WISE STEPS is an online ‘gatekeeper’ training workshop built on years of experience and best evidenced based approaches in the field of suicide prevention. Designed, developed and delivered by Forward For Life and Common Unity, WISE STEPS provides a strong foundation for those seeking the tools needed to support people who may be struggling with […]
An Approach to Suicide Prevention SCHEMA is a suicide prevention course that supports professionals and community members in effectively helping people with suicidal thoughts. Suicide doesn’t discriminate Death by suicide is devastating and far reaching across our communities. It takes 3 times more lives per year in the UK than lives lost in accidents on […]
LITA (Life is the AIM) was developed by Forward For Life and Common Unity with the recognition that in today’s uncertain times there is an ever pressing need to provide people with gatekeeper skills training in suicide prevention through an online platform. Directed at organisations and communities, LITA is a short and practical 2.5 hour online introduction to supporting people with […]
The Background to ManMade Forward For Life, in partnership with Common Unity and associates developed ManMade to empower are men to have the strategies and coping skills to manage the challenges they may experience as a result of job loss including reduced financial income, loss of time structure, isolation, loss of purpose and changes in identity and relationship […]
Nearly 6000 people take their own lives across the UK each year. safeTALK is a half-day course that offers you practical steps to help someone with thoughts of suicide and helps you both to connect with more specialised support. The safeTALK course was developed by LivingWorks in Canada and is delivered worldwide. It complements our more comprehensive […]
Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) trains frontline staff in early intervention. The 15-hour workshop held over two days teaches participants to connect, understand and assist people who may be at risk of suicide. Saving Lives Through Suicide Prevention Skills – The Two Day ASIST Course is suitable for people from all walks of life. […]
The Waiting Room (TWR) Team are proud to present a milestone in community engagement. In the last twelve months TWR have had over 100,000 visits to the website by Birmingham and Solihull communities. The smart online directory has offered support to professionals and the citizens within our communities across Birmingham and Solihull. It has played […]
Getting the message out in many different ways has always been a core message from Common Unity in respect of the importance of good health and wellbeing across communities. However, with the devastating impact of Coronavirus, the importance of getting the messages out there to help people keep themselves and their loved ones around them […]
Early in 2020 we were excited to be told that we had been shortlisted for the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce Award “Excellence in The Third Sector.” This nomination was alongside 7 other local organisations who provide essential community support across our region. The other nominees were: Black Country Living Museum Breast Cancer Haven, West […]
SCHEMA is a suicide prevention course that supports professionals and community members in effectively helping people with suicidal thoughts. Suicide doesn’t discriminate Death by suicide is devastating and far reaching across our communities. It takes 3 times more lives per year in the UK than lives lost in accidents on all our roads. The most […]
LITA (Life is the AIM) Suicide prevention gatekeeper training was developed by Forward For Life and Common Unity with the recognition that in today’s uncertain times there is an ever pressing need to provide people from all walks of life with gatekeeper skills training in suicide prevention through an online platform. What you will learn: […]
It is important that all our communities are aware of the recommendations when it comes to wearing face mask. With the input of Healthy Brum (Public Health Birmingham) here is the most up to date information on wearing face masks in 12 different languages. Please find below translations in 12 languages, on where and how […]
The Mental Health Act Review African and Caribbean group (MHARAC) has been established to support the aims of the Independent Review. MHARAC will make recommendations designed to ensure that people of African andCaribbean descent with mental health challenges receive the treatment and support they need, when and where they need it, are treated with dignity, […]
FOREWORD BY BARONESS VALERIE AMOS, DIRECTOR, SOAS UNIVERSITY OF LONDON When the extent of the BAME attainment gap in universities was brought to my attention, I was shocked, because universities should be places where opportunity and aspiration come together. Of course I knew that, given its extent in society, discrimination would exist in our universities. […]
An independent review into the treatment of, and outcomes for, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic individuals in the Criminal Justice System. Across England and Wales, people from minority ethnic backgrounds are breaking through barriers. More students from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds are achieving in school and going to university. 1 There is […]
