DMHA grant helping Significant Seams to support more young people in mid-Devon
The Devon Mental Health Alliance Innovation Fund has been awarded to Significant Seams by DMHA’s Community Mental Health Development Leads in Exeter, East & Mid Devon.
Matt Merriman says, “We’re pleased to be supporting Significant Seams with the development of plans to support children and young people in mid-Devon with activities that aid mental health and wellbeing, and improve transitions between youth and adult services.”
The Mid-Devon area has ranked highly for food insecurity in recent surveys, and the youth mental health crisis is apparent across services. For three years, Significant Seams has been running distinctive holiday, activity, and food programmes on behalf of Devon County Council that have attracted regional and national attention. Now, the organisation is turning its attention to creating continuity of services and improved pathways for young people who are struggling, and their families.
With support from the Devon Mental Health Alliance, as well as partnerships with Mid Devon Healthcare PCN, Crediton Town Council, and the Turning Tides Project, Significant Seams is drawing together the individuals and organisations across mid-Devon to develop and pilot ways of partnering and improving support available to vulnerable young people.
Catherine West, founder of Significant Seams, explains:
Significant Seams is a social enterprise that aims to ‘strengthen the seams of community,’ both literally and metaphorically. We use creativity, textiles, craft, and art to build community and support people in vulnerable life moments.
Matt Merriam, Community Mental Health Development Lead for Exeter, East & Mid Devon, added:
It is becoming common knowledge that this generation of young people are significantly struggling with their mental health. The area needing the most transformation is that transition period between childhood and adulthood, as efficient means of transfer between services often doesn’t exist. Significant Seams’ work in developing a network of those supporting young people in mid-Devon will make it much easier to link them with the networks we have been developing around adult support, and therefore hopefully create a space for innovation and new ways of working to emerge.
Various partnership programmes with Significant Seams are bookable via their Eventbrite page. Free resources are available on their website and YouTube channel. If you would like to find out more or get involved, you can email Catherine directly at catherine@significantseams.org.uk.
