Phone: 0300 304 5527 (DMWA)
Email: [email protected]

Referral form: https://www.durhammentalwellbeingalliance.org/referral/

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What we do:

Brighter Futures is an employment service delivered in partnership with the Durham Mental Wellbeing Alliance (DMWA), supporting those with a mental health need to fulfil their vocational aspirations and goals.

We can help you with things such as:

• Vocational Assessments
• Confidence Building
• Personal Development
• Access to work placements and voluntary work
• Find and access training and qualifications
• To gain the skills to complete a CV and cover letter
• Job searching
• To gain practical skills to complete application forms
• Advice and guidance with interview techniques
• Signposting to other agencies
• Information on appropriate welfare benefits
• Create Individual Recovery Action Plans

Supporting someone with their employment aspirations (paid or unpaid) is a key part of recovery. People report having better mental health when they are in good employment.

Our fully flexible range of work-related support enables people to join the workforce for the first time, re-join after a period of absence, re-train in the career of their choice or retain their current position.

It takes all sorts of different skills to do different jobs. Taking up learning can open up new job opportunities. By improving your skills or learning new ones, you can gain the qualifications you need to do the job you want.

Learning can also offer stimulation and new challenges. It is a great way to get out and about, meet new people and make new friends. Many people who take up learning as adults say it has given them increased confidence, self-worth and optimism for the future.

We can help you to stay in employment by:

• Providing support to disclose mental health to your employer and/or colleagues
• Negotiating a gradual return to the workplace
• Looking at possible reasonable adjustments
• Identifying difficulties at work and working toward solutions
• Providing information and advice around employment and disability-related legislation

Who is this service for?

We can work with anyone with a mental health need (a formal diagnosis is not required) aged 18+ and living in the County Durham area.

How to access support:

To access this service, please download a referral form from the DMWA website and e-mail it to [email protected].

For more information, you can also contact the DMWA on 0300 304 5527.