MENTAL health service users and their families have been invited to help set standards for an NHS trust.
The South-West Yorkshire Mental Health NHS Trust wants to develop a charter to improve services.
The charter is a set of standards describing what people can expect when they come into contact with the trust and what staff can expect from them.
The charter's aim is to help people who use services, carers and staff to assess whether the trust is behaving in a way consistent with its vision, values and goals.
It will also help teams of staff evaluate their performance.
Ruth Unwin, the trust's director of public affairs, said: "Developing a charter will help to make our vision, values and goals meaningful. It will also ensure that these filter into all trust strategies, policies and procedures.
"A charter will also provide a framework for measuring the performance of the trust, in terms of providing the things service users and carers tell us they want."
To support the development of a charter, the NHS Modernisation Agency has agreed to pay for a series of workshops.
Eight workshops - four for service users, two for carers and two for staff - will be provided.
Workshops in Kirklees will be:
* Service users: March 2, 1.30-4pm, Dewsbury Town Hall; March 4, 12-4pm, Methodist Mission, Lord Street, Huddersfield
* Carers: March 2, 10am-12.30pm, Dewsbury Town Hall
* Carers: March 5, 1-4pm, Briar Court Hotel, Halifax Road, Birchencliffe.
Everyone who goes to the workshops will be invited to a stakeholder conference in April, when everyone will work together to draw up a list of standards which will become the trust's charter.
The trust provides mental health and learning disability services across Wakefield, Calderdale and Kirklees.
Its vision, values and goals can be viewed at http://www.southwestyorkshire.nhs.uk/about/whatareweabout.htm
Anyone interested in attending a workshop, or who wants further information, can phone Ellen Priestley on 01924 327018 or email ellen.priestley@swyt.nhs.uk
