Mental Health Reaching BME communities Suzanne Duval Director of Operations/Policy

Awetu All Wales Black & Minority Ethnic Mental Health Group Awetu = Our Unity in Swahili Established in Cardiff 1988 as a campaigning group The only BME led mental health organisation in Wales Cardiff based with an all Wales remit

What we do Advocacy Befriending Hospital visiting Tenancy Support Home Support Counselling Children & Young Peoples Project Awareness Raising Signposting to other services

Count Me in Census Results of a national census of inpatients in mental health hospital facilities in England and Wales. This is part of the Delivering Race Equality 5 year action plan between the Healthcare Commission, Mental Health Act Commission and the National Institute for Mental Health in England which aims to improve mental health services for Black and minority ethnic communities.

times more likely to be detained under the 1983 Mental Health Act despite being less than 3% are: 29% more likely to be forcibly restrained 49% more likely to be placed in seclusion 50% more likely to be referred to the service through the courts

50% more to be referred to the services by police are almost double 30% of inpatients on medium secure psychiatric wards despite having similar rates of mental illness as British White people Although this group do not have a higher prevalence of mental ill health than any other ethnic group – National Research EMPIRIC Report April 2002

2006 Rates of admission were highest in Black and White/Black Mixed groups (three or more times higher than average) in the three Black groups – Black Caribbean, Black African and Other Black

In the three Black groups – Black Caribbean, Black African and Other Black – rates of referral from GPs and community mental health teams were lower than average and rates of referral from the criminal justice system were higher than average. White/Black Caribbean Mixed, White/Black African Mixed and the Other White groups also had higher than average rates of referral from the criminal justice system

Conclusion The results of the 2009 Census are similar and in some areas the numbers have increased for mixed race men.

Partnerships Partnership work is essential. If you work in isolation, from the outside you will only succeed in dictating to the community. It is far better to work from the inside, hand in hand with local partners.

What can you do? Raise knowledge about mental health and your services amongst BME and community bodies using as many avenues as you can Engage with communities Work with BME groups and agencies

Awetu Plan of Action 2010 – 2011 Plan for service delivery in other parts of Wales Plan and arrange a series of local community events Recruit volunteers and champions in each locality 7 community events across Wales Plan of action in establishing a Wales wide network