News / Mind Your Head looks to expand service
LOCAL charity Mind Your Head has attained funding to employ an experienced mental health professional to help develop adult support services in the islands.
Anouska Civico has been appointed for a six-month contract following a community survey carried out and published in August 2014.
The support service will be a new direction for Mind Your Head, which since its first fun run in 2005 and has since been primarily involved in raising awareness of mental health issues and encouraging the community to reduce the stigma associated with mental health problems.
This project has been funded through the Shetland community’s generosity – in particular the efforts of friends and family of the late Vaila Tait, who passed away in 2014. They raised £3,780 as they wished to help people suffering with mental health problems.
Civico has extensive experience having previously managed accommodation and community-based outreach services for people of all ages and varying needs. She will help the organisation design the proposed service and put in place clear plans to help secure external funding.
It is hoped the new service will see Mind Your Head workers offering support to clients across the islands.
“I am delighted to be undertaking this important piece of work for Mind Your Head,” Civico said. “As an organisation they have a very good reputation among the Shetland community and the support service seems an obvious move.
“It will help Mind Your Head offer something additional for local people who need that extra bit of support at a difficult time in their life, while continuing with the projects that are already established.”
Mind Your Head team leader Jacqui Clark said: “These are exciting times for us as we move into an important stage in our organisation’s development. We want to make sure that the service we develop meets the needs of the Shetland Community.”
She added: “Anouska’s experience, along with evidence gathered through our 2014 community survey, puts us in a strong position to move this forward and work towards launching a service that will make a real difference to our community’s mental health and wellbeing”.
Mind Your Head is also working on a service for young people called Wellbeing 10. It is currently being consulted on with local partners and service providers, and further information is available at www.mindyourhead.org.uk.
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