MHFA New Website Launched

The Mental Health First Aid England website has undergone a complete refurbishment. It covers comprehensive information on the Mental Health First Aid and Youth Mental Health First Aid Programmes along with supporting material around them.

HUBB has four instructors listed on their 'Instructor Database' - Jenny Gray, Pam Macklin, Lynn Burling and Rob Thomas. We will be listing our MHFA and YMHFA programmes on the MHFA England website as well as updating progress on our own HUBB site.

HUBB & Advantage - accreditation for Training Programmes

HUBB is now approved as an Accreditied Training Centre through Advantage - an independent accreditation organisation. This will lead to HUBB being able to offer a recognised certification process for our own unique training programmes, including 'Mental Capacity (2005)', 'Deprivation of Libery Safeguards' and 'Recovering Jane'.

Dawn McClements awarding Jenny Gray and HUBB 'Advantage Training Centre Approval' 

As well as HUBB being awarded Accreditied Centre status, Jenny, Pam Lynn and Rob were also recognised as Approved Trainiers.

HUBB are looking for new committee members

As a Committee Member you would be expected to regularly attend Committee Meetings. These are held on the 3rd Wednesday of each month at 109 Rose Lane, Marks Gate. The meetings begin at 2.00pm and usually end by 4.30pm.

At these meetings you would be involved in discussions about HUBB and its work including policies, procedures and finances. We also discuss issues that affect the future services across NELFT (North East London Foundation Trust)


You may also be invited to attend meetings with other local organisations to act as a representative of HUBB, to put forward the view of service users. There will be opportunities to take advantage of free training for Management Committee Members. Your expenses will be paid by HUBB.

Committee Members are also encouraged to attend the HUBB Monthly Meetings from 5.00pm – 7.00pm at the Baptist Church in Romford on the first Thursday of each month.

If you are elected at the AGM, you would need to undertake a Criminal Records Bureau Check. Any conviction involving theft, financial dishonesty, violence or fraud would prohibit you from being a HUBB Committee Member.

If you would like to know more about becoming a Committee Member before you make this decision, please do not hesitate to contact Jenny or Dawn at the HUBB office.
Tel: 020 8590 2666

Mental Health First Aid

Mental Health First Aid England is undergoing some important changes.

A facelift for materials including the logos and it's ALGEE process.


The Youth Mental Health First Aid Instructor dates are being circulated.

The MHFA England website is about to go live. This is a vast improvement on the old site and will host a lot of valuable information on the MHFA and YMHFA.

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Our collaborative project with people who have experienced some form of mental distress is about to be launched. If you are interested in contributing material - photographs, poems, short stories, paintings, drawings, etc - to be included in a book demonstrating what recovery means and looks like to you, get in touch with Rob - T: 020 8590 2498 - Email here. We have set up a separate 'Recovery Is...' Blog to keep you updated, as well as showcase work we receive. We hope that this will provide inspiration to others to get involved. Here are some examples to help stimulate your creativity:

We hope that the creation of the book will challenge stigma and descrimination around mental ill health issues. We are also very aware that some may want to provide material but want to remain anonymous. This is absolutely fine. Contact us to find out more Or visit the HUBB website which has a dedicated page to the project.

If you are interested in the potential of this form of collaborative and participative project you can view pages from a book 'Through Our Eyes' that Rob created with four young people from the communities in Mumbai HERE,

HUBB at 'Community Care - Live 2010'

HUBB had a very successful two days exhibiting our training services at the 'CC Live 2010' at the Business Design Centre, Islington on the 18th & 19th May.

Pam Macklin, Jenny Gray and Lynn Burling on the HUBB stand

Demonstrating humour helps wellbeing!

We managed to increase the profile of HUBB, it's advocacy provision and especially our training initiatives. The team of Jenny, Pam, Lynn and Rob provided different areas of expertise which enabled us to create a very positive and professional impression. Primarily our aim was to promote our training, especially the Mental Health First Aid, Recovery Star and 'Recovering Jane' programmes.

There was great interest from many people who spent time at our stand. Rob's involvement as a member of the National Training Team for the new MHFA England programme, 'Youth Mental Health First Aid' also allowed us to test the water to see how this initiative would be received. There is huge interest! We collected details of numerous individuals from a wide range of organisations across the South East in particular, but also further afield who want to be kept informed as YMHFA roll out in the Autumn. If you would like more information on any of our training initiatives we can be contacted through the HUBB website.

HUBB was very pleased to discover how well it's advocacy provision stands up against other service providers across the region. We had questions from all manner of representatives from Social Workers to Directors of different organisations. All were quite startled by our ability to speak to individuals within 24 hours of being contacted. That is great recognition of all HUBB advocates!

HUBB also made contact with some very interesting and useful organisations. Rob managed to see an excellent presentation by Steve Scown (Dimensions) and Helen Sanderson (Helen Sanderson Associates) on Personalisation. They were rightly proud of their achievements in this field but were also humble in recognising the unique difficulties presented by Mental Health in working with personalised budgets and the work that needs to be done.

