Cumbria Community Foundation - Furness: Opportunities and Challenges 2021

F U R N E S S – O P P O R T U N I T I E S & C H A L L E N G E S 19 Self-Harm Awareness For All (SAFA) provides counselling and support for those who self-harm, and for their families and carers. The Barrow-based charity’s primary goal is to empower individuals to take responsibility for their own lives through non-judgmental counselling and trusting support. Demand for SAFA’s counselling service has risen significantly in recent years, with the majority of referrals being for 11 to 19 year olds. Chairman Ian Burns said: “I think there is a growing need for this type of service across society in general as public awareness is raised, the stigma of admitting mental wellbeing issues is reduced, family relationships become more complex and the effects of social media exacerbate problems for some people. There is also much greater prevalence of mental wellbeing issues being seen in younger children. “There are several reasons that might contribute to the area having a particular need for our services. “There is probably a greater than average problem with substance abuse in the town which can correlate highly with mental wellbeing issues. “I think if we add the unemployment rate plus those unable to work due to ill health or incapacity then this is likely to be higher than average, again with some level of increased risk due to this. “And the geographical position of Barrow is maybe an issue too - it is not easy to access larger cities, there are fewer opportunities, and it is easier for issues of conflict to emerge and sustain in smaller places.” SAFA supports people through counselling with the number of sessions entirely dependent on the specific case - it is not an “off the shelf” fixed solution. As with many other charities, it is reliant on the benevolence of organisations who grant funds to charities as well as volunteer staff members. The future of the service, as ever, relies on securing a steady income stream and Mr Burns can’t stress enough how important the charity is for Furness and Cumbria as a whole. He said: “The whole system appears sub-optimal with too much fragmentation, too many people chasing too little funding, and no clarity of the overall operating model.” “We are improving our operational excellence progressively and continually getting better at everything we do, but there is little recognition of the growing demographic time bomb we have, nor of the impact of poor mental health on the wider economy and on other Government services.” Chairman Ian Burns Self Harm Awareness for All (SAFA)