The Stratford Declaration
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The Stratford Declaration
We, the undersigned, require that Mind fulfil its obligations to service users/survivors by undertaking the following items. We do not believe that any of the items mentioned are unreasonable and furthermore believed these to be a necessary part of the good governance of any organisation. It is of great concern to us that Mind is operating without such an understanding.
Citizenship rights
Mind is not only a mental health charity, but is also a campaigning organisation. One of its roles is to not only support service users /survivors, but also to embrace our full participation within society-a role for which mind has recently received 17 million worth of funding to fulfil. Consequently, we believe service users/survivors should have the same rights within Mind as Mind is campaigning for us to hold within society.
Key Principles
1) We believe that all disabled people have an inalienable right to citizenship and it is a fundamental responsibility of Mind to support and enhance our ability to exercise both the rights and responsibilities of citizenship within its structures.
2) We believe everyone is worthy of respect and entitled to full citizenship within Mind irrespective of impairment, race, ethnicity, gender identity or sexuality or legal status under mental health or mental capacity legislation.
3) We believe that disabled people should not be prevented from being Trustees of Mind or Trustees of Local Mind Associations.
4) We believe that all the members of Minds Networks should have a vote within election processes.
5) We believe that Service Users/Survivors have a right to define our own identity and that our identity should be given the same respect as any other identity.
6) We believe that all of Minds actions and Policies should be informed by the Social Model of Disability.
7) We believe that transparency is the foundation of good governance and that consequently assessment of the skills of prospective Trustees should be by objective criteria within the context of a publicly verifiable electoral system.
8) We believe that everyone has a right to an Advocate of their choosing.
9) That Mind meets the same standards as it requires of Local Mind Associations.
10) That Mind is one of Europes largest mental health charities, and that its professional standards and committee procedures should reflect this.
In order for Mind to incorporate these principles in its work we believe that the following recommendations need be implemented by Mind.
That Mind should recognise the existence of two separate groups within its organisation people who experience mental distress (the 1 in 4) and Service User/Survivors (disabled people), and that these two groups of people should both be treated with respect and have equal rights within the organisation.
Mind must meet the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act and adopt an inclusive approach to disabled people.
Mind staff should receive full training in meeting the requirements of the DDA and records need to be kept of any pre-identified reasonable adjustments or needs.
In order to meet the requirements of transparency in the election process, Mind should stop vetting candidates prior to the election, and instead give the electorate information about candidates skills and experience, to allow an informed choice, and to ensure that all people legally able to stand are able to do so if they wish.
Where Service Users/Survivors (or other disabled people) have chosen to stand for election, Mind staff should support these applications by providing additional support and assistance.
Skill levels of Trustee election candidates and Council of Management members should be assessed by objective, verifiable criteria set by an independent body, membership of which must include service users/survivors.
That volunteers, Trustees and staff, after election or appointment, have a personalised assessment of their individual training needs for their role, and access to training to support this assessment.
That Mind should carry out a review of its members, especially lifetime members, to ensure the list of voting members is fully up to date.
Operational policies and procedures
That clear policies and procedures be established for the safeguarding of vulnerable adults within the work environment.
That clear policies and procedures be established to cope with issues of Fitness to Practice, to apply to volunteers, Trustees and paid members of staff, especially where a person has responsibility to manage staff or volunteers.
That clear policies and procedures be established for conflicts of interest, to apply to volunteers, Trustees and paid members of staff. These should include guidance on personal relationships where a power imbalance exists (for example between a member of staff and a volunteer, or between members of staff within a section).
That Mind needs to establish a source of independent advocacy, to be accessed by anyone making a complaint.
That a contract be established for Mind volunteers, as a record of their rights and responsibilities. This should include rights to training, to representation by a Union, access to the staff complaints procedure, to be free from harassment and intimidation, and the right to be treated with the same respect as paid staff of Mind.
That Minds policies and procedures (including complaints) be subject to independent assessment at regular intervals.
Governance processes
That Minds Committee operations should meet the same standards as applied across the public sector, with training on Chairing committees, committee roles and responsibilities and producing minutes available for all staff.
That clarification of staffs role in governance needs to be made, with clear distinctions drawn.
That while paid members of staff might have a committee advisory role, the responsibility for committee operation should lie with the committee chair, in consultation with committee members. This covers the agenda, the committee operation and decision making, and includes the responsibility to redraft the committees own Terms of Reference, in appropriate circumstances.
The standard in the Quality Review process restricting the number of Service User/Survivors as Trustees of Local Mind Associations be withdrawn.
