The Government is
joining forces with Comic Relief to help tackle mental health
stigma, with funding of up to £20 million for Time to Change, the
leading stigma and anti-discrimination campaign, run by Mind and
Rethink Mental Illness.
This is the first time that the long-standing campaign has
received Government funding: up to £16 million over the next four
years. It will also receive £4million from Comic Relief – the
second time the charity has awarded its largest UK grant to Time
to Change.
Time to Change runs events and campaigns as varied as getting
young men and women into the boxing gym where they can meet
people, pick up new skills and improve their mental health and
confidence; and campaigning to change public behaviour towards
people with mental health problems. The new funding will allow
Time to Change to reach 29 million members of the public and
increase the confidence of 100,000 people with mental health
problems to challenge stigma and discrimination.
Care Services Minister Paul Burstow this week visited Duke
McKenzie’s fitness centre in Crystal Palace, where Time to Change
has sent scores of young men and women with mental health problems.
Speaking at Duke’s, Paul Burstow said:
“One in four of us will experience some form of mental health
problem during our lives. Unfortunately, people often have to cope
with stigma and discrimination alongside their condition, in their
families, their classrooms and their work places.
“Time to Change is already making a big difference. Many of the
young people who go to Duke’s went with low confidence having
never had the chance to talk to others in an open environment. Its
helped boost self-confidence; and the people at the gym get to see
that people with mental health problems are no different to the
rest of us.
“Coping with a mental health condition is difficult enough
without the added burden of overcoming discrimination too. That’s
why I am committing up to £16 million over the next three and a
half years to Time to Change to help fight the negative attitudes
people have towards mental health conditions.”
Comic Relief Chief Executive, Kevin Cahill,
said:
“Comic Relief has a long standing commitment to helping people
with mental health problems across the UK and has been working on
this particular campaign since 2007. Four years on, we’re really
starting to see some positive results - but we understand change
takes time, and this next phase of the campaign will build on the
success to date and the important lessons we have learned so far.
“All too often people with mental health problems are blighted by
the prejudice, ignorance and fear that surround it and Comic
Relief is committed to working with Time to Change to overcome this.”
Time to Change Director, Sue Baker, said:
“Stigma and discrimination ruin lives, and prevent people with
mental health problems using their full potential and playing an
active part in society. We have worked hard over the last four
years to secure the beginnings of change in society, and have seen
robust evidence of a reduction in discrimination. But it takes
more than four years to overturn decades of prejudice – this is
the work of a generation. Mind and Rethink Mental Illness are
grateful for this new funding which will make a difference to the
lives of millions of people – those with mental health problems
and those around them.”
The funding will help Time to Change continue its work until
March 2015 and help change attitudes and behaviours on a mass
scale, empowering individuals to tackle discrimination across all
sectors and communities.
It will fund the next phase of this highly successful campaign,
including testing new approaches to tackling mental health stigma
and discrimination amongst children and young people, and starting
with some specific work with the African Caribbean community.
ENDS
Additional supportive comments
Paul Farmer, Chief Executive of Mind said:
“For generations we have swept mental illness under the carpet as
a society. We've been afraid to talk about it and afraid
to understand it.
“The consequences for those experiencing mental health problems
has been devastating. Stigma and discrimination has stopped people
working, socialising and living life to the full. Over the last
few years, Time to Change has made real progress in changing
societal attitudes but we won't give up until the job is
done. We thank the Government and Comic Relief for their support
and look forward to a future when anyone with a mental health
problem has the opportunity to realise their ambitions.”
Paul Jenkins, Chief Executive of Rethink Mental Illness said:
“This is a fantastic opportunity to improve the lives of the
thousands of people affected by mental illness and Rethink Mental
Illness is proud to be playing its part in this movement for change.
“It means in particular new focus on the stigma faced by
children, young people and people from African Caribbean
communities, offering hope to a new generation that they can grow
up without the fear of discrimination blighting their lives.
“The funding is an acknowledgement of both the importance of
continuing to tackle stigma around mental illness and also the
excellent results Time to Change has achieved so far.”
Notes to Editors
1) For more information on Time To Change see link http://www.time-to-change.org.uk/
2) Time to Change is a programme run by the charities Mind and
Rethink Mental Illness, set up in 2007, that tackles mental health
stigma and discrimination. It works closely with people with
mental health problems to build their confidence and leadership
skills to address stigma.
As a result of this campaign, so far there has been a four per
cent reduction in the discrimination that people with mental
health problems report, as well as improvements to public
attitudes. According to data from the Institute of Psychiatry,
King’s College London, the reduction in discrimination equates to
23,500 more people living lives completely free from
discrimination compared to at the start of the campaign and 71,540
fewer people experiencing discrimination when looking for work.
3) The source of statistics in this press release: Mental Health
of Children and Adolescents in Great Britain, Office of National
Statistics, 2005.
Contacts:
Department of Health
Phone: 020 7210 5221
NDS.DH@coi.gsi.gov.uk