Refugees and asylum seekers: developing local services and responses. Karen Mellanby Director of Networks and Communities Mind

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1 Refugees and asylum seekers: develping lcal services and respnses Karen Mellanby Directr f Netwrks and Cmmunities Mind

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3 Service develpment fr vulnerable migrants Our definitin: Thse adversely affected by circumstances leading t r resulting frm their migratin Asylum seekers and refugees Survivrs f trture Separated children Rma, Gypsies and Travellers Trafficked adults and children Peple in frced labur Undcumented peple Immigratin detainees

4 Factrs cntributing t vulnerability and ill-health Higher incidence f mental health prblems than the wider ppulatin At significantly higher risk f unemplyment, hmelessness and pverty, which impact n mental health Scial islatin and stigma arund mental health can prevent peple speaking ut and is particularly acute in sme migrant cmmunities Services nt always culturally apprpriate, additinal language barriers

5 Mind s wrk n refugees and asylum seekers

6 Achieving culturally and linguistically sensitive services Take a multi-agency partnership apprach Capture need in Jint Service Needs Assessments and Jint Health and Wellbeing Strategies Review new and existing services Build capacity in migrant cmmunities t engage n needs, service specificatins, mnitring and prvisin f services Embed equality impact assessments at every stage f the prcess

7 Achieving culturally and linguistically sensitive services (2) Engage cmmunity services, advcates and migrants t define mental health utcmes Develp culturally sensitive services and interventins Develp lw cst, high impact culturally apprpriate health prmtin initiatives with cmmunity rganisatins Prmte infrmatin sharing and crdinatin between agencies

8 8 key lessns frm early pilts Engagement and capacity building with vulnerable migrants takes time and investment Many culturally specific grups are struggling t survive fllwing funding cuts, s can be hard t engage Time is needed t create a cmmn language and apprach between cmmissiners and cmmunities CCGs and Public Health must wrk tgether Transparency abut decisins is critical t build trust Imprtant t link influencing t natinal plicy and guidance Lived experience is crucial t bring issues t life Need fr VSOs t demnstrate utcmes

9 Lndn prjects ( ) Supprt cmmunity engagement and lcal influencing activities in Lndn Wrking with seven lcal Minds t raise awareness and t influence better cmmissining Engaging 100 vulnerable migrants and training at least 20 t becme cmmunity representatives C-prducing an Influencer Manual t empwer cmmunities t affect change

10 Prjects in Wales ( ) Three year prject funded by Welsh Gvernment t wrk with vulnerable migrants t c-prduce mdels f engagement and services mdels fr mental health Engaging with migrant cmmunity rganisatins t gain trust and build relatinships Establishing a cmmn language t discuss mental health Will feed int Lcal Health Bards t shape services

11 Example f tailred peer supprt Psitive Actin fr Refugees and Asylum Seekers (PAFRAS) is fr asylum seekers in Leeds waiting t access mental health services, many living in pverty and islatin Tw grups supprting males survivrs f trauma and trture (Iranian and Eritrean) Grup ffers practical tls and cping mechanisms t help deal with the asylum system and resulting anxiety and stress Grup members reprted better wellbeing and scial supprt

12 S what needs t change? We need t develp better awareness and understanding f the challenges that vulnerable migrants face We need t understand that wrking with vulnerable migrants is cre business (equality duty) We need t prvide pprtunities t engage with cmmunities We need t develp a culturally cmpetent wrkfrce with the skills and knwledge. We need t build tailred appraches t supprting peple We need t fund services that effectively meet the needs f vulnerable migrants (including peer supprt)

13 Where t start? Mind s cultural cmpetency training Mind ffers training t ensure frntline staff have the capacity and cmpetence t supprt vulnerable migrants Our training lks at hw culture shapes the way we see urselves and thers, and hw t address mental health in cultural cntexts We als ffer specific training n Cmmunity Develpment fr Emtinal Health t infrm culturally cmpetent cmmunity interventins and explre ways t ensure effective engagement

14 Questins? Karen Mellanby