Mental Health

Mental Health2025-04-02T12:25:45+01:00

About the Mental Health Network

Forum Central promotes good mental health for all people in Leeds. We work to ensure that the health and care third sector is involved in strategic planning and development of mental health services.

What we do

  • Encourage partnership working between agencies and across sectors, providing information to third sector organisations to support them in delivering high quality services.
  • Ensure that the third sector is an integral part of the strategic planning and development of mental health services in Leeds.
  • Maintain working relationships with mental health commissioners and statutory partners across the city, working together to continuously improve the services Leeds provides to support people’s mental health.

To find out which of our member organisations deliver mental health services, visit our member directory.

Get in touch

0113 242 1321

[email protected]

Gabriella Obeng Nyarko
Gabriella Obeng Nyarko

We hold regular mental health information and strategy sessions open to everyone with an interest in the mental health third sector. These meetings are an opportunity to network, get the latest strategic updates and hear from guest speakers.

Last meeting
The last Mental Health Information & Strategy meeting was held on Wednesday 22 January 2025.

Upcoming 2025 meeting dates:

  • Friday 18 July – 1.30 to 3 PM
  • Wednesday 22 October – 1.30 to 3 PM

The network meets every 2 months via Zoom or in person, we recommend if you cannot join us a colleague takes your place or, if you wish to convey a message to the network, please send us the information up to 7 days before the meeting and we will bring it to the meeting on your behalf. We are always keen to highlight the fantastic work our members are doing to support communities in Leeds, if you would like to share a presentation please email us for more information.

Previous Mental Health Info and Strategy Meetings

Please email [email protected] for previous meeting notes not listed below.

2025 Meetings

2024 Meetings

Membership

Our member organisations support people through a variety of different ways, including:

– Peer support, one-to-one support, psychological therapies, counselling
– Healthy living, group wellbeing activities, self-management courses, arts and wellbeing
– Mental health specialist services
– Carer support, Dementia services
– Employment support, homelessness support, specialist supported housing
– Anti-stigma work, Advocacy, information and advice
– Working with many of the communities with the greatest inequalities and those who are most at risk of poor mental health.

Our members are at the heart of what we do, and we aim to ensure that organisations both large and small can influence decisions about mental health across Leeds and the region, as well as nationally.

To find out more about our members please search the Forum Central members directory

For more information on joining please contact us.

Representation

Our members and the Forum Central team play an active part in the key strategic mental health and wellbeing groups and boards in Leeds.

The board is now chaired by Cath Roth and Hannah Davies and the 3rd sector representatives are:
  • Iain Anderson, CEO of Age UK
  • Jay Silver, Clinical and Community Services Manager at Touchstone
  • Jenny Groves, Founder & CEO of Battle Scars
  • Joy McMillan, Peer Support Worker (Mental Health Collaborative)
  • Pip Goff, Director of Volition
  • Sinead Cregan, Director of Development and Innovation at Inspire North
  • Tessa Denham Director of Women’s Counselling and Therapy Service

The Leeds Health and Wellbeing Strategy provides a framework for improving health and for making Leeds the best city for health and wellbeing. In response, the Leeds Mental Health Strategy sets out how we will achieve this vison for mental health, so that ‘Leeds will be a Mentally Healthy City for everyone’.

View the Leeds Mental Health Strategy 2020-2025

Senior Responsible Officers (SRO’s) have been identified for each of the priority groups which are now forming and detailing project initiation documentation, workstreams and identifying key representatives and outcome/person centred measures for each. This diagram shows the delivery plan in summary and SRO’s aligned to each Priority as of Nov 2020 (subject to change).

An SRO’s group meets regularly to oversee progress and reports directly into the Mental Health Partnership Board for Strategic governance and steer.

As each workstream develops third sector representation will be key. If you are interested in finding out more about how to get involved and becoming a rep for the sector with support from Forum Central, please contact [email protected]

Background: Prior to Oct 2019 the draft document for the strategy was presented at a variety of stakeholder engagement events, including the MH info & Strategy session in Sept 2019.

Synergi is a network of organizations – both statutory and voluntary – that share a commitment to reducing ethnic inequalities in mental health and mental health detentions. They aim to create a culture of change throughout the entire system and life course. Synergi empowers people to make changes within their services by fostering collaboration and building trust between communities and services. This network supports the delivery of priority 2. If you need more information, please send an email to Gabriella.obengnyarko@forumcentral.org.uk.

Developed by employers, for employers, Mindful Employer® is a national initiative which promotes positive practice around mental health in the workplace. Mindful Employer in Leeds is funded by Leeds City Council Public Health and delivered by Leeds Mind.

The Mindful Employer Leeds service offers support and guidance to employers around mental health in the workplace, encouraging best practice and the reduction of mental ill-health at work. Employers can also join the Mindful Employer network, which meets regularly to share good ideas, tips and support.

The Steering Group consists of cross-sector representatives, and meets quarterly to drive the initiative forward in Leeds.

Third Sector representatives:

  • Sophie Hailwood, Operations Director, Touchstone
  • Jenn Bravo, Turning Lives Around
  • Gabriella Obeng Nyarko, Mental Health Development Worker

This group brings together third sector, statutory sector and other key partners in the city to oversee the delivery of a coordinated multi-agency response to reduce the number of people who die by suicide. The group also champions support for those bereaved by suicide and the prevention of poor mental health.

  • Chair: Caron Walker, Public Health, Leeds City Council

Third sector representatives:

  • Gabriella Obeng Nyarko, Mental Health Development Worker
  • Sarah Wilson, Senior Mental Health Development Worker
  • Damian Dawtry, Men’s Health Unlocked Coordinator

This group is a collective of third sector, statutory sector, criminal sector, and other key partners in the city to oversee the delivery of a coordinated multi-agency response to address the existing pathway of support for people involved in the criminal justice system from start to finish. We are also working with these colleagues around supporting vulnerable people transitioning out of prison, strengthening connections between prison and third-sector services, and signposting to mental health resources and support including Mindwell.

Chair: Caron Walker, Public Health, Leeds City Council

Third-sector representatives:  Gabriella Obeng Nyarko Mental Health Development Worker

Information & Resources

  • The Leeds All Age Mental Health Strategy sets out how ‘Leeds will be a Mentally Healthy City for everyone’. This is in response to the The Leeds Health and Wellbeing Strategy, which provides a framework for improving health and sets out a vision for making Leeds the ‘best city for health and wellbeing’.

    The Mental Health Strategy was updated to highlight the existing challenges facing the sector and how the city plans to address mental health needs and promote good mental health. In 2022, three workstreams were added to highlight the impact Covid-19 has on mental health and well-being for many people.

    Leeds All Age Mental Health Strategy 2020-2025

Published Before 2021

  • Leeds in Mind 2017 (pdf)

    The Leeds in Mind 2017 –  Mental Health Needs Assessment report assesses the mental health needs of the adult Leeds population, identifies where gaps in provision exist and makes recommendations to address inequity in access to healthcare and unequal health outcomes.

  • Leeds Suicide Audit

    The Leeds Suicide Audit is nationally recognised as best practice and is recommended by Public Health England. Details are available from the Leeds City Council website.

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