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.
Hope College Enrolment Form
What is hope college and who is it for?
Learn about what we offer and get involved by reading this page to see if Hope College can support you. Hope College offers a variety of opportunities for service users, Carers, and families of the Slough Community Mental Health Services (CMHS). If you get support from any Community Mental Health Services, 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 service users, 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 CMHS) with some online or at other locations in Slough. You can enrol online by completing this form (or return a paper enrolment form to New Horizons if you prefer). You can also see upcoming workshops on our calendar further down this page.
Hope College is open to all Slough Community Mental Health Service users, including Slough Community Mental Health Team, the Slough Mental Health Integrated Community Service (MHICS), Slough Early Intervention in Psychosis, and Carers. Additionally, you can access Hope College up to one year after you are discharged back to your GP.
Hope College courses, workshops, and activities are provided under the following areas:
- Health and Wellbeing
- Creativity and Discovery
- Developing Knowledge and Skills
- 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 Hope College team. You may wish to complete an Individual Learning Plan with us to think about what courses would suit you best; please indicate this when you speak to us or tick the box on our enrolment form.
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 Hope College on 01753 690950.
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 the Hope College team or email IPS.Referrals@berkshire.nhs.uk.
Carers
Slough’s Community Mental Health Team and our 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 in the Hope College 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 our annual Hope College Open Day
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
Attend a Hope College Open Day
Wait for your confirmation emails, then attend your course!
JOIN OUR UPCOMING WORKSHOPS
Please see our calendar below, where you can click or tap on any date for more details. You can easily enrol online by filling out the enrolment form here. We hope to see you soon!
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 Hope College 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 or other Community Mental Health Services like MHICS. You are welcome to attend alone or with the person you support. 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. You can meet the Peer Mentors, our talented facilitators, and other students. If you miss the Open Day, don’t worry! You can still sign up for Hope College groups by completing the online form once the term has started.