What is Shepway Open Forum?

What is Shepway Open Forum?

SWOF is the name of the Shepway Mental Health Service Users Forum; it is called Shepway Open Forum or SWOF for short. SWOF was set up in April 1995 by a head Occupational Therapist and a group of local users of the then Day Service. SWOF has been involved in representing Service Users views at various meetings with Health and Social Services representatives for a good number of years now with varying degrees of success.

It was SWOF members who helped to set up Folkestone Clubhouse (now renamed Aspirations), by meeting in a local café once a week with a representative from Gravesend Clubhouse to consider and visit suitable buildings in Folkestone. Although it has changed over the years we all know what a success Aspirations now is.

S.W.O.F. meets 4 times a month, twice at the Walk-in-Centre (in the Activity Room), once at the MIND Centre and a more Social Forum at a local café/bar at lunch time one Wednesday in the month.

We offer peer support to anyone with a Mental Health Issue in a non-judgemental and confidential setting,
We act as a Signpost to other services and we are committed to helping people to reach their own individual level of recovery and to maintain their wellbeing.
Supporting members to be aware of their rights and avoiding discrimination and stigma has always been a group priority.

It is an open forum where everyone’s views matter and our primary aim is to collect Service Users views, both good and bad and take them forward in meetings with Health, Social Services and the Voluntary Sector, on occasions we do manage to report back a successful outcome.

We are members of the Council of East Kent Service User Forums, the Shepway Locality Planning and Monitoring Group and occasionally attend the Joint Commissioning Board for Mental Health.

We have leaflets if anyone would like one and would encourage all professionals to tell their clients about our service.
We are a voluntary group and need to encourage more members.
We have a good relationship with other Shepway Voluntary Organisations and have been working on a higher profile with GPs and have had the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies workers at our forum.

Things are changing in Mental Health Care and as a Forum we are prepared to change too, especially around the new Care Programme Approach and Primary Care; we need to reflect this to continue to be effective in supporting our members on their individual journey of recovery.

If you feel you would like to be involved in any of the above please contact Jackie or Angela at The Channel Business Centre, Ingles Manor, Castle Hill Avenue, Folkestone 01303 850856 or 07902804733 we look forward to hearing from you soon.