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In Yir Heid - Making Men's Mental Health Matter in Dundee
 

Survey now open! - click here to begin

 

What is the purpose of this project?
This project aims to improve mental health supports and resources for men in the Dundee and make it easier to access support. It will shape a framework that will be used to guide practical changes that make a real difference. The experiences of men will be at the core of the project. 

 

Why focus on men?
Men experience disproportionate health and wellbeing burden in many ways, including lower overall life expectancy and higher rates of preventable “deaths of despair” such as drug and alcohol-related deaths and suicide. These challenges are compounded by social norms surrounding masculinity, which can discourage men from acknowledging emotional distress or seeking mental health support, and can fuel wider issues such as violence and harmful gender stereotypes. Despite the scale of the problem, strategic action to address men’s mental health has been limited locally and nationally. In Dundee, partners have identified a clear need to better understand men’s experiences and the barriers they face in accessing support. This project focuses on men to address that gap—exploring the local factors shaping their mental health and help‑seeking behaviour so that more effective, accessible services can be developed through multi‑agency collaboration.

 
Who is leading this project?
The Dundee Multi-Agency Protecting People Partnership (which consists of a range of partners such as NHS Tayside, Dundee City Council, and various Third Sector organisations). 

 

When will the project run?
It is anticipated that the project will run from Feb 2026 for one year but these timescales may change if circumstances change during each phase of the project. Once the main project has completed, there will still be ongoing work to implement the project recommendations.

 

What will it involve?
In Yir Heid will follow a five-phase process as follows:

  1. Insight and Engagement – this will involve a public survey followed by a series of engagement sessions and focus groups with diverse groups of men across the city to understand what it’s like to be a man living in Dundee and how this impacts their mental health and wellbeing.
     
  2. Making sense - the responses to the survey and focus groups will be fully analysed to draw out key themes from what men have said.
     
  3. Prioritisation and Action Planning -  themes will be presented at a collaborative prioritisation and action planning event which will involve men and a wide range of local services, community groups and organisations.
     
  4. Implementation - once the priorities and actions have been determined, we will begin putting these into practice. This stage will be ongoing, beyond the end of the main project phase.
     
  5. Review - we need to know if what we are doing is having an impact so we will use a range of ways to evaluate progress and make any changes that are needed.


How can I get involved?
There are many ways for you to get involved, which may include completing the survey, taking part in a focus group or joining an action planning event. We will also need people to take forward actions once the main project stage is completed. We will post further information here as opportunities become available or you can e-mail us for further information: dundeeprotects@dundeecity.gov.uk