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

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2b) BME young people at particular risk - refugees and asylum seekersGood practice example 14 -Save the Childrenyoung separatedrefugee projectThis started as a national research initiative,looking at the needs of young unaccompaniedminors, which described their needs for support.The young people were asked what they wouldfind useful and highlighted that a safe place to goto for advice and information would be helpful.As a result of this finding, space was madeavailable for Save the Children to run a Saturdaydrop-in by the ‘City Centre Project’, a voluntarysector agency that supports young people whoare homeless or who have problems withsubstance misuse.When Save the Children drop-in first started, itattracted around 10-12 young people; however,word spread and the Saturday sessions becamevery popular with a regular attendance ofbetween 30 and 50 young people. Issuesidentified at the drop-in were then worked onby project staff during the week, with the natureof support being issue-led and individualised tothe young person.The project also offered the following:signposting/referring young people to otherservices, including accompanying them toappointments; one-to-one support; groupwork;outings and trips, residential weekends and asummer programme of activities. Outsideagencies/professionals were also involved inrunning drop-in sessions.The initiative aimed to inform other agencies andprofessionals about the needs of this group ofyoung people and, where relevant, coordinatethe support provided to clients. The Save theChildren initiative has informed various otherpilots and programmes of work around thecountry, either through the research undertakenor the subsequent initiative developed toprovide direct support to clients.The provision of support in an environmentconsidered as a ‘safe place’ by the young peoplewas an important aspect.Good practice example 15 -Haven Project: working with young refugeesand asylum seekers in the UKThe Haven Project was started in 1995 byAction for Children in Conflict (AfCiC), anorganisation that works to break cycles ofviolence, hatred and despair by providingpsychological, emotional and educational supportto the survivors of conflict. Haven provides aschool-based mental health service for asylumseeking/refugee children in schools in NorthLondon, Oxford, Cardiff, Glasgow, Leicester,Rochdale, Hull, Liverpool and Manchester. Thetarget age range is 5-18 years and in the future,the project will increasingly focus on workingwith unaccompanied minors.The main aims of the project are: To improve the accessibility of mental healthservices for asylum seeker/refugee families. The provision of mental health services forchildren in schools by experienced child andadolescent psychiatrists.Interpreters are available and thereis close consultation with families,with Haven offering: Group, family and individual therapies. The training of teachers to carry out initialassessments using standard instrumentswithin schools in partnership with specialeducational needs coordinators (SENCOs)and school-based therapists.Manchester/Salford Haven ProjectThis was set up in November 2002 and wascommissioned and resourced by AfCiC inpartnership with the CAMHS Directorate ofCMMC University Hospitals NHS Trust.Features of the service are: Work in schools - this is focused in two highschools, those with among the highest numberof refugees and asylum seekers in each authority(Manchester and Salford) and takes the form ofboth consultation with staff and direct workwith young people and their families. Withinthese schools target age groups are 11-16 years.Twenty-eight referrals were received inthe first year. Consultation and liaison services – regularmultiagency consultation meetings attended byrepresentatives of Emotional Trauma SupportProject, Youth Access Team, EducationalPsychology Services; consultation toEMTAS (ethnic minority and travellersachievement service). Direct work - this takes place with youngpeople referred through other routes, forexample, GPs and EMTAS. Referrals from othersources are usually seen at the hospital baseswhere interpreters are more easily available. Training - workshops are delivered to staffworking with refugee and asylum seeking childrenand young people in a variety of settings, forexample, Social Services, City College, Save theChildren, Diversity and Inclusion Team. Trainingpackages are also delivered on an ad hoc basisand address various issues.The project has a number of significant plans forthe future including the extension of provision toprimary schools; the development of work with14-16 year olds who have not yet been allocatedschool places and 16-18 year olds attending CityCollege, and further development ofconsultation/training services through trainingneeds analysis in relevant services, in order todevelop and deliver structured, training packages.Good practice example 16 -Refugee Therapy CentreBased in Islington, the Refugee Therapy Centreprovides psychotherapy, counselling, help andsupport to children, young people and familieswho are refugees or asylum seekers.The service aims to give priority to those withless than ten years in the UK at the time of firstcontact. Referrals from professional groups andself-referrals are accepted. Children, youngpeople and their families are a priority and areseen as quickly as possible. Numbers of referralsto the service show an upward trend and theservice may be re-locating to larger premises inthe near future.Individual, couple, family and group therapy,based on an assessment of needs, are offered bycounsellors, therapists or support workers in avariety of languages (or if preferred, by anEnglish therapist experienced in working withrefugees). A variety of clinical groups (child andadolescent psychiatrists, clinical psychologists,psychoanalysts, educational psychologists andpsychotherapists) provide advice and support onthe clinical work undertaken by the Centre. By2002, a total of 87 psychotherapists, counsellorsand support workers had volunteered to workat the Centre. In addition, the Centre offerstraining, supervision and consultation to otherorganisations and professionals workingwith refugees.A recent addition is an Outreach Project tosupport families at home and to assist in16
