Mental Health

Mental Health2026-03-17T22:01:57+00:00

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

gabriella.obengnyarko@forumcentral.org.uk

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 16 April 2025.

Upcoming 2026 Meeting dates:

Wednesday, 18 March⋅1:30 – 3:00 pm
Wednesday, 10 June⋅1:30 – 3:00 pm
Wednesday, 12 August 2026⋅1:00 – 3:30 pm

The Mental Health network meets every 2 months, 5 times a year, on Zoom. We recommend
that if you cannot join us, a colleague take your place. 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, and so we have a ‘Members Spotlight’
segment during the session. If you would like to share a presentation to highlight the work
your service is doing, please email Gabriella.obengnyarko@forumcentral.org.uk for more
information.

The Mental Health network meets every 2 months, 5 times a year, on Zoom. We recommend that if you cannot join us, a colleague take your place. 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, and so we have a ‘Members Spotlight’ segment during the session. If you would like to share a presentation to highlight the work your service is doing, please email Gabriella.obengnyarko@forumcentral.org.uk for more information.

Previous Mental Health Info and Strategy Meetings

Please email hello@forumcentral.org.uk for previous meeting notes not listed below.

2026 Meetings

Mental Health Info & Strategy Agenda March 2026

Mental Health Info & Strategy Agenda January 2026

2025 Meetings

Mental Health Info & Strategy Agenda October 2025

Mental Health Info & Strategy Agenda July 2025

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.

This board is made up of
colleagues from Public Health, Statutory, and Third Sector providers. It is a strategic
partnership board for mental health in Leeds to share and discuss trends relevant to the city.
This board is key to ensuring community voices and diverse third-sector perspectives are

central to decision-making. It aims to focus on improving outcomes and reducing inequalities
by aligning services with local population needs.
The board is chaired by Caron Walker and Mark Law, and the 3rd sector representatives
are:
– Gabriella Obeng Nyarko (Forum Central)
– Laura Whitaker (Barca Leeds)
– Josie Foster (Inspire North)
– Iain Anderson (Outgoing) – He is being replaced

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 sarah.wilson@forumcentral.org.uk

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 an award-winning, cross-sector partnership in Leeds dedicated to reducing ethnic
inequalities in mental health, particularly the over-representation of Black, Asian, and
minority ethnic communities in crisis services 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 Sarah.Wilson@forumcentral.org.uk.
Chair: Sharon Prince, Leeds York Partnership Foundation Trust / Leeds ICB

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

The aim of this group is to meet regularly to address and escalate emerging issues, ensuring
smooth service delivery and continuity without significant disruptions. The group aims to
maximise collective capacity by building stronger, supportive relationships with colleagues
across the mental health system ensuring we can talk honestly about the challenges of
service delivery and the impacts of decisions made are visible. As the Health and Care Third
Sector Infrastructure organisation for the city, Forum Central co-chair these meetings with
LYPFT to model the parity we are working towards.

Chair: Alison Kenyon, Leeds York Partnership Foundation Trust / Co Chair: Sarah Wilson,
Forum Central

The Council of Governors is the voice of the people in helping to shape our services, and it
plays a vital role in our governance structure. The Council of Governors is made up of 30
individuals who are either elected by members or appointed by our partner organisations.
The role of the Council of Governors is to hold the non-executive directors, individually and
collectively, to account for the performance of the Board of Directors and to represent the
interests of foundation trust members and the public. Forum Central has the opportunity to
appoint colleagues to attend meetings on behalf of the VCSE sector.

Appointed Governors:
Gabriella Obeng Nyarko (Mental Health)
Dominique Burley (Learning Disability)

This group, led by Leeds Mind, brings together the third sector, the 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: Roz Doherty, Leeds Mind
Remove the section about third sector representatives

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.

Mental Health Related News and Events

Free MindWell Training to Help You Support Others

30th June 2026|MailChimp, Mental Health, Training|

MindWell, the mental health information website for adults in Leeds, is offering a free online training session to help people feel more confident signposting others to local mental health and wellbeing support. The 50-minute session is designed for anyone working [...]

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New Mental Health Report Reinforces Leeds’ Focus on Tackling Inequalities

30th June 2026|MailChimp, Mental Health, News|

Poor mental health is increasing across the UK, and the gap between those experiencing the best and worst mental health continues to widen. These are the headline findings from a major new report published by the Mental Health Foundation, examining [...]

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Healthy Working Life Grants Round One

1st June 2026|Funding, Health & Care, MailChimp, Mental Health|

Healthy Working Life: Round One Round One of the Healthy Working Life programme supported 17 Leeds VCSE organisations to help people with health conditions and disabilities build confidence, develop skills and move closer to employment. The £720,000 programme ran from [...]

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