Family Minds Partnership

Family Minds Partnership is a group of organisations who are working alongside each other to better improve mental health support for Children, Young People and their Families across Devon.

Our common purpose is to

  • ensure all family members are appropriately supported (including siblings), by working collaboratively
  • work collaboratively to increase the success rate of interventions that families receive, by taking a shared, holistic approach
  • share knowledge and ideas to achieve positive/best practice 
  • have shared values, a shared language and shared messages, whilst delivering services in our own unique ways
  • pull services in to support our families, rather than simply signposting to an alternative service (no wrong front door)
  • continue to be a catalyst for change by capturing our journey and sharing the learning

Family Minds partner details

Daisy Binnie (ECI Family Resource)

I am the manager of a team of family support workers, with experience of working with families and charity trusteeship over 10 years. I joined Family Minds to have a place to connect with other organisations doing similar work, learn from each other and hopefully develop some paid work together.

We’ve got 4 ducks in our front garden and I love watching them instead of the telly, splashing about in their pond.

Sarah-Lou Glover (Parental Minds)

Parental Minds is an organisation led by lived experience and dedicated to improving the mental wellbeing of parent caregivers and their young people by providing comprehensive support. We support families face to face in East Devon and Exeter and virtually across the rest of Devon. We focus primarily on providing support for the parent caregiver who can be isolated and overlooked as they provide, often intense, support for other family members.

Our approach is uniquely centred on the concept of co-production and lived experiences. We firmly believe in empowering parent caregivers and equipping them with the necessary tools to support their young person’s mental health. By placing parent caregivers at the forefront of the support process, we address a critical gap in existing mental health services. We are driven by the understanding that this approach has a long-term positive impact on the mental health of the children and young people in these families.

Together with Family Minds, we are committed to empowering caregivers and communities with the knowledge and resources needed to effectively support young people’s mental health journeys. We believe that by working collaboratively, we can inspire positive change and foster resilient, thriving families.

Beyond my dedication to mental health support through Parental Minds, I enjoy socialising with my family & friends, dancing, singing and drinking the occasional glass of red wine with my hubby!

Paula Baker (HeadsUp)

We offer prevention and early intervention mental health sessions to children and young people. We want to empower and equip young people to look after their mental health now and throughout their lives. 

I have worked in the mental health and education field for 20 years and I started HeadsUP just over 5 years ago. One of my passions is to work in partnership with other organisations to make sure the child and family can access all the support they need in a timely manner, that is why we love being part of the Family Minds Partnership.

Cara Stratford (Esteem Team)

I am the Manager of the Community and Family Support offer at Esteem Team CIC. I am passionate in my work role and also have personal, lived experience of supporting loved ones with SEND and mental health challenges, which have shaped and influenced my life. I was pleased to be invited as a member of Family Minds to have an opportunity to work more collaboratively with other organisations, to better support families in the community.

My favourite (current) glimmers are spotting rainbows, fluffy socks at bedtime, my weekly walks with friends (usually on Woodbury Common), fungi hunting with my daughter, watching Race Across the World with my son, taking photos of cool things I spot and eating chocolate (I mean…who doesn’t like chocolate)!

Hayley Graham (Bounce Brighter Futures)

We offer prevention and early intervention mental health sessions to children and young people. We want to empower and equip young people to look after their mental health now and throughout their lives. 

I have worked in the mental health and education field for 20 years and I started HeadsUP just over 5 years ago. One of my passions is to work in partnership with other organisations to make sure the child and family can access all the support they need in a timely manner, that is why we love being part of the Family Minds Partnership.

Gareth Sorsby (YMCA Exeter)

I’m Gareth, I’ve been working with young people at the YMCA for 14 years to help them unlock the skills and abilities hidden inside of them, allowing them to become all that they can be.

Personally, I have 3 young boys of my own and love getting in the sea with them for a boisterous splash around. I recognise the day to day ups and downs of childhood and the effects that has on their mental health. I’m passionate about ensuring children, young people and families are able to access services when they need it not after 2 years on a waiting list.

Matt Merriam (Devon Mental Health Alliance)

Hi, I am a community mental health development lead for Devon Mental Health Alliance and CoLab in Exeter. I work in Eastern Devon (Mid Devon, Exeter, East Devon) to support developing the infrastructure to properly transform the way mental health is provided. That is why I have been so keen to be involved in Family Minds. Working together, collaboratively, as an alliance, is an incredibly impactful route to seeing things change in our area for those that need it most.

Molly Mayfield (Action East Devon)

A parent of a young family and Charity Manager for Action East Devon.

I can often be seen towing kids to school on a strange tandem bicycle.