Mersey Care is seeking to commission members of the third sector (non-governmental and not for profit organisations) and voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSE) to run two crisis cafes covering St Helens and Knowsley and Halton and Warrington.
The cafes should be based within the two areas, two of the most deprived communities in Cheshire and Merseyside and should be operational no later than 1 September 2025. They should serve each area for an 18-month period and aim to provide a safe place for people experiencing mental health crisis because of social stressors. They also need to have accessible transport links that support service users to gain easy access.
The crisis cafes should be operational seven days a week, offering service up to and including midnight each day and the funding available for each area is a maximum of £200,000 per annum.
The cafes aim to provide open access for individuals who require immediate non-clinical interventions, providing adults experiencing mental health related distress a safe space to receive non-clinical psychosocial support and signposting.
They also need to foster a ‘drop in and open to all’ culture to everyone who feels they need support in managing their mental health. This will include self-defined crisis and support to those who are experiencing an immediate crisis as an alternative to emergency departments.
In addition to the drop in offer, the service will accept referrals from secondary care mental health services and, during operating hours, the service will be accessible by telephone for professionals to have the ability to communicate referrals.