Increase in demand for mental health support at family centres
FAMILY Resource Centres, of which there are four in County Sligo, are responding to “a significant increase in demand for mental health supports during Covid-19”.
That’s according to a survey of Family Resource Centre staff and volunteers, conducted by the National FRC Mental Health Promotion Project.
The survey is a study of all staff, volunteers and board members undertaken to identify trends in community demand for mental health supports and the well-being and professional development of staff, volunteers and board members in the centres.
The four Sligo centres are in Sligo town, Ballymote, Tubbercurry and Enniscrone.
Keys findings from the survey, which was carried out online in December, were:
94% of respondents reported an increase in demand for mental health supports in 2020.
The main reason for service-users making contact for support was due to feeling isolated. This was followed by anxiety about mental health.
99% of staff and volunteers in the survey felt that Covid-19 has had a negative effect on the well-being of service users. 34% of those surveyed have used the Suicide Prevention Code of Practice in the last 12 months for supporting service users.
Shauna Diamond, who is national programme manager of the FRC mental health promotion project, said: “Covid-19 has had a damaging effect on mental health. The pandemic has led to the loss of loved ones, economic hardship, and feelings of increased isolation. “Family Resource Centres across the country have witnessed this first-hand and have collectively felt a huge increase in the demand for mental health supports.”
She said the staff and volunteers at Family Resource Centres
are highly trained and have provided much-needed mental health supports to their communities during Covid-19. “Staff and volunteers have developed innovative solutions to maintain service delivery during the pandemic by organising counselling sessions online, outdoor support and care packages for families and older members of the community, to name but a few.” Ms Diamond said that the survey findings clearly indicated that Family Resource Centres were “an essential service in our communities in providing mental health supports and that their role has become even more vital during the Covid-19 pandemic”.
The survey also asked Family Resource Centre staff and volunteers about how Covid-19 has impacted their own mental health.
Only 34% of staff and volunteers that completed the survey reported their own wellbeing as “good or excellent” in 2020, which was a decrease from 72% in 2019.
The main factors negatively impacting wellbeing were the lack of ability to deliver services remotely and the increased demand for services. However, the survey findings show that staff and volunteers were proactive about minding their own mental health by participating in training and wellbeing workshops. Ms Diamond said: “This has been an exceptionally challenging period for Family Resource Centre staff and volunteers, but they have demonstrated their resilience and unwavering commitment to provide vital services in our communities.”
For more information, visit familyresourcementalhealth.ie.