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Well Issue 3: Autumn/Winter 2003/04

Profile: Julie-Anne Duncan

When Julie-Anne Duncan was appointed in January to establish the Fife Youth Project for Penumbra, the voluntary organisation which, amongst a range of community-based projects, provides support services for young people with mental health problems, she didn't anticipate also taking on the role of temporary DIY expert, builder, property consultant and operations manager.

But six months on, having successfully organised the move from the original premises, affectionately called the "hamster's cage", purchased office furniture and installed some dividing walls in a modern, open-plan office in Kirkcaldy's Kirk Wynd, Julie-Anne now has her feet firmly under the table and is thoroughly enjoying the challenge of developing Penumbra in an area which has never had access to its kind of services before.

"The Penumbra Youth Project in Fife is more or less a carbon copy of the Penumbra Youth Project which was established in the Borders nine years ago," says Julie-Anne, a trained psychiatric nurse. "The challenge, however, is that we are starting with a blank sheet of paper, so I can mould the project to exactly suit the needs of the young people in this area."

Julie-Anne and her team of five are delighted with the response from the community so far, and have had many offers of support from other agencies and service providers in the area. She believes that the success of the Fife project will be because there is a huge gap to be filled in terms of meeting young people's mental health needs.

"Young people do struggle with some very complex mental health issues and there has been very little support in this area. We provide a "person-centred" service and tailor the support to exactly what that person needs. The project is entirely voluntary and the young person decides how often and how long they attend. Ultimately, our aim is to help them manage their own lifestyle effectively, without falling back into crises."

It is a key feature of Penumbra that young people engage with the support on their own terms and they can either refer themselves or be referred by a third party. Sessions are held on a one-to-one basis or in groups, depending on what is comfortable for the individual.

Most common difficulties range from stress, isolation, family breakdown, suicide and self-harm, sexual abuse or exam stress and the project allows young people to talk about their problems in a non-judgmental atmosphere. It's a role that Julie-Anne finds particularly satisfying.

"The young people we're helping really appreciate what we do," she says. "I was seeing a young person recently who had a number of complex problems. Then they started missing appointments. So I phoned them and they were so appreciative that I had taken the time to make contact. They said it was really good to have someone actually listening to what they were saying.

"We provide support which is sometimes not available from other service providers like GPs or psychiatrists, but on a very personalised one-to-one level. That young person assumed that because they had missed a couple of appointments that we wouldn't be interested in them any more. But as a result of my call they're now attending regularly. That's when you know you can really make a difference."

Julie-Anne Duncan,
Penumbra Youth Project, Fife
Tel: 01592 201872
Email:julieanned-penumbra@yahoo.co.uk

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