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Gofal Cymru aims to offer an alternative and innovative approach in the design, development and delivery of services which complement those offered by other service providers and stand out as unique and exemplar models in the field of mental health service provision.

Working within a model that promotes independence and recovery, Gofal aims to provide services that are flexible and responsive to individual need and which result in making a positive difference to those experiencing mental ill health.

We offer a range of projects and services providing support for people experiencing mental ill health. Our portfolio of services differs in each local authority area.  Our main types of services are:

• Cardiff Crisis House
• Tenancy / Floating Support
• Supported / Shared Housing
• Housing Support and Advice
• Hospital to Home Scheme
• Social and Emotional Out of Hours Support
• Employment Support Services
• Work Preparation
• Family Support
• The Gateway Project - Newport

Cardiff Crisis House

The Community Crisis House, located in Cardiff, marks a significant milestone in the provision of community based mental health services. The Community Crisis House opened in late August 2006, serving Cardiff and the Eastern/Central Vale of Glamorgan. Jointly funded by the Cardiff and Vale Local Health Boards and the Big Lottery Fund, the project represents a unique collaborative approach between Gofal Cymru and Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust.

The very first project of its type in Wales, the Community Crisis House aims to provide a genuine alternative to acute psychiatric admission for those who have reached a point of crisis in their mental health. Providing 24 hour short-term, social, emotional and practical support, in a safe and comfortable environment, the service aims to assist people in the recovery of their mental health without the potentially stigmatising effects of entering a psychiatric unit.

The project forms part of a broader provision of newly established crisis services in Cardiff and the Eastern/Central Vale of Glamorgan.

For further information contact Richard Bundy, Area Manager, on 02920 453840. 

Tenancy / Floating Support  

Our tenancy support projects are designed to enable people experiencing mental ill health to live independently in their own homes within their community.  Support is tailored to the individual but might include addressing rent arrears and debt resolution, community and social integration, access to other services such as GPs, counselling, psychiatrists and accessing training and employment opportunities.

View case studies on this service.

The tenancy support project is available in the following areas:

Swansea
Neath Port Talbot
Cardiff
Rhondda Cynon Taff
Blaenau Gwent 
Caerphilly
Merthyr Tydfil
The Vale of Glamorgan
Torfaen.

Download the leaflet. Or go to contact us page

Supported / Shared Housing  

Gofal Cymru works in partnership with housing associations to provide both supported and shared housing.  Services are provided to people with longer term mental health needs which prevent them from managing a tenancy on their own.  Support is tailored to the individual but might include assistance with daily living skills, advocacy, emotional support and budgeting advice. The aim is to enable users of this service to move on to more independent living in mainstream housing. 

You can refer yourself to this service or you can ask a friend, relative, GP, nurse, psychiatrist, social worker or any other person to contact us on your behalf.

Shared / Supported Housing is available in the following areas:

Bridgend
Rhondda Cynon Taff
Blaenau Gwent
Caerphilly
Merthyr Tydfil

Download the leaflet. Or go to contact us page

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Housing Support and Advice

Consists of a team of housing support and advice workers who can provide information, advice and short term support to people who have experience of mental illhealth and help them to resolve their housing issues.

This project is for people who are: homeless, in rent or mortgage arrears, at risk of losing their homes and in need of help to keep their tenancies, in need of more suitable housing, in need of housing related benefits advice or experiencing problems with their landlord.

You can refer yourself to this service or you can ask a friend, relative, GP, nurse, psychiatrist, social worker or any other person to contact us on your behalf. 
 View case studies for this service.

Housing Support and Advice is available in the following areas:

Neath Port Talbot
Caerphilly
Merthyr Tydfil
Blaenau Gwent
Rhondda Cynon Taff
The Vale of Glamorgan
Torfaen.

Go to contact us page.

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Hospital to Home Scheme

This service operates in Newport only and is delivered in partnership with Newport City Council.  This service is for people who are returning home after psychiatric in-patient treatment or who may not have a home to return to.

