InnoMent Project

The project implementation in Finland is extended, until 30.6.2023.

Initial project plan (1.6.2019-31.5.2022):

Joint Development of Innovative Mental Health Services in St. Petersburg, Russia, and South East Finland 

JUSTIFICATION / IDENTIFICATION OF THE PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED

Mental health problems are a growing thread to the society in the modern industrialized world. It is also an economic problem, too. An essential part of the work force is at risk to suffer from mental health issues and disorder. According to some estimates almost 50 % of the population faces mental health problems at some period of their life time. Those with mental illness often experience problems such as isolation, discrimination and stigma. Social problems commonly associated with mental illness include poverty, unemployment or reduced productivity and homelessness.

OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT

The InnoMent -project aims to develop new innovative approaches and service modules supporting persons rehabilitating from mental health disorder. The project partners together acquire information on the best practices in mental health work in Finland, Russia, as well as elsewhere in Europe -especially information on recovery-oriented practices. The partners develop innovative approaches and service modules based on the information gained and bench marked practices, to be piloted in their own organisations. The outcome and the results will be disseminated regionally and nationally in Finland and Russia.

The project partners expect by their experience and earlier development work, that in long term this process/project supports the start of new practices and approaches in mental health work in both countries. This will, in long term also, have a positive impact on the socioeconomic situation on both regions and countries. Persons who have suffered from mental health disorder can be included as active members of the society and possibly also to the working life.

IMPACT / EXPECTED CHANGE TO THE CURRENT T SITUATION

The InnoMent -project is a learning process on several levels. On individual level the innovative approaches and new practices developed in the project support encouraging and inclusive processes in mental health rehabilitation, enabling feelings of success and increased self-confidence. On organisational level the project enables innovative development of services and improved professionalskills of the workers.

The project offers models for improved practices in the mental health services on regional and national level both in Finland and Russia, and a strengthened development partnership between renown partner organisations in the cross-border regions.

One essential aspect in the project is, that service users (clients recovering from mental health disorder) also directly participate in the development work: planning and piloting, as well as give feedback of their experiences.

There are four stages to spreading the impact of the project:

1. Development work between project partners
2. Piloting the results of development work in partner organsations
3. Evaluation and modeling of piloting
4. Dissemination of models outside partner organisations

This is the most important aspect of the project's continuity. All the project partners are committed to developing and disseminating operational models after the project. This means that the outputs of the projector are disseminated in partner countries through training and workshops. Effects are presented and trained, among others, Psychiatric Hospitals and Psychological Dispansers of St. Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast. In Finland, impacts are presented and trained to mental health and cultural organisations and public sector actors.

In addition to project partners, public authorities and other experts are invited to participate in the project to develop and promote the impact of the project. Briefings and negotiations form an important part of the work during and after the project.

Practical tools to spread the project's impact include:

1. Seminars
2. Workshops
3. Publications where work patterns are described
4. Training local trainers
5. Collaboration with the media

TARGET GROUPS AND BENEFICIARIES

The core target groups are mental health organisations participating in the project, their directors and workers and clients, as well as the social surroundings of the clients, family members, friends etc.

Furthermore, the project has an impact on the decision makers in mental health care. The project also seeks to cause a positive long-term impact on the metal health of the general population. This will have a positive impact on the economy, too.

MAIN OUTPUTS

The core output are the new approaches and service modules in mental health rehabilitation services developed during the project and utilized by the project partners also after the project. The project will disseminate the outcome and the results in seminars and round table discussions both in Finland and Russia.

Dissemination includes lectures and discussions to decision makers in mental health sector on regional and national level in both Finland and Russia. Project output includes articles in professional mental health sector publications, as well as study material / lectures for educational organisations training professionals in mental health work.

APPROACH AND ACTIVITIES

The InnoMent -project is a joint learning process. The learners include the partner organisations, their directors and workers and their clients. The project is expected to have an impact on the processes and activities in the partner organisations, the social surroundings of the clients and also on the decision makers in mental health care. The experiences, outcome and results of the project can be easily utilized by other actors in the mental health sector, both in Finland and Russia.

The project activities cover:

• Joint benchmarking, knowledge acquisition, study visits, exchange experiences, lectures and training on best practices (especially the Recovery Oriented Approach) in mental health work in Finland, Russia and elsewhere in Europe.

• Discussions, training sessions, workshops and conclusions on experienced best practices in mental health work together with the partner organisations and planning of new innovative activities and approaches in the mental health rehabilitation work in each partner organization. Besides training sessions scheduled into the InnoMent project plan, an essential part of the training will be implemented as normal in-house training and within team meetings in the partner organizations. This "normal" training, with topics of the InnoMent project, follows the in-house training and team meeting schedules of each partner organisation.

• Piloting of the innovative approaches, activities and service modules in the partner organisations, based on the joint planning. Visits from partner organisations from Russia and Finland (including clients, and mental health workers) to get an introduction to, experience and give feedback on the new piloted services.

• Evaluating, summing up, reflecting and documenting the experiences and lessons learned from the project activities. Writing articles to mental health publications, production of lecture- and training material, preparing meetings with decision makers for mental health services.

• Dissemination of the outcome (information on new approaches, service modules, their impact and experiences) to be utilized by other mental health- and educational organisations, as well as informing decision makers regionally and nationally in Finland and Russia. Seminars, round table discussions, publications, lectures and training sessions.

BENEFIT OF CROSS BORDER COOPERATION

Mental health issues are a present and future thread to the society and economy both in Finland and Russia. A thread that is unfortunately in public only rarely expressed or widely acknowledged. The partner organisations are renown for the high quality of their work in their own regions. The project with the cross-border cooperation program funding enables an exceptional opportunity to tackle this common problem, discuss and develop solutions together, based on joint studying of best practices in mental health work in both countries and in the EU and outside the EU.