The Richmond Foundation offers a comprehensive support package to people experiencing mental health problems and extends this support to their families and other people in their support network.
The European Social Fund (ESF)’s support has enabled Richmond’s Maltese programme to ensure people receive targeted assistance as early as possible – resulting in the best outcome for both the individual and their community.
Co-financed courses for early detection of mental health issues among teenagers and young adults increase the chances of persons with mental health issues to successfully integrate into society: nearly 50-75% of mental health issues are generally present between 15-20 years old, and active and early treatment are vital to building the care network those affected need to thrive in their communities.
Expanded training through the programme has equipped participants with first-aid, mental health skills and tools. The training is accessible to all, educational staff, parents and young people themselves. The Foundation has developed learning material (videos, manuals, online learning platform, mobile apps), and offers courses for young people and adults in 6 schools so far, with the objective to train 20% of staff and students, giving these institutions the best chances for early detection and treatment.
The Foundation has also expanded awareness training, helped mental-health professionals to apply their training, and has built a comprehensive study on COVID’s impact on mental health. Results show that young adults and teenagers were the most affected, together with older persons and people who lost their job during the pandemic. Following these results, the hotline and online chat of the foundation have been made available 24/7.
Founded in 1993 by Anthony Guillaumier, the Foundation has established itself as Malta’s leading NGO in the provision of community services for people with mental health problems. It is a member of the Global Alliance of Mental Illness Advocacy Networks–Europe (GAMIAN-Europe), the European Anti-Poverty Network, the Malta Federations of NGOs and the Malta Health Network.
Project details
- Project name
- Mental health first aid for Youth, Mental health well-being centre for familiies with young people.
- Countries
- Malta
- Organisation
- Richmond Malta
- Project start
- 2017
- Project end
- 2022
- Total budget
- EUR 550 114
- EU Budget contribution
- EUR 440 091.20