Time to Change

Time to Change is a nationwide campaign aimed at removing the stigma associated with mental health disability.

As part of that campaign, Mind is leading a project called Time to Challenge, and is seeking to use the legal process to challenge stigma and discrimination.

Mind wants to help people with mental health problems to challenge employers and service providers if they feel that they have experienced discrimination.

We are also happy to help resolve difficulties relating to the retention of personal data concerning their mental health condition by hospitals or the police.

We will always seek to assist individuals to identify whether they have a potential claim and to offer advice and assistance.

We cannot always become directly involved or agree to represent individuals in bringing a case, however, we can do so if a case would meet our "casework criteria", which means:

1. It must raise a point of public importance not yet addressed with any clarity in the law.
2. It should be capable of being used to challenge existing legislation or case law.
3. It should be within legal time limits for bringing that type of claim.

We have assisted people in a number who are having difficulty establishing that their disability falls within the DDA, and we have also worked on cases trying to identify reasonable adjustments which an employer or education provider should make for someone with a mental health disability.

We are also keen to identify and challenge direct discrimination and behaviour that may amount to harassment - where an individual feels that he or she is working in a hostile or unfriendly working environment and feel targeted because of a mental health disability.

We are also particularly interested in assisting with cases where employers should have known that a person was experiencing mental health issues, but no assistance was offered.

All enquiries should be made in the first instance to Pauline Dall.
Pauline Dall
Lawyer
Mind Legal Unit
p.dall@mind.org.uk
020 8215 2284