We are working to ensure that children on the Isle of Wight are supported to get the best start in life that will lead to good health and wellbeing. This will provide the foundation to ensure they are able to achieve the best opportunities and keep as healthy and well as possible throughout their lives.
We want to ensure that families, individuals and communities are thriving and resilient with access to good jobs, affordable housing, leisure activities, lifelong training, education and learning, health and care services are are able to enjoy the place in which they live.
We want to ensure that people on the Isle of Wight are able to live independently in their own homes with appropriate care support. We want to make sure older residents are supported to play an active role in their communities and supported to maintain and develop their social and community networks.
When we spoke to the local community about how they would like to see services change in the future, one of the key things identified related to mental health services. People told us they felt most vulnerable in the evenings and over the weekends and wanted some kind of support that would help to stop them tipping into a crisis. Together we developed the notion of a Community Safe Haven which people could drop into between the hours of 5pm-10pm during the week and 10am-10pm over the weekend.
The first facility of this kind will be based in Newport. It will provide a safe place for people with mild to moderate mental health issues to drop in and have an informal chat with staff and volunteers with lived experience who can provide the knowledge, understanding and support to enable them to cope better.
People at higher risk of mental health crisis however will still be supported through the current channels.
Watch the short video here to find out how the Community Safe Haven has made a difference to Aaron's life.
