MH67.2013 Encourage stakeholders to see the value of improving environments and practices to promote mental health

Overview

This standard covers encouraging stakeholders to see the value of improving environments and practices.The environments may be homes, workplaces, public places, or the broader environment such as towns, housing estates and the countryside. Environments will also cover social, cultural and aesthetic aspects as well as physical aspects and the interaction of people with their environment. The term ‘practices' is used to describe significant activities which take place within the environment, including: how the environment is used for working or domestic practices, therapeutic activities, public access and use, routine activitiesinterpersonal relationshipsinitiatives that will increase the capacity of those who live in, work in or otherwise use the environment to promote mental health and well-being. This standard applies to anyone who works in the mental health sector in a role in which they need to gain the support of stakeholders to improve environments and practices to promote mental health. Users of this standard will need to ensure that practice reflects up to date information and policies. Version No 2

Knowledge and Understanding

You will need to know and understand:

1. the current national legislation, guidelines and local policies and protocols which affect your work practice
2. the importance of evidence-based practice and why it is important to use evidence from research about what is effective
3. the importance of values-based practice for eliciting and understanding the values of stakeholders and for resolving conflicts between them
4. the purpose of communicating progress and emphasising achievements
5. the services, policies and priorities of your own organisation and how these relate to the services, policies and priorities of other organisations working to promote mental health
6. the sources of information, advice and expertise that are available to support implementation of action plans and how to access relevant information/documentation
7. who are the stakeholders in the area of practice in which you work
8. the tensions that may exist between your professional concerns and interests, the concerns and priorities of your agency and the concerns and priorities of the groups, organisations and communities with whom you are working, and ways of managing these tensions
9. your own role and responsibilities and from whom assistance and advice should be sought if required
10. your own values and how these may impact positively or negatively on your work with people and significant others to maintain and improve their environments
11. the contractual arrangements relating to the services and support you offer
12. the range of issues which people and organisations are likely to experience when they are seeking to change and improve environments and practices
13. the range of resources which people and organisations are likely to be able to draw on when they are seeking to change and improve environments and practices
14. the different ways of supporting stakeholders in improving environments and practices and their applicability in different contexts and with different people
15. ways of promoting mental health in environments and practices
16. the different, and perhaps competing, interests which stakeholders may have
17. how to challenge effectively the views and interests of others, whilst respecting their rights to hold such views and asserting one's own views
18. how to encourage people to recognise and respect the views of others
19. how to encourage people to work towards an agreement which is in their mutual interest, to take ownership of the issues and to take responsibility for their actions
20. obstacles to change and the reasons for them
21. resources for change
22. how to encourage people to think past obstacles to change and gain the confidence and interests to move forward
23. how to encourage people to gain the confidence to draw on their own strengths and other resources for change
24. the plans and processes which need to be put in place to enable people to manage change
25. effective change management processes and how these may differ in different contexts and settings
26. how to adopt an approach and working style which is supportive of change
27. how to support people in developing priorities for change
28. how to evaluate options and how to determine the best option for the circumstances
29. how to determine the necessary frequency with which people need to be contacted
30. the ways in which issues can be turned round to develop solutions and move practice on
31. how to monitor progress and identify problems
32. how to recognise achievements in ways that are appropriate to those concerned and the nature of the achievements particularly in relation to recovery and development of self-management skills

Performance Criteria

You must be able to do the following:

1. identify all stakeholders with a legitimate interest in the environments and practices
2. accurately assess the vision and commitment of stakeholders to improving environments and practices to promote mental health
3. accurately assess the strengths, aspirations and resources as well as needs and difficulties stakeholders bring to improving environments and practices to promote mental health
4. encourage stakeholders to think through and make explicit their aims, commitments and concerns about improving environments and practices
5. identify any inconsistencies in stakeholders' aims, commitments and concerns and bring these to their attention in a manner which is likely to facilitate future discussions
6. share known evidence of the effects of environments and practices on the mental health of different people using methods which promote the identification of local issues, solutions and obstacles to change
7. present the outcomes of assessing environments and practices in a style and at a level appropriate to the stakeholders
8. propose in collaboration with other stakeholders realistic and sustainable ways of improving environments and practices in a manner which emphasises:
1. their advantages and added value to the different stakeholders
2. the need for stakeholders' interest and action
9. acknowledge and effectively counter objections to proposals for improvement with alternative views and benefits
10. acknowledge the legitimacy of different views while maintaining a clear focus on the need for environments and practices which promote mental health
11. explain the legitimacy of other stakeholders' concerns and interests when a stakeholder disregards the views of others
12. encourage stakeholders to:
1. work together towards an agreement for improving environments and practices
2. take joint ownership of the issues
3. take joint responsibility for actions in this area
4. work in collaboration as partners

Additional Information

This National Occupational Standard was developed by Skills for Health. This standard links with the following dimension within the NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework (October 2004): Dimension: HWB1 Promotion of health and wellbeing and prevention of adverse effects to health and wellbeing