Hope College: compassion. The heart of our approach.
Compassion and Co-Production are the foundations of our philosophy and, combined with trust and honesty, we can thrive in our community together.
What is hope college and who is it for?
Hope College offers a variety of opportunities for clients, carers, and families of the Slough Community Mental Health Team to be involved with. If you get support from the CMHT, or you care for someone who does, then you are welcome to join Hope College at any time. As a student with us, it is your choice where you decide to start your journey depending on your needs.
Co-production is at the heart of everything we do at Hope College. This means clients, volunteer peer mentors, carers, and professionals work together to think about, develop, and present any new courses together on an equal basis.
All the courses at Hope College are co-designed, co-produced, and co-delivered and as a result promote our core values: providing hope, control, and opportunity for every student as they embark on their journey to better mental health. Our courses usually take place at New Horizons (Slough CMHT) with some online or at other locations in Slough. Please see below for more details or click here to see the available courses if you are logged in.
We are pleased to announce that Hope College is also open to people who use the Mental Health Integrated Community Service (MHICS) or BRAVE in addition to CMHT service users and Carers.
Hope College courses, workshops, and activities are provided under the following areas:
- Health and Wellbeing
- Creativity and Discovery
- Developing Skills and Knowledge
- Peer Support
- Carers Support
- Employment Support
- Transitions Pathway
What we do at hope college
Pathways: Workshops and Courses
We have several pathways that offer a variety of opportunities. It is your choice where you decide to start and the pathway you choose, depending on your needs. If you feel you need some guidance, please speak to a member of the Recovery Team.
Peer Support
The Volunteer Peer Mentor programme offers a unique opportunity for you to use your own experiences of mental health difficulties to support others. If you feel able to manage your mental health, and are ready for a challenge, you could apply to become a Volunteer Peer Mentor or Helping Hand. If you would like to talk to someone about this, please call a member of the Recovery Team.
Employment Support
To help support people who want to find paid work, we have set up an Individual Placement and Support employment service in Slough.
Work is good for your physical and mental health, and can play a vital role in the recovery of people with mental health conditions. Experience has shown that many people are able to work and pursue careers if they are properly supported.
If you would like to talk to someone about this, please call a member of the Recovery Team.
Carers
Slough’s Community Mental Health Team and its Older People’s Mental Health Team offer a number of different initiatives to support carers, including:
- Carer’s Assessments
- Carer Support groups
- Carer Education sessions
- Support and Signposting information to help manage your caring role.
- Hope College – If you are a carer of someone under the Adult Mental Health services please contact the Carer Support Worker at the Recovery Team. If you are a carer of someone under the Older Person’s Mental Health Team, please contact the OPMH team on 01753 635220.
- The Carer’s Forum – an opportunity to shape services.
Hope college your student journey
Beginning
Attend one of the Hope College Open Days
Sign-up for courses, workshops and/or activities of your choice
Start attending Hope College courses, workshops and/or activities
Review what you have learnt, and discuss what else would you like to attend?
Think about using your skills to help others; Volunteer Peer Mentoring or Helping Hands or volunteering in your local community
Discovering
Life beyond Hope College
Email us to sign up for the Open Day
Complete this form to enrol on courses
Wait for your confirmation email, then attend your course!
HOW CAN I ENROL
with Hope College?
Hope College usually holds an Open Day once a year, which we encourage all students to attend. Please note our Open Days are intended especially for people who use Slough Mental Health Services and their Carers. Here you can see what courses/activities are on offer, and decide which opportunities you would like to enrol onto. You will also have the opportunity to meet with Hope College’s other students, Volunteer Peer Mentors, Helping Hands, and staff.
Hope College Open Days are traditionally held in February every year. Don’t worry if you miss the Open Day, as you are still welcome to attend Hope College workshops and can enrol online (details below) or by picking up an enrolment form at New Horizons.
Although most workshops are now being held face-to-face with some online, we are still asking all service users and carers to sign up to our Enabling Town Slough login area.
The log in area now contains the most up-to-date information about our upcoming workshops and events and is the easiest way for you to enrol on new courses, so we highly encourage you to sign up. You can request login details and sign up to any courses by completing the form here. Once you’ve logged in, you can view some extra supportive material that we’ve created to help if you’re struggling, simply by clicking the “Supportive Material” button in the top menu. You can also view more details about any upcoming courses in the “Courses” section of the website.
If you already have login details, you can log in here.
If you have any further questions, please contact the Recovery Team.
USE YOUR OWN EXPERIENCE OF MENTAL HEALTH TO SUPPORT OTHERS
All our Volunteer Peer Mentors attend our ten week Volunteer Ready Induction course, which covers topics such as communication, boundaries and confidentiality. As well as preparing you for your role, the course provides you with the opportunity to meet new people and make new friends.
For more information and an informal chat, or to find out when the next course is, please contact the Recovery Team.
Frequently Asked Questions
Hope College is open to all Carers of students who are under the Slough Community Mental Health Team, as well as people who use BRAVE or MHICS. However, we ask that anyone who accompanies a student takes an active part in the course. Any supporters who accompany students will also need to complete their own enrolment form.
They run once a year and serve as a great introduction to our service. We usually hold an Open Day in February every year, and will send out details closer to the time. If you miss it, don’t worry! You can still sign up for Hope College groups by completing the form here.