag at yr iaith Gymraeg fel blaenoriaeth, felly rwyf yn gobeithio ymwneud â’r mudiadau ar lefel personol fel bod fy angerdd at yr iaith a’r diwylliant yn gallu dylanwadu arnynt i ystyried bod cynyddu defnydd a pharch tuag at yr iaith yn gallu gwneud byd o wahaniaeth.

Beth ydych chi’n mwynhau gwneud tra boch chi ddim yn PAVO?

Tu hwnt i PAVO, fy mhrif ddiddordeb yw cerddoriaeth! Rwyf mewn band gyda fy mrodyr ac rydym yn gigio’n aml. Ein henw yw Casset ac rydym yn canu’n Gymraeg fel arfer ac rwyf yn dilyn y sîn roc Gymraeg. Dwi hefyd yn gweithredu systemau sain, creu celf pan dwi’n gallu ac rwyf yn weddol hyderus yn fy sgiliau coginio.

Ac yn olaf...

Does dim dwywaith amdani fod gennai lot o waith i wneud ond cam dros y trothwy yw hanner y daith ac rwyf yn gobeithio creu newid go iawn yma ym Mhowys!

Os hofffwch ddarganfod mwy am y cynnig rhagweithiol, cysylltwch a Gwern trwy email: gwern.apgwyn@pavo.org.uk neu ffoniwch 01597 822191.
_______________________

Helo sumai! I’m Gwern, the new Welsh Language Development Officer here at PAVO. One of my responsibilities is to support the Welsh Language throughout the third sector and beyond in Powys. I shall be focusing on a number of areas within the sector including Mental Health.

Tell us more about your role

I’m hoping to introduce the Active Offer as a strategy to try and increase the use of the Welsh Language within the sector.

What is the Active Offer?

The Active Offer is one of the key principles of ‘More than just words...’, a strategic framework designed for health, social services and social care that was issued by the Welsh Government to support Welsh services in these fields.

Why could this be beneficial to people using mental health services in Powys?

Mental health service users might feel vulnerable whilst discussing personal matters in their second language. They should be able to receive services in their mother tongue without having to ask, and the active offer enables this.

Is the Active Offer essential?

Organisations across the third sector and beyond have a responsibility to comply with legal and statutory requirements of the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011 that focuses on creating standards and rights being established that will ensure Welsh speakers can receive services in Welsh.

How will you be working with organisations to increase use of the Welsh language?

I shall be supplying third sector organisations with information, training and any other need they have regarding the Welsh language. I believe that changing attitude towards the Welsh language is a priority and so I hope to engage with these organisations on a personal level so that my passion for the language and the culture can inspire them to think more about how increased use and respect for the language can go a long way.

What do you like to do when you’re not working at PAVO?

Outside of work, my main interest is music! I’m in a band with my two brothers and we gig regularly. We’re called Casset and we sing mainly in Welsh and I’m an avid follower of the Welsh music scene.

I also operate sound systems, delve into art as much as I can and I’m quite confident in my culinary skills.

And finally...

No two ways about it, I’ve got my work cut out for me, but every journey begins with a single step and I hope to make some real changes here in Powys!

If you would like to find out more about the Active Offer then do get in touch with Gwern by emailing: gwern.apgwyn@pavo.org.uk or ring 01597 822191.

Rural stress – working together to support the agri sector in Powys

PAVO brings together people representing agricultural and mental health sector organisations across Powys

“It’s okay to not be perfect. It’s okay to make mistakes. It’s okay to do something that you hadn’t done, because if we don’t do those things, we never grow.”  The DPJ Foundation

On Tuesday I attended a packed first meeting of what looks like a new PAVO network. It was organised by my Engagement colleague Sue Newham, and facilitated by Freda Lacey (Senior Officer Health & Wellbeing PAVO) to look at how organisations can better work together to address the worsening issue of mental health distress and stigma in the agricultural community in Powys.

Men in particular, but also women working in this sector, such as farmers and vets, are vulnerable to high levels of stress due to many factors beyond their control including the weather, isolation, animal disease, farm succession, and, even as I write, who knows what future Brexit holds….?

In our team we had been conscious of the issues for some time, alerted by our colleagues in the health board that this community was not so readily accessing mental health services as other people in Powys. However, after recognising some of the barriers in reaching out to this community ourselves (as detailed in Farming and mental health: the challenge) we realised that it was essential to collaborate closely with other key groups for us to make any kind of impact.

The BIG issue we identified at Tuesday’s meeting

Men working in the agri sector in Powys are still reluctant to ask for help when they need it. There could be hundreds of support services available, but if help is never sought it will make absolutely no difference to that person. The real challenge is encouraging men that “it’s OK to say” – as recognised by a Farmers’ Union of Wales event at the Royal Welsh Show in 2017.

Share the load

Emma Picton Jones lost her husband Daniel when he chose to end his life in 2016 after struggling with mental health issues. She subsequently set up The DPJ Foundation to support the agri sector in Pembrokeshire, and attended Tuesday’s meeting with her fellow trustee Sophie Adams. 

After a successful first year providing free counselling sessions and training for the sector in south-west Wales, the charity is now extending into Powys. 18 volunteers staff the telephone / text helpline. New Powys counsellors have been recruited who can provide the first counselling session within a week at a mutually convenient location in Welsh or English.

If you, or someone you know, would like to talk to someone confidentially then call 0800 587 4262 or text 07860 048 799. The helpline service is available 24/7. 

Man to man

Tracy Lewis, a farmer who also works for Mid Powys Mind in Radnorshire, told us about a new initiative the organisation is piloting to encourage men to talk to and support each other. It is aimed at all men, but she is visiting markets in the area and encouraging farmers to “take the Pledge with a friend”. 

