Rethink Mental Illness

Who we are

As a leading charity provider of mental health services in England, people living with mental illness, and those who care for them, are at the heart of everything we do. They shape our expert advice, information, and around 90 services – everything from housing to community-based services. And they drive our campaigning to change the law and tackle discrimination. Together, we run over 130 local groups which provide vital peer support in the community.

Our culture and values

We know that people severely affected by mental illness can have a good quality of life. Our work to achieve this is guided by seven core values:

• Commitment.  We work tirelessly to provide support for everyone severely affected by mental illness. 
   
• Equity. We believe that in a world where discrimination and disadvantage exist treating people with equity is critical to ensure justice and fairness for all.
   
• Expertise. We constantly use our expertise to provide practical and personal support for people who are severely affected by mental illness.
   
• Hope. We offer hope of a better quality of life for all those severely affected by mental illness.
   
• Openness. We are open and transparent in all our work with beneficiaries, supporters, partners and the public to achieve change for people severely affected by mental illness. 
   
• Passion. We are passionate about leading the way to a better quality of life for everyone severely affected by mental illness.
   
• Understanding. People who are severely affected by mental illness are at the heart of everything we do in our organisation – our membership, our governance and our workforce.

Equality, diversity and inclusion policy

We believe that everyone should be treated with respect and dignity – and that’s why equity is one of our core values. We strive to prevent discrimination in our services, in our groups and in our workplaces so that everyone feels welcome and at ease.

Diversity is also important at Rethink Mental Illness; we appreciate difference through inclusiveness. It gives us a deeper understanding of the world and the needs of the people we’re working with. By including everyone our organisation is a better place and we can provide better services.

As an employer, we understand the importance of diversity and difference and we aim to be a fully inclusive organisation. We draw on the experiences and expertise of our staff to help shape and enrich our practices and services.

Equality and diversity are fundamental to our core beliefs and values. That’s why we welcome people from all ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, socio-economic classes, religions, disabilities and ages in everything we do.

From delivering mental health services, to campaigning for fairer treatment and equal rights, we aim to include the voices of people of from all ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, socio-economic classes, religions, disabilities and ages in our work.

How do we do this?

• By challenging the stigma and discrimination that people living with mental illness face.
   
• By including the views of people living with mental illness and their carers in our campaigns, communications, and service provision.
   
• By attracting and supporting a diverse work force that represent the communities that we work with.
   
• By providing our staff with comprehensive training so that they can support a diverse range of people.
   
• By promoting activities that encourage diversity within the charity, for example celebrating pride month and International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia.
   
• By regularly reviewing the knowledge and skills of our staff and updating our diversity policies and practises so they best match the diverse range of people who use our services and the wider community.
   
• By being open and thoughtful when we talk to others and encouraging everyone to deal with complex issues with courage, skill, and grace.
   
• By encouraging openness and allowing staff to bring their authentic self to the workplace and equip them with the skills and tools needed in their day-to-day roles.

We support diversity amongst our membership, people who use our services, staff and carers. We have Investors in People, A Mindful Employer and Disability Confident Employer accreditations which recognises our efforts to promote staff and service initiatives that meet the needs of all members of society.