Maan Somali Mental Health Sheffield

Maan Somali Mental Health provides a bilingual (English and Somali) mental health service, which works to improve well-being in the Sheffield Somalis and BME.

About Maan:

Maan Somali Mental Health Sheffield provides culturally sensitive services to members of the Somali community and other BME and refugee communities experiencing mental health problems. (Taken from our Charity Commission entry)

History of Maan:

It was 1992 when a Somali Mental Health Project was set up. The purpose of this project was to address the difficulties and issues facing migrant and refugee Somali Community in Sheffield to help meet their needs in accessing appropriate mental health and social support services. In addressing complex ongoing needs in the community, Maan Somali Mental Health, as we became, developed experience in approaching user needs in a holistic manner. The focus of our support and guidance included their physical health, welfare and benefits and access to training/socialising to help them on their way to independence and dignity.  Maan SMHS continue to believe that all these areas of well-being are fundamental to recovery.
Maan also has always had an open-door information and signposting policy for members of other communities, BAME and refugees, in alleviating the plight of those experiencing trauma and other mental health problems.

Maan’s Aims

  1. Be the first point of contact for both service users and providers, facilitating access to mainstream mental health and related services in the public sector 
  2. Support our local NHS provide appropriate culturally sensitive services to the community and help services access community
  3. Provide advice, basic counselling and information for adults with mental health problems and those experiencing post-traumatic stress, including refugees and asylum seekers
  4. Help with interpreting, home visits and accompanying service users to hospital and GP appointments, social services and the police as needed.
  5. Provide advocacy and support in dealing with Mental Health Tribunals and other legal proceedings, including case reviews
  6. Reducing the unnecessary uptake of hospital beds, A&E facilities and ambulances through enabling early interventions,
  7. supporting the implementation of the Care Programme Approach (CPA) and working closely with the Community Mental Health Teams (CMHTs). CPA is a framework used to assess each person’s self-identified needs. And make sure that you have support for your needs.