There is clear evidence that COVID-19 does not affect all population groups equally. Many analyses have shown that older age, ethnicity, male sex and geographical area, for example, are associated with the risk of getting the infection, experiencing more severe symptoms and higher rates of death. This work has been commissioned by the Chief Medical […]
We are in unprecedented times and facing uncertainty as the Coronavirus pandemic continues to affect our daily lives. We want to assure you that Common Unity is fully committed to the safety and health of our communities. During this period we all need to be there for each other even more so than usual which […]
The Waiting Room Smart Directory (TWR), as an initial concept, was born out of the fact that paper-based directories were often out of date before the ink had dried and online alternatives were difficult to navigate. This meant that the public didn’t know what services were available and how to access those services which in […]
October 10th is here again and for this years’ World Mental Health Day event we have amassed many of the key wellbeing services from across from the local area to showcase what they do at The Being Well Works Well Emporium. Organised by ourselves at Common Unity and hosted in partnership with Birmingham City University, this year’s event […]
The second version of The Waiting Room was released in May 2018. Faster, smarter and cleaner, the new TWR can translate into well over 80 languages, has full search capabilities, offers direct call functionality and a simple but effective “share this service” facility both through personal media options and social media platforms. Housed within our […]
Please note you will need to download a free QR code scanner from your mobile app store to use QR’s Accessing information to specific services can be difficult at the best of times. In modern day life technology plays a key role in ensuring information is at our fingertips. The URBRUM resource key gives you […]
Over 6,000 people die by suicide every year in the UK alone, that’s someone dying by suicide every 90 minutes. But it is well worth remembering that the vast majority of people who think about suicide don’t want to die, they are, however, finding it hard to stay alive. One of the key reasons for […]
We know that accessing up-to-date information to services you need can be frustrating and a lengthy process even on the internet. By utilising modern technology alongside a common-sense approach, we have a resource that can connect you with your local services even whilst you are on the go. As part of Birmingham’s Urbrum website, The […]
In 2016, in the West Midlands, Common Unity had a vision, and this vision was to eradicate all paper-based directories and provide the ultimate online alternative. This alternative came to be known as The Waiting Room – a place for people from all walks of life to find support for their own health and wellbeing. […]
BRIEF BACKGROUND TO CONNECTING COMMUNITY NETWORKS As part of Birmingham and Solihull’s Connecting Community Networks Programme, Common Unity hosted the 2018 World Mental Health Day Conference in Birmingham with a bit of a difference. Common Unity use the E.P.I.C approach in respect of mental health and wellbeing meaning that we work upstream to Educate, Protect, […]
“FANTASTIC CONFERENCE!!” October 10th 2018 (World Mental Health Day) saw the “Being Well Works Well” Conference come to fruition through the leadership of Common Unity. Its aims were to provide networking opportunities locally, regionally and nationally in respect of the wellbeing agenda, highlight upstream services being delivered currently under The Connecting Community Networks programme, present new and innovative approaches that seek to […]
What is Connecting Community Networks All About? Life can be hard…but for some, because of particular circumstances, and more often than not, through no fault of their own, life can be much harder still. Connecting Community Networks recognises this and looks to protect and enhance citizen well-being and promote life quality. It oversees the delivery […]
I know will-power plays a big part but the support we provided via The Waiting Room Resource Key has been priceless for him. Aston Fire Station recently shared TWR keys amongst their team leaders for further distribution across their patches. One Team Leader told us “I issued 27 keys in total to managers of the HMO’s owned by Midland […]
At the age of 17 I knew there was something that had changed about my Auntie. The things she was saying didn’t make sense; It’s as if overnight she had suddenly started to see the world very differently to how she used to. I felt like I had lost my Auntie and things got progressively […]
HOW WE WORK Our upstream approach achieves both indirect and direct benefits for our communities, and with this in mind, we ensure that our partners, our associates and others’ working alongside us have the same core belief. Our input is offered based on a number of dependable factors including years of historical direct experience and specialist skills acquired in the […]