3) Particular mental health problemshome/school negotiations (mainly problems ingetting children registered for a schoolplace/eligibility issues/lack of provision forthe14-19 year age group). This has been fundedby a grant from a charitable trust.Good practice example 17 -121 Youth BefriendingService, includingZero Project121 Youth Befriending Service works with youngpeople aged 6-16, offering befriending andmentoring. Access is by self-referral as well asreferral from the main statutory agencies, withthe project often taking referrals from CAMHSfor on-going support. A range of activities isoffered, with a music project as a recent addition.The project works with all young people butrecent Home Office funding for the Zero Projectis to work with young asylum seekers and BMEgroups and to promote zero tolerance ofdiscrimination faced by ethnic minorities in theThames Gateway area of Kent.Elements of good practice1True partnershipworking between localorganisations that havewon high leveldecisions for supportand funding.2 The services are needsdriven and based uponin-depth understandingof what is required.3 Accepting self-referraland communityreferrals, thus enablingthe project to keep indirect contact with theissues that have animpact on people’s livesin Black and minorityethnic communities,rather than beingfiltered through aformal referral system.This both increasesaccessibility andreduces stigma forpeople requestingpsychological help.4A focus on activitiesallows young people toget to know staff and totrust them – trust andconfidentiality aremajor issues for thisgroup who often do notwant their parents toknow of their worries(which may be parentalpressure to do wellin education).5 Informal drop-inservice, which offershelp with many kinds ofproblem and can workwith the whole family,on an outreach basis ifnecessary, and is basedin universal servicessuch as schoolsGood practice example 18 -The MellowCampaign (TMC)This project was established in 2000 to reducethe over-representation of young African andCaribbean men in mental health services and todevelop alternative responses to mental distressamong this target group. The Mellow Campaignis part of East London and City Mental HealthTrust and undertakes a wide range of work withother agencies aiming to empower users,improve services, influence policy and involvethe wider community.Some of the campaign’sactivities include: Mellowship - which offers a range of creativeexpression workshops to promote emotionalresilience and challenge stigma. The Akaba Programme - a four-waypartnership involving a local housing association,an employment and training service, theSainsbury Centre and Mellow that providesspecialist employment support to Mellow’starget group. Two community engagement programmes –one of which has developed sport andcommunity radio as a way of reaching andengaging with young Somali males, vulnerable todistress and isolation. Training and information through workshopsfor professionals.and colleges.6 Close liaison ofvoluntary sectorprovider with specialistCAMHS, and close linkswith other local serviceproviders and agenciesin order to meetmultifaceted needs andeffectively promotemental health.7 The capacity andcapability to offerdiverse approachesflexibly to matchindividual needs, andto undertake intensivework, often over thelong term.8Training of Tier 1professionals on theneeds of young peoplefrom particular BMEcommunities.Good practice example 19 -Building Bridgesin LiverpoolThis is a three-year Health Action Zone project,based on an assessment of needs of the Blackand minority ethnic communities in Liverpool.One aspect of the project grew out of concernabout the number of suicides of Somali youngmen, expressed by members of the Somalicommunity to the Toxteth Health andCommunity Care Forum. A series of meetingswith key people from the Somali communityfollowed, culminating in Somali Young Men’s Day– an event that provided an opportunity to hearthe views and experiences of young men as wellas to place these within a context ofdiscrimination and disadvantage. Issues such asharassment by the police and security guards orbus drivers, racism in school, and limitedopportunities for employment and leisure wereidentified as some of the major causes ofdistress. As a result, a number of initiatives withthe police, education and mental health serviceshave been instigated.Social and economic issues are addressed in allwork with families and individuals. People do notneed to have a mental health problem in orderto access the project, and helping people accessservices such as child care, immigration, housing,education and employment is seen as part of thepreventative ethos. The project does not seeitself as expert in these issues, but as part of itswork offers support in getting them resolvedbecause of the negative impact they have onpeople’s mental health.Issues of concern1Major problems in young people’sunderstanding of mental healthand fears of stigma.2Targeted projects often dependupon the energy and skill of(usually) charismatic individualsand on short-term funding.Hard won trust between BMEcommunities and serviceproviders is lost – and isdifficult to regain – wheneverprojects close.3 There is a shortage of staff whofeel fully competent in workingwith many BME groups.17
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Minority VoicesResearch into the ac
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThis eighteen-month
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factors that study participants ide
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Study recommendations• The lack o
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! Concerns about the provision of m
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3. CONTEXT OF THE STUDYVarious area
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• A measure of general psychiatri
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and some minority groups have poore
Page 17 and 18: 4. METHODOLOGYThe study methodThe p
Page 19 and 20: Staff: The interview schedules for
Page 21 and 22: 5. STUDY FINDINGS I: MAPPING OF ACT
Page 23 and 24: In a number of areas attempts to im
Page 25 and 26: 6. STUDY FINDINGS II: YOUNG PEOPLE
Page 27 and 28: ! Awareness of mental health and me
Page 29 and 30: “The therapist I was seeing was A
Page 31 and 32: Suggestions from young people for i
Page 33 and 34: 7. STUDY FINDINGS III: INFORMATION
Page 35 and 36: • High DNA (Did Not Attend) rates
Page 37 and 38: they felt sufficiently supported an
Page 39 and 40: Table 4: Areas of unmet need/defici
Page 41 and 42: • The breakdown of whether some B
Page 43 and 44: 8. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONST
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Page 47 and 48: Wide-ranging review of the issues c
Page 49 and 50: REFERENCES1 Silvera, M. & Kapasi, R
Page 51 and 52: 69 German, G. (2002). Antiracist st
Page 53 and 54: Minority VoicesA GUIDE TO GOODPRACT
Page 55 and 56: ContentsIntroduction04 The basis f
Page 57 and 58: Meeting NeedsThe level and typeof s
Page 59 and 60: Good practice example 1 - Sharing V
Page 61 and 62: Elements of good practiceThese thre
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Page 65 and 66: Tier 3 CAMHSIn providing for local
Page 67: Services targeted on 1) particular
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Page 73 and 74: APPENDIX IIAs set out in Delivering
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