Abstract
Mental health problems lead to earlier mortality, poor physical health and socioeconomic disadvantage. Some people, including those from black and minority ethnic groups and low-income households, are at higher risk of poor mental health and are less likely to seek support from statutory services. Community Protect (CP) is a model in which a local government public health team acquired funding to support third sector organisations working with marginalised populations. These organisations provided mental health ambassadors, social activities and signposting to mental health support. This qualitative study comprised 28 semi-structured interviews with those involved in delivering CP, and six observations of activities. Topic guides covered barriers and facilitators to CP delivery and perceived benefits. Analysis used the Framework Method. Five themes were identified: trust and collaboration; time; expectations and flexibility; the ambassador role and perceptions of impact. CP relied on trusting relationships built between the different organisations involved, and between organisations and their individual users. The limited timeframe imposed by the funding created a barrier to collaboration when planning CP, meaning it was not always sufficiently tailored to the target populations' needs. Allowing organisations the flexibility to be responsive to their population's needs was beneficial. Benefits included improved mental health and social connection for the users, and improved ability of the local public health team to reach marginalised groups. Community organisations play a key role in prevention and support for mental health problems among minoritised populations. For partnerships with statutory organisations to succeed, funding and timescales need to be realistic, and interventions developed collaboratively. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12982-025-00875-1.