The Network - specialist support for people with a Mental Health problem
What is the Network?
For many people, picking up the pieces of their everyday life following an episode of acute mental illness can be a daunting and frightening challenge. Some people may have lost their connections to their family and previous support systems and need to develop life skills to live on their own for the first time.
The team of professionals working at The Network aim to help people become more independent and feel part of their local community.
The Network offers the opportunity for people to develop a personalised recovery plan, skills in daily living (such as budgeting and running a home) and short courses on how to deal with some of the psychological barriers that may stop people realising their potential.
The Network - aims and objectives
We aim to provide the best service we can by:
- working with you to be as independent as possible
- supporting you to make your own choices
- helping you to develop your own skills in daily living
- being flexible in meeting your needs
- offering a solution focused approach in order to achieve your goals
- developing new ways of looking at and overcoming obstacles in your life
- increasing your self-esteem and confidence
- respecting you
How can I access this service?
As part of your CPA (Care Programme Approach Planning), you can ask your care co-ordinator about the Network and discuss whether it would be beneficial to be referred.
Alternatively, this may be part of your support plan following assessment by the Primary Care Mental Health Team.
To qualify for the Network you must:
- be 18 years of age or older
- have a mental health diagnosis
- live in the London Borough of Barnet
- be willing to participate in a jointly developed social inclusion plan, to support you to regain the skills and confidence to participate fully in society
- be eligible for a social care service
What services does The Network provide?
We want to make sure you get the right support to enable you to achieve your personal goals and the independence needed to improve your social and community life. We will work with you to identify the groups that best meet your needs.
The Enablement Programme
This programme consists of three modules and is about enabling you to think about what you want from your life, identify what some of the barriers are and how you can overcome them.
The Enablement programme lasts for six to eight weeks, runs two to three times a week, depending on the module, and will be provided within a group setting.
Module 1 - WRAP (Wellness Recovery Action Plan)
This is a framework with which you can develop an effective approach to overcoming distressing symptoms and unhelpful behaviour patterns. It is designed as an aid for learning about yourself, what helps and what does not, and how to get progressively more in control of your life and your experience.
Within a group setting, you will create an individual plan that helps you identify ways to manage and cope with distressing and uncomfortable symptoms through planned responses. The focus is on ‘wellness’ with the intention to achieve positive change and enjoyment of life.
Module 2 - New Steps
This module is focused on solutions centred around you and offers you the opportunity to identify the obstacles that prevent you from living your life as richly and as fully as you would like.
Through a structured course, you will be supported to develop new ways of looking at and overcoming obstacles in order to achieve your identified goals. New Steps will help you challenge disabling negative thoughts, gain techniques for managing your depression, recognise the physiological and psychological signs of stress and anxiety, develop anger management or assertiveness skills, and learn about the body language of self and others.
Module 3 - ADL (Activities of Daily Living)
This intervention will assist with everyday activities that we all need to keep up with, such as cooking, budgeting and travelling. It may be particularly useful if you have never lived by yourself. Depending on the assessment that will take place with a member of staff from the Network, this module can be delivered individually or within a group of people with similar needs.
Personal Support Planning
Following this initial ‘enablement’ stage, you will actively take part in your personal Support Plan with the assistance of your Network link worker. Your Support Plan will help you identify your personal goals on your recovery journey, whether this is embarking on a path to employment, volunteering, or gaining educational qualifications.
Alternatively, you will be assisted with identifying ways in which you can expand your personal and social connections by pursuing interests or connecting with your local faith community.
Your personal Support Plan will need to have clearly identified goals that will be part of the process of promoting your independence and recovery. In order to help you achieve these goals, you may qualify for a Personal Budget to access local community resources. This could be directly controlled by you via a Direct Payment.
There are staff at the Network who are responsible for making sure that there is an extensive database of all types of resources and that they are suitable for people with any kind of disability.
In addition, there are a number of local voluntary organisations that are funded specifically to support people with mental health issues. You may choose to include these in your personal Support Plan.
Your link worker will meet you on a regular basis to review how well your Support Plan is helping to achieve the goals of recovery and independence.
Peer support groups known as ‘Friends in Action’
Should you feel that you will achieve these goals by the mutual support of people who have also experienced mental health issues, there will be a number of self-run groups affiliated to and supported by the Network called ‘Friends in Action’.
These groups will be run by ‘hosts’ – people who themselves have experienced mental health issues. The hosts are trained and supported by Network staff. The groups will offer a chance to meet people who wish to pursue similar interests, such as swimming and social activities.
Staff-run to Self-run manual
This manual is about how people using health and social care services can take control of their groups from the staff who have run them in the past.
Staff-run to Self-run (S2S) manual 
(PDF, 860K)
Finding us
The Network office is based in North Finchley, although activities can take place at different venues.
The Network, 27 Castle Road, North Finchley London N12 9EE. Map
- Tube: Northern Line to Finchley Central, Woodside Park or West Finchley.
You will need to catch a bus from Finchley Central and we are about a 20 minute walk from the other tube stations.
- Buses: 82, 125, 134, 221, 260, 263
You can contact us using the contact details the box on the left-hand side of the page.
Email this pageLast modified by: Dawn Rowe on 12/05/2011