17 May Teamwork Trust announces end to counselling and wellbeing services
Counselling and wellbeing services will no longer be provided by Northamptonshire charity Teamwork Trust – with trustees announcing their decision to focus on the organisation’s day service provision.
Teamwork Trust, first set up 40 years ago, has centres in Corby, Kettering and Wellingborough and works with autistic adults, people with learning disabilities and individuals with mental health needs. Alongside this, the charity has historically also offered a counselling service and wellbeing programme to the wider community.
Ceri Davies, Chair of Trustees, explained: “This has been a very difficult decision, but given the current funding climate, our trustees could no longer see how counselling and wellbeing could be financially sustained in 2023 and beyond.
“There are significant financial pressures affecting the charitable sector, both locally and nationally, and although we are very disappointed to be making this decision we are also focused, determined and excited about the future of our organisation.
“Arrangements have been put in place so that all of Teamwork Trust’s counselling clients can complete their allotted sessions within the organisation and I am extremely grateful for the flexibility and co-operation of the affected staff members who have made this possible. In addition, we are planning to ensure that members of the community who may have wanted to access both our counselling and wellbeing services in the future are correctly signposted to other providers.”
Teamwork Trust’s counselling clients have all been contacted and are able to complete their allotted sessions within the organisation and with their allocated counsellor. Similarly, all of Teamwork Trust’s well-being programmes will continue until their planned end.
Individuals seeking further support – whether counselling sessions or wellbeing classes – are being referred to appropriate, Northamptonshire-based organisations, including Mental Health Northants Collaboration (MHNC), a group of established voluntary sector providers of mental health services in Northamptonshire.
As a result of this announcement, a small number of posts within Teamwork Trust have been made redundant, resulting in three staff leaving the organisation as of this month.
Helen Burdett-Wright, Chief Executive of Teamwork Trust, said: “I would also like to thank everyone for their professionalism and sensitivity during this recent period of change. This has been a challenging time for all and I am so grateful for the hard work and commitment of our counselling and wellbeing staff.
“Although this has been a difficult decision it does mean we are now firmly focused on our exceptional day service provision – providing our ever-growing number of service users with a full programme of engaging living and learning projects and activities.
“Alongside this, we are committed to ensuring that members of the community who may have wanted to access our counselling and wellbeing are now looked after and correctly signposted to other providers.”
- Find out about Teamwork Trust’s day service provision by watching service users in action here: https://youtu.be/N4NfoAxRBJk
- To find out about counselling and wellbeing services available in Northamptonshire visit the Mental Health Northants Collaboration (MHNC) here: https://www.mhnc.uk