Minority voices: Research into the access and acceptability of ... - MMC

Good practice example 7 -African Caribbean FamilySupport Project (ACFSP)in NottinghamElements of good practiceThe African Caribbean Family Support Project(ACFSP) is a dedicated NHS clinical psychologyservice for children and young people, aged 0-19years of African, African Caribbean and DualHeritage origins, part of a larger Child andAdolescent Clinical Psychology Department.The service is for those experiencing thefollowing sorts of difficulties: behaviourproblems; anxiety; bereavement; racism;bullying; ethnic identity issues; eating difficulties;family relationship difficulties; children withspecial needs and developmental difficulties, eg.autism.Partnership working includes a support groupfor White mothers of children with DualHeritage; a Connexions mentor; a forum for thepsychological needs of refugee and asylumseekerchildren and young people and a forumfor the emotional well-being of Black andDual Heritage children.Good practice example 8 -Antenna in North London1A Tier 2 service forBME young peoplecan work well if basedin the community andtargeted on aparticular BME group.It can then developprovision in aculturally appropriateand culturally sensitivemanner, in a waythat explicitlyacknowledges theimportance of issuesrelated to culturalidentity andexperiences of racism,using culturallyappropriate resourcesand offering familiesthe choice of aBlack worker.2 Good practicedepends on workingclosely with parentsand carers and ina way that isnon-stigmatising.Barriers to access maybe overcome throughdeveloping meaningfullinks in the communityand voluntary sectorand encouraging selfreferraland referralsfrom non-statutoryorganisations.3 The careful matchingof young people tovolunteers, and the timeallowed for thisrelationship to develop,promotes trust and thebasis from which towork throughissues whilst doing‘fun’ activities.4 It is good practice, inorder to maintainaccessible andacceptable targetedservices for BMEyoung people, thatTier 2 services such asthose describedabove are representedon local CAMHplanning groups.5 Good practice includescareful monitoring ofaccess and outcomesof provision for BMEyoung people, and inthe ACFSP may beindicated by anincrease in referrals toClinical Psychology ofBlack children from6% prior to its settingup, to 16% oftotal referrals afterthree years.6 These services can,through consultation,develop greaterunderstanding of,and more work withparticular subgroupssuch as Dual Heritagechildren andtheir families.Initially funded by the King’s Fund andDepartment of Health, Antenna is now astatutory service offered by Barnet, Enfield andHaringey Mental Health Trust. AntennaOutreach Service was set up in 1999 to offersupport for young people aged 16-25 who areBlack African or Black African Caribbeansuffering from mental health problems. Theservice operates throughout the week from9am- 5pm, offers a 24-hour helpline 365 daysper year and a limited service at the weekends.It is essentially based on a communitydevelopment model.Antenna works with a wide range of services foryoung people across North London, includingyouth services, schools and drug services offeringa range of social, psychological and medicaltreatments to young people. The project offerssupport to parents and carers and there is anoutreach service offering home visiting support.Other services include home tuition andopportunities for voluntary community workthrough local churches.A key aim of Antenna’s work has been to buildcontact and develop networks between peoplewith mental health problems and the rest of theIssues of concern1Targeted Tier 2services for the BMEcommunity are notoften included inlocal CAMHSstrategic planning.2 If commissioned atall, funding forservices such as thesecommunity and to help young people to developthe skills that allow them to take part inmainstream activities. An active young people’sgroup performs music and gives presentationsabout mental health issues at both local andnational events. The project has been highlycommended by the Department of Health andhas won a Modernisation Award for its activities.Antenna has identified the following as key tois usually on a projectbasis so that theycannot be sustained,and it is unlikely thatmainstream serviceswill benefit from thelearning and experiencethat has been gained.3Services targeted at aparticular BME groupmay mean that theneeds of a differentgroup are not takenaccount of; forexample, in the ACFSP,over three years theproportion of referralsfor Asian families fellfrom 8% to 4%.what has made the project successful to date:a commitment to training and supporting itsstaff; a focus on developing good engagementskills; the service having a clear vision andexpectations, backed by good clinical,administrative and medical systems; thedevelopment of effective community networksand avenues for information sharing.12