International focus on young people's health On the 10-12th July at the University of Reading, delegates, including academics, policy makers, youth workers, dignitaries and members of the Commonwealth Secretariat were invited from across the Commonwealth to discuss the power of youth work. Over the course of three days there were presentations and breakout rooms where global youth work was discussed and learning was shared. Local voices Munya Badze, Kent and Medway System Youth Volunteering Project Manager, and Tamsyn Phillips, Lived Experience Lead for Young Adults for the Kent and Medway’s Children and Young People’s ICB were invited to present, and presented on building partnerships using the youth voice to support health outcomes for young people; an approach from Kent and Medway. Impact People fed back that they felt inspired and would definitely consider using lived experience in their work going forward, which is a positive step in the right direction in incorporating youth voice directly into youth work. Global networks were made and Munya and Tamsyn are looking forward to connecting further with fellow delegates.

Neurodiversity is highly misunderstood and is commonly understood as another term for autism. We have produced a resource for those wanting to understand or seek support for Neurodiversity. To introduce this we wanted to address some of the common myths and misunderstandings about autism. Autism is not an illness Being autistic does not mean you have an illness or disease. It means your brain works in a different way from other people. It's something you're born with, or first appears when you're very young. If you're autistic, you're autistic your whole life. Autism is not a medical condition with treatments or a 'cure'. But some people need support to help them with certain things. People with autism may act in a different way to other people. Autistic people may: find it hard to communicate and interact with other people find it hard to understand how other people think or feel find things like bright lights or loud noises overwhelming, stressful or uncomfortable get anxious or upset about unfamiliar situations and social events Take longer to understand information Do, or think, the same things over and over If you think you, or your child, may be autistic, you can get more advice about the signs of autism here. Being autistic does not have to stop you having a good life. Like everyone, autistic people have things they're good at as well as things they struggle with. Being autistic does not mean you can never make friends, have relationships or get a job. But you might need extra help with these things. We want to hear your story Have you or loved one experiences of neurodiversity and/or autism? We want to hear your story We’ve been working for several years now to try and improve the services that support people who have neurodiversity and/or autism, and their families. We can only do that if you tell us your story. We can use your story to make change happen. Get in touch here Where to get support: Find out where to get support here Download Neurodiversity resources here:

On the 25th of May, Kent and Medway Children and Young People’s ICB held a conference to start a conversation around young people’s mental health and wellbeing, which was co-organised by EK360’s Lived Experience Lead for Young Adults. The event was held at Repton Connect Community Centre in Ashford, and had a turn out of over 100 people, including stakeholders, young people, and volunteers from a local secondary school. The all-day event had speakers from TONIC, NHS England, Involve and more. In attendance were also members of LGBTQ+ support group Prysm and young counsellor Ruby Porter from the Faversham Counselling Service. However, the most striking speakers were the young people that had volunteered to share their experiences. Ryan, a service user at Involve, spoke to us about his experience of struggling with mental health issues, and explained how Involve had made a big difference in his life. Shivali shared with us her experience of having mental health issues through university, and how she struggled to find resources that helped – she now advocates for better resources and runs a student union group that supports others that are struggling with their mental health. Another notable presentation was held by two students from the Hundred of Hoo Academy. Tegan and Isabelle presented their experiences of being young people with mental health issues, and explained how they felt there was not enough support for young people dealing with these issues. They went above and beyond in their presentation, even demonstrating a survey that they had created, asking their fellow students whether they were satisfied with the support they had received from young people’s mental health services. The overwhelming response from the entire day was NO. At the end of the event, we were asked to fill out feedback forms and write down what we think ‘It would be better if...’ for the young adults mental health services. This will all be collated and anything actionable will then be used to inform what people want from future events. We will be continuing the conversation going forward.