Rob was particularly pleased to see that Dimensions and Helen Sanderson Associates recognise that 'change management' and 'organisational transition' will be required across the board. There are people who access services who will be able to champion personalisation from their own experiences and senior managers and directors who will positive and creative enough to lead with vision and clarity. But it will not be easy! A mindset will need to be challenged in all areas of personalisation provision. 'Institutionalisation' doesn't just refer to those who have experienced severe mental ill health difficulties. It also refers to any individual who blocks change. 

Steve Scown - Executive Director, Dimensions

HUBB is in an excellent position to provide information and signpost various parties into strong and creative partnerships, with people managing Mental  ill Health issues at the core of the decision making process. Why? HUBB is a Service User led organisation. Our committee comprises of Service Users. Service Users established HUBB as a self advocating organisation 20 years ago. Recovery and Wellbeing is at the core of its role and responsibility. HUBB has been working in a 'Personalised' way for 20 years.

Race Equality Project Launch - Barking & Dagenham

Jenny and Rob attended the launch of the 'Race Equality Project' at Harmony House, Dagenham on the 1st April. This looks to connect all agencies and groups in order to promote a quick and positive response to any 'hate incidents' in the Barking & Dagenham. Group0s reperented at the launch included Hat Incident Panel (HIP), Comunity Safety Team, Domestic Violence Team, Stop Hate, Victim Support, Young Offenders Team, Anti Social Behaviour Team, Safer Neighbourhood Team, Caress, Young Offenders Team, Metropolitan Police and Comunity Support Officers.

The lauch provided a framework that Harmony House aims to operate:

• Educating people on how to correctly gather evidence and monitor incidents
• Being an advocate, a voice, for the victim
• Coordinating joint inter-agency plans - acting as an intermediary ensuring clients are progressing as planned and keeping them informed of progress and what is expected of them
• Encouraging victims to report race hate crime to the police
• Use targeted publicity campaigns to promote equality and comunity cohesion within B & D and to raise awareness of the damaging effects of racial discrimination
• To provide 'resilience building training' for victims of race hate crime, helping them to cope better

Jenny and Rob met a number of people and highlighted the issues with Mental Health difficulties in such situations. It was recognised that HUBB may connect with people who would find the Race Equality Project of value, and some who approach the REP who may find HUBB's services of value.

Izuka Soligbo, Harmony House Dagenham Centre Manager with the new poster for the Race Equality Project.

Quality Performance Mark for Advocacy

HUBB has recieved it's plaque for the Quality Performance Mark of the Advocacy Quality Services.

A very big 'Well Done' to all our advocates! 

Quality Performance Mark for Advocacy Provision 

Direct Quotes from the Executive Summary of HUBB’s Report

'It is clear from all the evidence that HUBB is an established, service user led advocacy service which values the knowledge, skills and opinions of the people with whom it works. The organisation is committed to ensuring that service users retain control of activities and seeks to find many ways to involve service users in organisational activity and culture. This is reflected in the schedule of evidence below, where the service receives two (rarely given) commendations in the area of Empowerment and Putting People First.'

'The service strikes a fine balance between being accessible and welcoming whilst guarding against creating culture of dependency. Service users speak in glowing terms of the way they lead their own advocacy process, the skill and commitment of the advocates and the trust they have that the service is independent and 'on their side'. All interviewed from the service were proud of the trust that they had created with service users and were clear on what was required of them to ensure that they live up to the obligations that this trust places upon them.”

'HUBB is a clearly focused organisation which has developed a professional advocacy service without compromising its user led roots. Service users, advocates, management and board members are clear in their expectations of independent advocacy and the service strives to live up to these standards. Evidence from both stages of the assessment show that HUBB is consistently reaching high quality advocacy provision, with skilled and committed advocates working in an empowering way which is highly valued by service users.'

'I am satisfied that HUBB meets the requirements of the QPM and am delighted to award the Quality Performance Mark for a period of three years. The challenge for the organisation now will be to live up to the high standards which it has set.'

Head of Quality and Development 8/3/10

Direct Quotes from Assessor's Report

'I came away with the impression that they are so well known in the area that they can tackle any issue with confidence and I would imagine they are a force to be reckoned with. They are very focussed on the safety of their clients not only during the advocacy process, with clear boundaries and checks in place, but within the wider community. They have a rigorous approach that I coincidentally witnessed during my visit when one of the service users disclosed a concern about a potential threat posed to service users ….'

'HUBB manages the complex balance between appearing relaxed, friendly and available to service users and implementing robust policies, systems and procedures. Both are seen as equally important. The 2 service users interviewed spoke highly of their consistency and reliability. They were both clear that advocacy is about people learning to do as much for themselves as possible. In addition to working towards the QPM with A4A, they already have achieved ratification with Investors in People, Mindful Employer, PQASSO and are registered with Community Legal Services.'

We also received two COMMENDATIONS in the report, which are rarely given:

1. 'There is a process for obtaining service-users’ satisfaction level with the service.'
2. 'Service-users are meaningfully involved in the advocacy scheme’s management and culture.'