Challenge Trust provides 24-hour high-level care to clients with serious mental health issues who have a forensic history. Challenge Trust has two forensic residential services which are in close proximity to local shops and public transport.
Challenge Trust accepts client referrals to these services from the Mason Clinic through its Forensic Community Teams. Criteria for acceptance are aligned to the contractual obligations Challenge Trust has with the Mason Clinic.
Challenge works collaboratively with the clinical teams to assess client suitability and to ensure a safe transition into the service. Due to the complexity of the forensic services, contact between the clinical teams and Challenge trust staff occurs on a very regular basis.
Upon entry to the service staff carry out recovery/rehabilitation assessments of each client and prepare individualised support plans around each client’s needs to ensure that the interventions and supports focus on the individual client’s path to recovery.
A key component of the service is supporting clients accessing services in the wider community. Clients are informed, educated, and integrated back into the community of their choice where other providers are accessible, for example the Walsh Trust, Te Ata, Work and Income New Zealand (WINZ) and the Framework Trust, to name a few.
Challenge Trust employs highly skilled staff to provide its intense recovery and support services. The holistic approach Challenge Trust employs, coupled with the realistic expectations of Forensic ISR clients themselves, drive best practice by staff at the residences.
An Inside View
I have been part of the forensic staff team for over three years now. During this time, I have been lucky enough to work with some brilliant people who have helped me learn and understand much more about mental health and recovery than I ever thought possible. We have a great team and lots of support from our nurses and doctors at the Mason Clinic.
A coupe of years ago we went camping with the clients up at Goat Island and we all had a great time. We caught snapper and had a nice meal on the BBQ afterwards. I really enjoyed the fact that I was able to go to work and do something that was so much fun. We also go swimming and water walking every week and most weekends take clients out on some sort of trip or activity.
What’s more, I have also been encouraged to study and complete my Mental Health Certificate with loads of help from the other Challenge Trust staff members. I am also doing lots of the training courses offered by Challenge and hoping to start a nursing degree sometime next year.
Working in a forensic service has been a really rewarding experience and seeing some of the clients do so well and then keep doing well after they get their own flats, has made me really think about how Challenge Trust treats people with mental illness, and how we need to provide them with support on their journey towards recovery.
An Outstanding Success Story: About Fred
Our clients have made great progress along their journey to recovery. One such story that stands out is about Fred.
Fred entered a residence after leaving Mason Clinic. He was very unsure of his journey in life and was in search of hope and support. Initially when he entered the facility he was haunted by his second offence. In order to overcome this he began by building a relationship of trust with the Clinical Team and staff of Challenge Trust. The Clinical Team admired him for his willingness to confront his issues and work on ways to overcome them.
Fred asked the Clinical Team to refer him to a specialist Psychologist that could work through his issues with him. Initially he visited once a week and completed the homework he was set. He did this for nine months and under the Psychologist’s guidance, Fred joined a retail course at WALSH Trust and worked very hard to achieve his goals.
Eventually, Fred was offered a job at Briscoes one day a week. Fred’s persistence and hard work continues to inspire
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