We, the undersigned, require that Mind fulfil its obligations to service users/survivors by undertaking the following items. We do not believe that any of the items mentioned are unreasonable and furthermore believed these to be a necessary part of the good governance of any organisation. It is of great concern to us that Mind is operating without such an understanding.
Citizenship rights
Mind is not only a mental health charity, but is also a campaigning organisation. One of its roles is to not only support service users /survivors, but also to embrace our full participation within society-a role for which mind has recently received 17 million worth of funding to fulfil. Consequently, we believe service users/survivors should have the same rights within Mind as Mind is campaigning for us to hold within society.
Key Principles
1) We believe that all disabled people have an inalienable right to citizenship and it is a fundamental responsibility of Mind to support and enhance our ability to exercise both the rights and responsibilities of citizenship within its structures.
2) We believe everyone is worthy of respect and entitled to full citizenship within Mind irrespective of impairment, race, ethnicity, gender identity or sexuality or legal status under mental health or mental capacity legislation.
3) We believe that disabled people should not be prevented from being Trustees of Mind or Trustees of Local Mind Associations.
4) We believe that all the members of Minds Networks should have a vote within election processes.
5) We believe that Service Users/Survivors have a right to define our own identity and that our identity should be given the same respect as any other identity.
6) We believe that all of Minds actions and Policies should be informed by the Social Model of Disability.
7) We believe that transparency is the foundation of good governance and that consequently assessment of the skills of prospective Trustees should be by objective criteria within the context of a publicly verifiable electoral system.
8) We believe that everyone has a right to an Advocate of their choosing.
9) That Mind meets the same standards as it requires of Local Mind Associations.
10) That Mind is one of Europes largest mental health charities, and that its professional standards and committee procedures should reflect this.
In order for Mind to incorporate these principles in its work we believe that the following recommendations need be implemented by Mind.
That Mind should recognise the existence of two separate groups within its organisation people who experience mental distress (the 1 in 4) and Service User/Survivors (disabled people), and that these two groups of people should both be treated with respect and have equal rights within the organisation.
Mind must meet the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act and adopt an inclusive approach to disabled people.
Mind staff should receive full training in meeting the requirements of the DDA and records need to be kept of any pre-identified reasonable adjustments or needs.
In order to meet the requirements of transparency in the election process, Mind should stop vetting candidates prior to the election, and instead give the electorate information about candidates skills and experience, to allow an informed choice, and to ensure that all people legally able to stand are able to do so if they wish.
Where Service Users/Survivors (or other disabled people) have chosen to stand for election, Mind staff should support these applications by providing additional support and assistance.
Skill levels of Trustee election candidates and Council of Management members should be assessed by objective, verifiable criteria set by an independent body, membership of which must include service users/survivors.
That volunteers, Trustees and staff, after election or appointment, have a personalised assessment of their individual training needs for their role, and access to training to support this assessment.
That Mind should carry out a review of its members, especially lifetime members, to ensure the list of voting members is fully up to date.
Operational policies and procedures
That clear policies and procedures be established for the safeguarding of vulnerable adults within the work environment.
That clear policies and procedures be established to cope with issues of Fitness to Practice, to apply to volunteers, Trustees and paid members of staff, especially where a person has responsibility to manage staff or volunteers.
That clear policies and procedures be established for conflicts of interest, to apply to volunteers, Trustees and paid members of staff. These should include guidance on personal relationships where a power imbalance exists (for example between a member of staff and a volunteer, or between members of staff within a section).
That Mind needs to establish a source of independent advocacy, to be accessed by anyone making a complaint.
That a contract be established for Mind volunteers, as a record of their rights and responsibilities. This should include rights to training, to representation by a Union, access to the staff complaints procedure, to be free from harassment and intimidation, and the right to be treated with the same respect as paid staff of Mind.
That Minds policies and procedures (including complaints) be subject to independent assessment at regular intervals.
Governance processes
That Minds Committee operations should meet the same standards as applied across the public sector, with training on Chairing committees, committee roles and responsibilities and producing minutes available for all staff.
That clarification of staffs role in governance needs to be made, with clear distinctions drawn.
That while paid members of staff might have a committee advisory role, the responsibility for committee operation should lie with the committee chair, in consultation with committee members. This covers the agenda, the committee operation and decision making, and includes the responsibility to redraft the committees own Terms of Reference, in appropriate circumstances.
The standard in the Quality Review process restricting the number of Service User/Survivors as Trustees of Local Mind Associations be withdrawn.
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