Evaluation of the Mid Essex Recovery College January – April 2014

Introduction: Recovery Colleges have been successfully developed in several UK locations and preliminary evaluation results indicate that attending Recovery College courses can support recovery. In 2013 a decision was therefore taken to pilot a Recovery College in Mid Essex for one year, beginning in the autumn of 2013. The North Essex Research Network (NERN), a group of current or former mental health service users, was asked to evaluate the pilot. Initial results covering the first college term indicated that the Recovery College was achieving its aims and had the potential to provide an important stepping stone towards recovery for service users in Mid Essex. This report details a further evaluation covering the college’s second term. Evaluation methods: Focus groups were held in three of the localities where Recovery College courses had run. Results: The Recovery College had clearly had a positive impact on the lives of participants, all of whom described ways in which their recovery had been supported in terms of improved mental health, wellbeing and social inclusion. The recovery-focused ethos, including learning from peers and tutors by experience, was singled out as particularly helpful, alongside useful and informative course content. Suggestions were also put forward about ways in which the college could be further developed.