As part of the Pledge the men agree that if they are struggling they will tell their friend that they need help, particularly if they are feeling suicidal, and contact support services. Friends also pledge to listen to each other without judgment, to ask directly if they think they may be suicidal, and support each other to seek appropriate help.

Tracy Lewis of Mid Powys Mind with Owen Griffkin, Participation Officer Mental Health - PAVO

Numerous other organisations attended on the day, bringing massive expertise and experience into this new network. They included Age Cymru Powys, Brecon & District Mind, Care & Repair Powys, Dementia Matters in Powys, the Farming Community Network, the Farmers’ Union of Wales, the National Union of Farmers, Ponthafren Association, Powys Teaching Health Board, and the local Young Farmers’ Clubs. Two PAVO trustees with extensive experience in the field - Trish Buchan and Ian Charlesworth, joined them.

Many of these organisations already provide support services for people in the agricultural sector struggling with stress or low mood. The challenge now is to work collaboratively to provide the best possible support to those that need it.

Some of the challenges & proposed approaches

These points / questions were raised during the meeting:

• Do we focus on normalising mental health issues with young people now in college so that in twenty years they will be better equipped to deal with what life throws at them, or, support those in their 40s and 50s who are struggling now? Or both? 
• It is no one person’s job to help support people working in the agri sector. We need to tap into the whole community – we all have contact with farmers. (I do. My cat goes on holiday to a cattery – a diversification scheme - on a farm). 
• Mental Health First Aid training, tailored specifically for the agri sector, is key. Vets, feed merchants, market staff, farmers’ union staff, the list goes on… The DPJ Foundation provides this training and raises awareness about how to spot the first signs of mental health struggles and what support is available. 
• Powys Teaching Health Board is looking at a more integrated approach, so that people can seek support about both their physical and mental health issues at the same time. In Pembrokeshire The DPJ Foundation will be trialling a mobile unit which will go to markets, shows and even farms. A blood pressure check, a bit of an all-round physical MOT, and a chat. 
• Ambassadors in the community who can speak about their own experiences can be very powerful in sowing the seed – that “it’s OK to say” and support is available. The DPJ Foundation invested a huge amount of time giving talks in the early days and people would ring for help – some several months later. 
• Clarity around what support third parties can give (families, friends and neighbours) is needed. So often it is down to the individual to make that first contact (or not) which leaves others feeling helpless and hopeless. 
• Sustainability is also key: 20 years ago following the Foot & Mouth crisis a number of initiatives were set up such as the Rural Stress Helpline, but ultimately they ended as funding ceased. We need to try, together, to embed support within the community not just in short-term services. 

This post is just a brief summary of a much wider and deeper discussion about the current situation and fuller notes will be available to anyone interested in joining this network. You can find out more by contacting Sue Newham, tel: 01597 822191 or email mentalhealth@pavo.org.uk

The next meeting of this network (which has yet to have a name!) will be in May after the lambing season.

The Mid Powys Mind Pledge sign-up 

For me the key message I took away from this valuable session was that we all, as Powys people, need to work on raising awareness, and normalising asking for help, amongst the agricultural community.

“It’s OK to say”. 

We would be very interested to know your thoughts – please comment below or contact us in the Health & Wellbeing team at Powys Association of Voluntary Organisations.

Welsh Ambulance Service on mental health - Keep Talking

This New Year we start by promoting the theme that talking is vital when our mental health is low and particularly when we feel things are heading out of control and into crisis. Sometimes we forget that staff working in the emergency services, and intervening to help people in the middle of a crisis, may well be struggling with their own mental health issues. 

Here at PAVO Mental Health we honestly believe that any of us, not just 1 in 4 of us, could potentially struggle with mental health issues at any point in our lives. But that aside, we agree with everything else Steve tells us, and are particularly keen to share an extremely powerful film. It features WAST colleagues speaking out about their own mental health struggles, and explaining what really helped them, when life's challenges began to feel too overwhelming. Over to Steve at WAST:

I’m Steve Clarke and I’m Head of Mental Health for the Welsh Ambulance Service. I joined the Welsh Ambulance Service in April 2018, having previously held positions in London mental health trusts, and in mental health charities, and I was previously Deputy Director of Mental Health for England. 

Steve Clarke, Head of Mental Health, WAST

As Head of Mental Health for the Welsh Ambulance Service, my role entails the delivery of the Mental Health Improvement Plan for the Welsh Ambulance Service, which has three broad areas: 

1. The mental wellbeing of our staff. 
2. Our mental health practice. 
3. Our mental health pathways. 

This involves ensuring that our staff have access to the right treatment and the right care at the right time, ensuring that they are equipped to deal with people that have mental health problems in whatever environment they are working in, and to make sure that we work in concert with our partners in the health boards to make sure that we’ve got referral routes-on for people so we don’t just convey them to an Emergency Department. 

Since joining WAST I have been working to raise awareness of mental health problems within our workforce, and in particular to highlight the importance of talking about our mental health as an important step in de-stigmatising the subject. It is estimated that 1 in 4 people will experience a mental health condition at some point in their lives, and many of the people we work with every day will be experiencing mental illness, crisis and distress. However, some of us find it difficult to talk about our own experiences, for fear of being judged or that our employment will somehow be affected. 

Our staff made this film to try and break through some of these challenges. Talking frankly about their own experiences, people from across the Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust (WAST) wanted to let others know that talking to someone really helps, that support is available and your colleagues, managers and families will support you. You can view our film below – please share it, encourage others to watch it, and above all listen....

Steve's piece was originally published in the Winter 2018/19 edition of Network News, the Welsh Ambulance Service's Patient Engagement & Community Involvement team newsletter.

Read more about mental health and the Welsh Ambulance Service Trust in a post by Isobel Jones, who works for the WAST Patient Engagement & Community Involvement team.