The service can assist by providing an assessment of housing need, a housing health check, access to housing services and identifying and co-ordinating ongoing support to enable service users to sustain their tenancies and prevent homelessness.

For more information on this service please contact our Torfaen office.

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Social and Emotional Out of Hours Support  

This service provides emotional and social support to people experiencing mental ill health living in their own homes within the county borough of Bridgend.  The service is available 365 days a year and operates between Monday and Friday 5.00pm until 9.00pm and Saturday and Sunday between 9am and 5pm. The aims of the service are to prevent crisis, increase independence, decrease loneliness and social isolation and to reduce the need for hospital admissions.

You can refer yourself to this service or ask a friend, relative, GP, Nurse, Social Worker, CPN or any other person to contact us on your behalf.  View case studies for this service.  

This project is available in Bridgend only. Click here for contact details for the Bridgend office.

Download the leaflet or go to contact us page

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Employment Support Services

Mental ill health affects one in four people and is expected to be the main reason for absence from work by 2020.

Gofal Cymru offers a range of services that provide practical support and advice to employers, employees and people currently not working but who are aiming to return to the workplace.

Services include

• One-to-one individually tailored support
• Advice and support to line managers dealing with mental ill health
• Bespoke mental health awareness and employment training courses

Some of these services - Work Preparation and Job Retention - can be provided through Gofal Cymru's contract with the Job CentrePlus.  Further information on Work Preparation is below.

If you would like further information on our Employment Support Services then please contact our Central Office on 01656 647722.  You can also download a copy of our joint report with the College of Occupational Therapists  "Working for Wellbeing".

Work Preparation

Gofal Cymru offers a service to help people with mental health problems identify and return to suitable work. This service is funded by Job Centre Plus and operates across the Rhondda Cynon Taff and Bridgend County Borough areas.

In order to be referred to the project service users need to make an appointment with the Disability Employment Advisor (DEA) or the Incapacity Benefits Personal Advisor (IBPA) at their local Jobcentre to discuss whether this service is appropriate and to obtain a referal.

The service can offer the following support:

• Ongoing support and advice
• Advocating and job searching on your behalf
• Ongoing contact and training with the Job Coach whilst you are in employment
•  Regular updating of your CV

This service is available in the following areas:
Bridgend
Rhondda Cynon Taff
Maesteg

Download the leaflet or contact the Jobcentre switchboard to speak to an advisor on 01656 682400.
Alternatively you can contact the Job Coach at Bridgend office for further information. 

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Family Support

This service provides support to families where one parent or a person looking after children is experiencing mental ill health or where circumstances are affecting their mental health. The service provided is short term with the aim of achieving specified goals within a 6 month period. Support is available for people in a range of housing circumstances such as private rented, housing association, council and owner occupier. Support can include: daily living skills (cooking, cleaning etc), advocacy, community integration, property maintenance, budgeting, emotional support, and accessing other services to develop parenting skills.

This service particularly encourages referrals from users who have little or no statutory mental health support. You can refer yourself or ask a friend, family member, GP, CPN, social worker or any other person to contact us on your behalf.

This service is available in Caerphilly only. Please contact Caerphilly office for further information.

The Gateway Project - Newport

This project is a new initiative of Gofal Cymru which aims to help people with serious mental illness access meaningful daytime activities.  This could be anything from leisure and recreation to paid employment or volunteering.  We have 2 support workers, Sandra and Robbie, a part-time administrator, Lorraine, a volunteer coordinator, Burhan, and project coordinator, Linda.

Other aspects of this service will be to deliver Mental Health First Aid training, and a self-management programme for service users.

We became operational from July and the project is funded for 3 years by the Big Lottery ‘mental health matters' fund.  It is also the first Gofal Cymru project dedicated to vocational support.

It is a person centred service which aims to empower people and enable them to move between mental health organisations and mainstream services and uses the service user experience to inform its development.

Download the leaflet

If you would like to know more about the project please contact:

Linda Wilks, Project Coordinator, 25 Railway Street, Newport, Gwent. NP26 3AW.
T:01633 225880 / 07766202419

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