Attendees, including the Leaders of both Medway & Kent County Council, applauded alongside senior representatives from every NHS organisation in Kent & Medway. Community and voluntary groups, as well as the individuals who had done the work, joined in the celebrations at Revelations in Ashford. 32 people and organisations were winners at the prestigious Healthwatch Recognition Awards amongst them were two awardees known to our Mental health Voice Network: East Kent Mind and a Team working around Lived Experience supported by the ICB/KMPT and EK360. We have put together profiles of these projects. They are built into a resource on Mental Health support covering: Guidance around Mental Health Crisis x2 Healthwatch heroes: Mental Health Links to further information

Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) , recently renamed as NHS Talking Therapies, wants to bring the voice of people who use the services to the heart of service development. Your feedback will be used to help shape and develop NHS Talking Therapies services and how they link into wider community mental health services. You need to read about this invitation to influence your service and share your thoughts if you are: Currently receiving therapy through NHS Talking Therapies Have been referred to NHS Talking Therapies and am currently on a waiting list Have been referred to NHS Talking Therapies in the past but was unable to use the service Previously received therapy through NHS Talking Therapies A survey has been co-produced by people who have used NHS Talking Therapies (Formerly IAPT) and the Mental Health Lived Experience Team hosted by EK360. EK360 is a community interest company based in Kent who work with health and social care organisations across Kent and Medway. To complete the survey and share your views click here. The current closing date for this survey is Friday 31st March. Your feedback will help us to shape the future of NHS Talking Therapies (formerly known as IAPT) across Kent & Medway. Recommendations will go to local NHS Talking Therapies providers about how the service can support its patients more effectively. The Mental Health Lived Experience Team are currently working with local commissioners to gather feedback about using the NHS Talking Therapies (formerly known as IAPT) service in Kent and Medway. All your feedback will be confidential and anonymised and will be used to inform the development of NHS Talking Therapies as well as the pathway between NHS Talking Therapies and Community Mental Health services as part of the Community Mental Health Framework Transformation. If you have any questions about the survey or would rather arrange a one to one chat with a member of the Lived Experience Team to discuss your experiences, please email livedexperience@ek360.co.uk and someone will be in touch with you in a few days.

This February and March, face to face and online opportunities are available to share your experiences and influence services for those in crisis around their mental health. Someone from NHS Kent and Medway will be available to listen on the following dates: In-person: Margate Media Centre Tuesday 28th February, 1pm Online: via Zoom Tuesday 7th March, 1pm Future meetings are hoped for in Ashford and Dover/Deal. The shape of Crisis care is extremely important to the Mental Health Community. SpeakUpCIC are hosting these two forums to allow you to share directly with NHS Kent and Medway NHS Kent and Medway is bringing people’s experiences together to help shape changes in Crisis care services and improve how Section 136 is included by the NHS as a form of response to mental health crisis. To be heard, please email aram@speakupcic.co.uk or maggie@speakupcic.co.uk or call 01843 448384 . State your preference for face to face or the online forum. You will be contacted prior to the forum to confirm details. If you are uncertain as to whether you have accessed Crisis Services or Care and want to learn more about Section 136, please click here

Find below a link to a resource put together for if you and loved ones are finding this season to be a time when you are seeking assistance. The booklet, produced by MEGAN CIC, includes local services available across the coming months.

If you live in Tonbridge There’s now a temporary Covid clinic in the Sovereign Way North Car Park. If you’re eligible for the autumn booster, they are open on Tuesday afternoon (2-6pm), Thursday afternoon (2-6pm) & Saturday mornings (9am – 2pm). You can just walk in, or book here If you live in Dover & Deal There are four temporary clinics, and they are all welcoming walk in appointments. You can find them at: Sundays at St James Retail Park in Dover from 10am to 4pm. Mondays at the Dover Health Centre from 10am to 4pm Tuesday at Deal Hospital 10am to 4pm. Wednesday at Buckland Hospital from 10am to 4pm If you are housebound GPs, pharmacists and community organisations are busy visiting people who are housebound to offer the autumn booster. It does take time to get round to everyone, so the NHS is asking people to be patient. They’re aiming to reach everyone who is eligible by early December. There is no need to chase your GP just yet.

The Council is considering raising our Council Tax by 3%. Although they have a budget of £1.8 billion for the year ahead, it's not enough to fund everything. The Council want to hear your thoughts about its proposals and help them decide how to spend their funds. Get more information and share your thoughts here