Safe Spaces Network

• Safe House Service
• Staffordshire Mental Health Helpline
  

Safe House Service

The Safe Spaces Network offers a safe space or sanctuary at weekends to people in mental distress or crisis for whom a hospital admission is neither wanted nor needed.

The Safe Spaces Network is available to people known to mental health services, aged 18 and over who are living in North Staffordshire. The service is open from 1pm on Fridays through to 1pm on Mondays, with extended opening over Bank Holidays.

• each house has four spacious bedrooms, each with a TV, armchair and wash basin
• downstairs communal areas
• snacks, meals and refreshments are all included
• disabled accessible room with ensuite washroom
• the service is fully funded with no cost to customers

What services are available?

• fully trained, non-medical staff are available at all times to offer support and a listening ear
• we respect a person’s right to privacy so there is no compulsion to mix or join in
  
• recreational activities are available (eg: arts & crafts, board games, music, relaxation techniques etc.)
  
• on the first weekend of each month we offer an all-female house and an all-male house for people who may prefer a single-gender environment

How do I access the Safe Spaces Network?

• an initial referral to the service will come from:
  Social Worker or CPN
  Psychiatrist or GP
  Emergency Duty Team or Crisis Team
• customers can then self-refer up to three times
• customers can be re-referred at times of crisis or distress
• advance referrals can be made where someone feels that the service may be appropriate for them to use in the future

Our Statement of Expectations:

While you are at the house, you will be treated with total respect. In return, we ask you to respect the house and other people in it.

Brunswick House is located in Hanley, and Phoenix House is in Tunstall, together serving the whole of North Staffordshire.

For further information please contact:
The Safe Spaces Scheme Manager (01782) 811815

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Staffordshire Mental Health Helpline

Staffordshire Mental Health Helpline provides a ‘safe place’ to talk through your worries and concerns about your own mental health or that of someone close to you.

Calls to the Helpline are confidential and anonymous. You can talk for free – if you call from a mobile you may be charged, so ask the call team to call you back.

The service is available from Monday to Friday 7.00pm to 2.00am and from 2.00pm to 2.00am Saturday and Sunday.

Alternatively you can send us an email at staffordshire.helpline@virgin.net E-mail enquiries will be answered within 48 hours.

When all line are busy or closed, you can leave a message on the answer phone and we will get back to you within 24 hours.

Ring Out Service

Sometimes it can make things easier to know that there is ongoing regular support. We can ring you ‘out of hours’ over the weekend at a time that best suits you, to provide support as part of your care plan.

The Ring Out service is available by a professional referral (GP, CPN, Psychiatrist, Social Worker etc.

Carer's Ring Out Service

If you are a carer in contact with mental health services in Staffordshire, we can also provide a Ring Out service, via a written referral from carer’s assessment worker, social worker or health care professional.

Call us on: 0808 800 2234

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