Dartford, Gravesham & Swanley MIND is an independent local MIND association affiliated to National MIND; it is a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee.
DGS MIND serves residents of the Dartford, Gravesham Borough (Gravesend and surrounding areas) and Swanley areas of North West Kent; it works with people with mental health problems to effect personal and social change. It campaigns in response to local and national concerns and provides mental health education.
Originally formed in 1967, DGS MIND now employs 17 full-time and part-time staff, and enjoys the support of over 60 volunteers. It is committed to equality of opportunity and employs people from all sections of the community.
Our offices are located in the (Twisleton) Almshouses at the bottom of West Hill in central Dartford. These historic buildings, with their large period garden, are named after local benefactor, John Twisleton, who had them built in 1704. They have been modernised internally to provide a pleasant working environment for staff and volunteers.
Our work is funded from various sources: from KCC Social Services; grants; donations; and our own fundraising activities.
Dartford, Gravesham & Swanley MIND is actively committed to being a high quality organisation, both in the way we carry out our business and in the way our services are delivered to the local community. We continuously assess our work and seek to improve by adopting the Quality Management in Mind standard and are Investors in People.
MIND Services: the Housing service provides accommodation for single people who have experienced mental health problems, and need some degree of support in order to live independently in the community. There are 27 individual flats on 5 different sites.
Day Services (located centrally in Dartford, Gravesham and Swanley) offer a meeting place for those experiencing or recovering from mental ill health, and are ready for social interaction. Individual support,  attending groups and out and about sessions in the local community are also part of the service.
The Mentoring Service aims to help people improve their self-confidence and self-esteem by providing time-limited support following a period of mental distress. Volunteers meet clients on a one-to-one basis and help them to regain confidence, develop coping skills, and reduce their isolation, this individual support is a stepping stone to our service.
Caring for Mental Heath provides information and support for those caring for people with a mental health problem. It also provides a listening ear; development of carers support groups; and carer's breaks, for those who who have been assessed  by the CMHT's
service users. Our Garden Project, based at the Almshouses, allows members to learn more about gardening as a therapeutic hobby, and enjoy the outdoor activity and satisfaction at seeing the MIND garden grow and develop during the seasons. There is also an allotment, where Service Users can grow their own fruit and vegetables.
We provide placements for police recruits, social worker students and trainee mental health nurses. One-to-one counselling is available from our volunteer counsellors.

Updated May 09