Community Support and Connect
Community Support and Connect
Guideposts Community Support and Connect provides short to medium term support for people who experience mental health issues, in South-west Hertfordshire.
We arrange one-to-one peer support and support groups, aiming to aid recovery through increasing self-confidence, reducing social isolation, and giving emotional and practical support.
Current Status: We are currently continuing our services, through a mixture of online and in-person contact.
How Community Support and Connect works
We match individuals with either volunteers or another service user to give support in their individual recovery journeys. The exact nature of support will vary from person to person.
Through our community mental health services at Henry Smith House in Watford and related outreach groups, peer to peer support happens successfully as ‘buddying’. In Community Support and Connect we build this into a more structured approach, encouraging some service users to gain confidence by developing from being supported to supporting others.
We also arrange Community Support Groups in Watford, South Oxhey, Borehamwood and Potters Bar, which are based around activities as well as peer support and signposting opportunities.
What activities are on offer?
One to one support can include:
- Meeting up once a fortnight or weekly phone calls
- Engaging in regular local community activities together
- Practical support with forms, appointments, or shopping
- Emotional support
Community Support Groups meet in a café or community centre to share experiences, seek or offer peer support, gain advice or signposting, and reduce social isolation.
Who can we support?
We support adults in south west Hertfordshire who live with mental health issues and would like to improve their wellbeing and reduce their isolation. Our staff are experienced with supporting both complex and not so complex needs, and volunteers are experts by their own experience. We endeavour to match people together depending on each person’s situation.
Why should I join?
Support of our staff, volunteers and other members of the group can help you overcome difficulties and give you the confidence to be more active and get more from life. You will be able to learn from others who have been in a similar situation, to help solve any issues along the way. Sharing from your own experience to help others can also be very rewarding and help your own wellbeing.
How to join?
You can join us through referral by the Community Mental Health Team (CMHT), other charity sector organisations, GPs, Community Navigators, or through self-referral.
Please send us a referral form, equalities monitoring form and risk assessment. We’ll then be able to ascertain what services and support are required. Applications are processed as quickly as possible but it may take some time to find a suitable volunteer or service user.
For an informal chat and further information contact Jane Allen, 01923 223554 / 07803 175416.
Can you Help?
Would you like to volunteer with this service? If you have a few hours available each week, you like meeting new people and would like to help someone improve the quality of their life, please get in touch.
