Blog | Middlesbrough Voluntary Development Agency

Update on Community Mental Health Transformation in Middlesbrough

8 February 2024 - 2:53pm

By Emma Howitt, Chief Executive Officer at Teesside Mind

A group of 9 local VCOs are continuing to work with Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Mental Health Trust (TEWV) to improve the quality and availability of mental health support in our communities. This is part of a national NHS transformation programme.

We're 18 months into the programme and 9 months into delivery. On a day-to-day basis, making changes to the way organisations work together can feel quite slow; but when we look back over the 18 months, we know it's progressing really successfully.

Universal Credit – support for Managed Migration in Teesside

8 February 2024 - 2:32pm

From Ticket Office Closures to Changes to Welfare

From a summer last year of challenging (successfully) the planned train ticket office closures, Disabled People Against Cuts North East (DPAC NE) is now helping to support people who are entitled to ‘legacy benefits’ navigate onto Universal Credit (UC).

Embarking on a Journey: A New Starter's Experience at MVDA

1 February 2024 - 10:44am

Joining a new organisation is always an exciting and nerve wracking time. As I recently became a part of the Middlesbrough Voluntary Development Agency (MVDA), I want to share my initial impressions and experiences as a new starter in this vibrant and community-focused environment.

Creating a Deaf and Disabled Persons Organisation in South Tees

2 November 2023 - 3:21pm

There are 14 million Disabled people in the UK, and we make up a fifth of the population. However we are not a homogenous group and have different impairments, are different genders, sexual orientations, come from different backgrounds, and live different lives. It is true that some of us experience greater injustice than others, but we have many things in common. We all want to live in an inclusive society where everyone has a fulfilling life and feels connected and valued.

Men: it is okay to talk...

3 August 2023 - 3:29pm

From time to time in this job, I encounter people whose lives have been turned upside down by unfathomable circumstances. I spoke with Suzanne Julian at the Headlight Project last week and it just reminded me of how important it is to pause and think about how we are feeling – men in particular are much less likely to speak about things that are troubling them.

Founded in memory of Russ Devereux, the Headlight Project aims to reduce the number of deaths by suicide in the Tees Valley area through therapy of those bereaved by suicide and preventative education and training.