The Mental Health Providers Forum's (MHPF) new training course, The Care Pathways Assessment Training , for use by assessors working across adult mental health services, has received accreditation from the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH).

The course which has been created in order to deliver a flexible person-centred approach to needs assessment and practice consists of 4 modules:

1.      Module one - Introduction to assessment and mental health history

2.      Module two - The Care Pathway Toolkit

3.      Module three - A legislative framework for assessors

4.      Module four - Safety planning

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It is anticipated that the course can either be commissioned to add the person centred dimension to practise for existing assessors, or to create the skills base for individuals to carry out independent person centred assessments.

The Care Pathways Assessment training is part of a larger project being led by Annie Whelan, MHPF Care Pathways Development Manager and course developer. The work, a Department of Health (DH) funded 3-year pilot  addressing out of area treatment services in mental health, is being led by MHPF member organisations: Mental Health Matters, MCCH Carr-Gomm ,Making Space, St Andrew's Health Care; P3 - The Social Inclusion Charity; and Independent Consultant Tony Ryan.

Notes:

1. The MHPF is the representative body for voluntary sector mental health organisations working across England and Wales, supporting members to deliver recovery-focused services - for a full list go to our website: www.mhpf.org.uk
2. For more information about the work of the MHPF please contact Onye Imonioro: o.imonioro@mhpf.org.uk.
3. The MHPF Care Pathways project has been funded by the DH to develop a model of independent assessment and to look more holistically at third sector involvement in Care Pathways for returning people to their areas of origin. For more information contact Annie Whelan: a.whelan@mhpf.org.uk
4. The project is governed by a management group made up of the lead organisations  and a steering panel allowing for the input of experts with direct experiences of the mental health out of areas care system acts as a critical friend to the work of the Care Pathways project
5. For more information about the RSPH ( [Royal Society for Public Health) please visit their website: www.rsph.org.uk]