South London Listens presents at SWL Conference
South London Listens were delighted to be involved in a conference held yesterday at Wimbledon Everyday Church, hosted by NHS South West London Integrated Care System (ICS) and South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust. As part of Mental Health Awareness Week and following its theme of ‘Community’, the event focused on exploring three key ambitions from the South West London Mental Health Strategy.
The day opened with powerful reflections from Mike Bell, Chair of NHS South West London, Vanessa Ford, Chief Executive of South West London and St George’s, and Dr Iram Sattar MBE, one of the Trust’s Non-Executive Directors.
The South London Listens team led one of the sessions, Challenging health inequalities in Croydon alongside presentations from Andrew Tapfumaneyi, General Manager, Croydon Services Directorate and Dr Kevin Vento, Lead Psychologist for Croydon Health and Wellbeing Space, PCREF Lead for Croydon.
South London Listens presentation provided wider context of the programme of work to address social determinants of health across south London. Emphasising the importance of early intervention and taking a preventative approach. In particular, the strength of a relational way of working to build partnerships in community. With focus on collaboration in Croydon, the team were joined by Alecia Blackford from Reaching Higher Youth Charity in Croydon who shared experience of working with South London Listens on the proposal of the EarlyBIRDS project. A series of interactive events and co-design took place in Q1 this year and the EarlyBIRDS funding proposal was put forward to the Maudsley Charity’s Building Brighter Futures funding call to improve the mental health of children and young people.
The EarlyBIRDS partnership is committed to developing and scaling brief, effective psychological interventions. Community partners, such as Reaching Higher, have a long-standing history of working with racially minoritised young people who are at risk of, or already experience living in challenging circumstances and who face complex difficulties. Reaching Higher are embedded in local community and have developed strong trust-based relationships, making them uniquely positioned to facilitate effective interventions for young people in Croydon.
"The conference was thought-provoking. I joined as both a breakout facilitator—sharing work on health inequalities in Croydon alongside south london listens and as an attendee. Highlights included the different breakout rooms and innovative discussions about how we can support and listen to those who need the support.
I saw real diversity in voices and lived experience, but the challenge is that this representation shouldn't be limited to service programming and storytelling but for representation in leadership and decision-making roles.
Grateful for the insights and eager to keep pushing towards change.”
Alecia Blackford, Reaching Higher Youth Charity in Croydon
‘‘As a Community Organiser for South London Listens it was great to see so much discussion about meeting people where they are. About working with and within communities. The theme of listening was clear throughout the day. With an understanding that when we listen it can’t simply be for research, for uncovering problems, but also a practice of meeting people who are keen to step and be part of the solutions.
‘‘Offering pathways from listening to leadership is the approach we take at Citizens UK and put into further practice in our work with the NHS on South London Listen. So it was a pleasure to see these ideas and sentiments being echoed by a range of NHS staff, strategic partners and community leaders on the day.’’
Kes Gill Martin, South London Citizens
The final plenary brought together Katie Fisher, Chief Executive of NHS South West London ICS, Ann Beasley, Trust Chair, and a Lived Experience Practitioner who offered closing reflections on the day’s events.
“Real change happens when we listen deeply, work across boundaries and put people at the heart of everything we do. It starts with community. It means working together across the system with a focus on prevention, early intervention, and tackling inequalities, particularly for those historically underserved by mental health services.
“We’re committed to working hand-in-hand with local councils, voluntary groups and our diverse workforce to drive innovation. From our £280m investment in new mental health facilities to creating employment, training and volunteering opportunities through our Better Communities Programme.”
Katie Fisher, Chief Executive of NHS South West London ICS