Bristol Community Learning and Mental Health Project
Brief for partners and tutors
Pilot project and funding
Bristol City Council and Second Step are joint lead partners for this project, which is one of
62 national pilots across the country. £80,000 has been awarded to fund a community
learning project, which focuses on supporting the recovery from mild/moderate mental
health issues, such as depression and anxiety.
Bristol City Council and Second Step have over 5 years of experience providing community
learning courses for those with mental health problems. Hence both organisations will
contribute their unique resources, expertise and networks to build a strong program.
Development of staff
A training package is being designed to cover a wide range of staff with different levels of
experience both in community learning and mental health. Training will target staff directly
involved in the project.
Training will involve sessions on mental health awareness and will provide staff with a
better understanding of how to fully support learners and look after themselves, including
basics around safety (e.g.: boundaries, self-disclosure etc.) Staff will also have the
opportunity to undertake dyslexia training. This will outline how best to support learners
with specific learning difficulties.
All tutors will have access to both formal and informal supervision and support. We have
also proposed that a group meet for support and development.
Development of courses
We estimated that 30 courses will be delivered, involving around 200 learners.
Courses will be designed with partner agencies and through consultation with potential
learners. This will allow for negotiation of course content with learners to ensure that
courses are designed primarily in response to their interests and needs.
The course package will include personal development courses such as: mindfulness,
assertiveness & confidence building, arts and crafts for wellbeing, beating stress with
gardening, creative writing, digital stories, relaxation and gentle exercise.
Second Step’s expertise in mental health will also enable us to provide robust
signposting/supported referral if a learner requires that.
Outcomes and future directions
Outcomes for learners
All learners will be supported to explore the ways in which community learning can benefit
their mental health. All learners will also be encouraged to think about their future goals
and next steps, after completing the course(s). Learners will be provided with information
and advice to support their progression to further learning, volunteering and employment
opportunities. Learners will also be provided with support to set up and/or join supportive
networks and self-organised groups.
Outcomes for the project
We will use a range of methods to measure the success of the pilot. Firstly, the project with
collate data using a combination of evaluation tools. This will enable an understanding of
the effectiveness of embedding psychological techniques into community learning, and will
measure the long-term impact of the project on mental health. Positive evidence can also
be used to make a case for ongoing funding. We will also look at individual case studies,
whereby we will invite several learners to record their experience of the project on film. This
will also provide evidence of our success. Lastly, we will produce an end of project report
which draws on project data, learner evaluation, staff and partner feedback and learner
case studies. Moreover, in March of 2016, a project dissemination event will be held. This
event will be for staff, partners and learners to celebrate achievement, reflect on learning
and present findings and recommendations for future work.
We intend to achieve a sustainable legacy from this project as a result of:
 building stronger links and referral pathways between partners
 building a strong team of trained staff across community learning and mental health
 creating customised courses which can be delivered through mainstream SFA and
health funding