Minority voices: Research into the access and acceptability of ... - MMC
Minority voices: Research into the access and acceptability of ... - MMC
Minority voices: Research into the access and acceptability of ... - MMC
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Elements <strong>of</strong> good practiceThese three examplesdemonstrate <strong>the</strong> keyfeatures <strong>of</strong> good practicefor <strong>the</strong> strategic planning<strong>and</strong> commissioning <strong>of</strong>services for <strong>the</strong>mental health <strong>of</strong> BMEyoung people:1 Careful <strong>and</strong> expertassessment <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> mentalhealth needs <strong>of</strong> BME youngpeople in <strong>the</strong> local area,carried out jointly withlocal BME communities<strong>and</strong> with <strong>the</strong> full range <strong>of</strong>local services <strong>and</strong> agenciesthat work with children<strong>and</strong> young people.2 Assessing mental healthneeds as part <strong>of</strong> o<strong>the</strong>rneeds <strong>and</strong> developingstrategies that mean thatmental health needs can beidentified <strong>and</strong> addressed ina non-stigmatising manner,along with more generalhealth, social care <strong>and</strong>education needs.3Involving <strong>the</strong> voluntarysector in strategicplanning <strong>and</strong> supporting<strong>and</strong> empowering <strong>the</strong>seorganisations to play amore substantial rolein <strong>the</strong> future.4Working with BMEorganisations <strong>and</strong> youngpeople in such a way as toengage <strong>the</strong>ir interest <strong>and</strong><strong>of</strong>fer help - for example,working in music <strong>and</strong>sports venues <strong>and</strong> <strong>of</strong>feringhelp with employment <strong>and</strong>training, support that isseen as <strong>of</strong> more immediatevalue than identifying <strong>and</strong>meeting mental healthneeds.This kind <strong>of</strong> intensivework <strong>and</strong> investment maybe necessary before atrusted <strong>and</strong> balancedworking relationship canbe established betweenthose who commissionservices <strong>and</strong> those whowould benefit from <strong>the</strong>m.It may be necessary to setup <strong>and</strong> maintain specificprojects in order fully togain <strong>the</strong> participation <strong>of</strong>particular groups atrisk, such as youngAsian women.5 As part <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> process <strong>of</strong>working with BMEcommunities, greaterawareness <strong>of</strong> mental healthneeds is fostered among<strong>the</strong>se communities <strong>and</strong>service planners <strong>and</strong>providers gain a greaterawareness <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> needs <strong>of</strong>BME young people. Specifictraining may be indicated.Issues <strong>of</strong> concern<strong>and</strong> with parents on issues such as fixed termexclusion, permanent exclusions, secondary schooltransfer, school-home liaison, difficult relationships,homework support <strong>and</strong> quality <strong>of</strong> education. CACFOcarries out a range <strong>of</strong> work with <strong>the</strong> local AfricanCaribbean community, majoring on educationinitiatives. This work is informed by considerableinsight <strong>into</strong> community concerns <strong>and</strong> because <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>trust <strong>and</strong> influence it had gained within <strong>the</strong> community,can act as a conduit for communication with statutoryagencies. Creative Recreation Education AdventureTraining Enterprise (CREATE) is a mentoring plusscheme for young <strong>of</strong>fenders from hard to reachminority ethnic, asylum seeker <strong>and</strong> refugeecommunities – funded for 3 years by <strong>the</strong> Youth JusticeBoard from March 2002. About 30 young people eachyear are matched with a volunteer mentor from within<strong>the</strong>ir community. Croydon has a number <strong>of</strong> services for youngrefugees, because <strong>the</strong> Home Office ImmigrationDepartment is in Croydon <strong>and</strong> serves as a magnetfor a large number <strong>of</strong> young refugees, many <strong>of</strong><strong>the</strong>m unaccompanied.1 The resources <strong>and</strong> skills requiredeffectively to plan strategically <strong>and</strong>commission services for <strong>the</strong> mentalhealth <strong>of</strong> BME young people are in shortsupply, especially where particularefforts are required to engage <strong>the</strong>community.Therefore, good practiceis frequently compromised.2 Shortage <strong>of</strong> funding to support <strong>the</strong>necessary involvement <strong>of</strong> BMEcommunity groups <strong>of</strong>ten also leadsto compromise.3 It is extremely difficult for agencies bothto carry out strategic work withcommissioners <strong>and</strong> to provide responsiveservices to a local BME community.Again this may be a resource issue, butmay also be related to competingagendas for different BME communities in<strong>the</strong> same locality, so that <strong>the</strong>commissioning task to meet possiblydiffering needs sensitively <strong>and</strong> equitablybecomes highly complex.4 Training opportunities to developcompetence in planning services that aresensitive to racial <strong>and</strong> cultural differencesare not readily available, so that effectivestrategies are not commonly found.09