National Rural Mental Health Forum

For 50 years, the mission of 'Change Mental Health' has remained the same: to help and support people affected by mental illness.

This registered charity places people at the heart of what they do, provide transformational services, and work in and as part of communities across Scotland. They are driven by the lived experiences of the people they support and work with. Join in to make change for the greater good, to change society, to ensure a better quality of life, and to build a future where no one needs to face mental illness alone.

At this seminar there will be and exciting range of presentations which are important in tackling mental health in rural Scotland including;  

• Raising Awareness of Issues Facing Carers, Tommy Whitelaw, ALLIANCE National Lead, Caring and Outreach, Carer Voices You Make a Difference - Speaking from his own journey becoming a carer, Tommy's session encourages individuals across all roles and sectors to reflect on how they can - and do - make a difference through their work and practice. carervoices@alliance-scotland.org.uk

• Digital Inclusion in Mental Health, Tara French, Scottish Government. Programme Lead, Digital Inclusion - Digital inclusion means giving everyone the opportunity to develop their skills and confidence and making sure they can access an appropriate device and connectivity to do the things they want to do online. It is important for social inclusion, human support and connection. Scottish Government are developing a new programme focusing on Digital Inclusion in the areas of Mental Health and Housing that we hope to launch in Spring 2023. They are using the Scottish Approach to Service Design in the programme so that we can understand how best to support digital inclusion in Mental Health and Housing.

• Rural Connections Free Mental Health Training for Rural Communities, Lorna Giffin-Hannan, Change Mental Health – Change Mental Health has some free mental health training available for rural communities – details shall be shared by Lorna Giffin-Hannan, Development Manager at Change Mental Health