Wish overview

Background

Since its inception in 1987 Wish has been at the forefront of influencing policy and practice in the delivery of gender sensitive services to women in the Criminal Justice and Mental Health Systems. Wish is a national charity, and company limited by guarantee, with 2 regional offices: in Liverpool, for the North and the Midlands; in London for London and the South. Over the last 3 years, as dictated by the previous Operating Plan Wish has driven forward its status as a user led organisation, with a focus on user involvement, has further developed the infrastructure and capacity of the organisation, and has prioritised developing both a wraparound service for women based on relational security and a user led forum for women to influence policy and practice to be more gender sensitive, to better meet the needs of women across sectors.

Mission Statement

Wish provides long-term, gender-sensitive support and services to women with mental health needs, in their journey through the prison and secure hospital system and in the community; and supports women to have their voices heard at a policy and practicelevel.

Ethos

Wish aims to give women some influence over their own lives in order to develop self-esteem and confidence through building long-term sustainable and consistent relationships with women, which they can trust. Wish helps to validate women as important individuals who can take responsibility for their own lives and for whom empowerment to handle their own issues will be of paramount importance in determining their own futures, both within the secure hospital and prison system and on moving into the community.

Values

Wish believes that women with experience of secure provision and prison:

  • Should not be judged by a different value system from men – and then be treated more harshly
  • Should not be detained at higher levels of security than is appropriate; and that all provision should be gender sensitive with services to meet their specific needs; and not be an extension of the services provided to men
  • Are amongst the most disadvantaged and socially excluded people in society; that the delivery of gender specific services is essential, and that this cannot happen without major structural change
  • Often have little confidence or the opportunity to control their lives, and that the system in which they are placed should build rather than undermine self-esteem and choice; and should regard them as genuine stakeholders in their treatment and care
  • Should be given opportunities to make a valuable contribution to society and redress the injustice of a system which has failed many women.

Aim

To improve the service experience of women with mental health needs by promoting and delivering gender-specific services across sectors, and to maximise women’s participation in policy and campaigning.

Objectives

Five Key Objectives have been developed in order to address identified gaps within service provision and policy development for women with mental health needs:

1. Innovation and Influence: Women’s Mental Health Network (WMHN)

To improve practice and services in three priority areas, identified by womenas being most important in the provision of gender-specific services, across sectors. The project will develop, implement, monitor and evaluate user-led campaigns at a local level, information will be disseminated nationally. The WMHN will collect evidence from at least 5,000 women, and the potential of the reach of this project will be between 2 million and 6 million women who have complex support needs.

2. Innovation and Influence: Policy and campaigning through partnerships and consultations and through practice and services for professionals: training, research, consultancy, external supervision.

To input into consultations and campaigns,to impact and make a difference to policy, processes and practice, and form at least four key partnerships. To continue to promote training, research and consultancy services for professionals to support better practice in delivering gender specific-services.

3. Innovation and Excellence: Community Link.

To set up and evaluate a pilot project to offer a bespoke package of intensive support to women with mental health needs leaving prison or secure hospital to re-integrate into the community, lead independent lives, and become full and active citizens; to provide education, training and employment opportunities; and to develop a model of intensive support to roll out nationally

4: Innovation and Excellence: Personal Pathways and Patient Involvement (PPPI), and Gender Specific Advocacy (GSA)

To evaluate GSA and take forward evaluation and disseminate findings in order to promote the delivery of GSA, by generic advocacy providers, through the WMHN, and by Wish based on evaluation.

To develop and pilot a project, based on relation security, which will better meet the patient involvement of women in secure care, and progress pathways through the system (PPPI), and disseminate findings nationally and gain commissioned service funding for PPPI

Key Objective 5: User Led and User Involvement

To ensure that Wish is user led at all levels of the organisation, and to promoteuser involvement at both a policy and practice level.