As I complete my first month as Interim Chief Executive, I find myself reflecting not just on the past few weeks, but on a much longer journey.

I’ve been part of the Association of Mental Health Providers for over nine years. During that time, I’ve worked across the breadth of our mission – supporting members, shaping strategy, influencing policy, and advocating for the value of our sector at every level. I’ve seen up close the extraordinary impact our members have, and the quiet resilience they show, often under immense pressure.

This new role brings new responsibility – but not a new relationship with our work or sector. That relationship has been forged over time, through shared purpose, challenge, and a deep belief in the power of community-led mental health care.

I want to acknowledge the leadership of my predecessor, Kathy Roberts. Her 13 years at the helm have left a lasting legacy – one of influence, trust, and enduring commitment to mental health equity. I step into this role with humility and respect for that foundation, and a clear focus on building upon it.

To any member who may feel uncertain about this leadership transition, let me be clear: I am here to serve you. I bring experience, insight, and dedication to this role – and a steadfast belief in the power and potential of our collective work.

A Sector Holding the Line

There is no question that we are in a moment of extraordinary challenge. The social and economic crises of the past few years have placed enormous pressure on individuals, families, and communities. The mental health impacts of poverty, racism, housing insecurity, and trauma are real and rising – and they are not being met with sufficient system-wide response.

Our members are stepping in to fill those gaps. From grassroots organisations to national charities, they are supporting people facing multiple disadvantages, often where statutory services are unable to reach or respond. They don’t just provide mental health services, they offer connection, safety, care, and support.

What’s clear – after only four weeks in this role, and four hundred weeks working beside you – is this: the VCSE mental health sector is not just surviving, it is essential. It is holding people through crisis, enabling recovery, and working every day to address the systemic inequalities that drive poor mental health.

But the strain on providers is growing. Rising demand, insecure funding, workforce exhaustion, and a lack of infrastructure investment are pushing many VCSE mental health organisations to the brink. The sector is operating in survival mode – yet continues to deliver with courage, commitment, and creativity.

We cannot allow this resilience to be mistaken for capacity. Our members are holding the line – but they cannot hold it alone.

From Vision to Reality: After the 10-Year Health Plan

The publication of the 10-Year Health Plan marks a welcome shift in tone, with prevention, community-based care and support, and neighbourhood models brought into sharper focus. But while mental health is considered, it is still not positioned as the central, cross-cutting priority it must be.

At a time of significant policy activity – including the Plan and the early work of the Casey Commission – we must ensure mental health, including mental health social care, is not only present in the conversation, but embedded within it. That means investment, parity, and a genuine role for the VCSE mental health service providers already leading this work in communities.

As Interim Chief Executive, I want to reassure our members that we will do everything necessary to ensure your voices are heard. We will continue to push for national reform that reflects your realities, and for local systems that respect your expertise. We will stand alongside you – not only in advocacy, but in the practical, day-to-day support you need to sustain and grow your work.

Building Our Evidence: The Mental Health Data Observatory

One of the most transformative areas of work we’ve helped to shape in recent years is the development of the Mental Health Data Observatory. Now more than ever, it is vital that we can demonstrate the value and impact of our sector – not just through stories, but through evidence that speaks to policymakers, commissioners, and system leaders.

The Observatory has been developed over the past three years in collaboration with partners and members. It is designed to help us capture the unique contribution of VCSE mental health services – particularly in underserved communities – and turn that knowledge into action.

Through shared data, insights, and intelligence, we can highlight patterns of need, surface innovative practice, and challenge the notion that only statutory services generate evidence. The Observatory is about reclaiming data as a tool for equity, and enabling our members to influence decisions that shape the future of care.

This work is foundational to how we shift the conversation: from “optional” to essential.

Looking Ahead – A Shared Horizon

Looking ahead, I see challenge – but also deep opportunity.

The system is at a crossroads. It can either continue down the path of fragmentation, reactive care, and short-termism – or it can invest in community-rooted, rights-based, and preventative approaches that truly meet people where they are. Our sector already knows which direction is needed. Now we need the system to follow.

The Association will be a driving force in that shift. We will stand beside our members – not only advocating nationally, but providing support, connection, and leadership across the sector. We will strengthen our voice through evidence, through lived experience, and through the unshakeable belief that those closest to the challenge are also closest to the solution.

I am clear about our role: not just to respond to policy, but to shape it. Not just to survive change, but to lead it. That means holding onto our values, while adapting to new contexts. It means listening deeply, acting strategically, and never losing sight of who we are here for.

To our members: thank you. For your trust, for your work, and for the radical hope you bring to this field every day. I am proud to be on this journey with you – and I look forward to what we build, change, and grow together.