Community Development Worker CDWs in Gloucestershire Linking 2gether with BME communities

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Community Development Worker(CDWs) in
GloucestershireLinking 2gether with BME
communities
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What is the aim of CDW initiative?TO DELIVER
RACE EQUALITY INMENTAL HEALTH SERVICES ACROSS
GLOUCESTERSHIREThis is a programme for change
in the provision of Black and Minority Ethnic
(BME) Mental Health Services outlined by the
Department of Health(2005)
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Background to CDW Initiative

• Inside Outside A report recommending changes
  and Improvement of Mental Health Services for BME
  Communities in England (2003)
• Delivering Race Equality (DRE) In Mental Health
  care Action Plan (2005)
• From 2006, as part of DRE, the Government has
  commissioned 80 CDW projects and 7 First
  Implementation Sites (FIS)
• Nationally, PCTs have been funded to recruit 500
  community development workers (CDWs) and we are 4
  out 40 in the South West region.
• This is a 5 year DRE Action Plan.

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WHY HAS IT BEEN INTRODUCED?

• The death of David Rocky Bennett and subsequent
  inquiry (2002)
• Research has shown that people from the BME
  communities are not accessing services in
  comparison to the wider population
• However, Nation wide, there are high numbers of
  BME Service Users, particularly men, in forensic
  and acute services.
• There does not appear to be a single area of
  mental health care in this country in which black
  and minority ethnic groups fare as well as, or
  better than the majority white community. Both in
  terms of service experience and outcome of
  service intervention, they fare much worse than
  people from the ethnic majority do. (p.10)

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The role of CDW is based on three important
Building Blocks

• MORE APPROPRIATE AND RESPONSIVE SERVICES
• GREATER COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
• BETTER INFORMATION AND AWARENESS ABOUT MENTAL
  HEALTH IN BME COMMUNITIES

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Key objectives

• To reduce and eliminate inequality in mental
  health services and improve service users
  experiences and outcomes
• To develop a mental health workforce capable of
  delivering culturally competent and effective
  services
• To build capacity within BME communities and the
  voluntary sector

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Our CDW Team in 2gether NHS Foundation Trust
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Our Key Roles are

• To be a change agent
• To be a service developer
• To be a capacity builder
• To be an access facilitator
• To enhance the quality of life
• To challenge exclusion

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Working inside the Mental Health Services

• To provide Better outcomes for Services Users by
  
• - Developing more responsive services
• - Better engagement of services with BME
  communities
• - Having Culturally informed and capable
  workforce to improve Clinical Outcomes.
• To create change, we are working across all
  Strategic Service Units
• We are working in conjunction with Trusts
  policies, strategies and developments. For
  example our work is connected into the delivery
  of Social inclusion Strategy.

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Working Outside the Mental Health Services in
the communities

• Work in collaboration with BME communities
• More active role for BME service users and carers
  in developing Mental Health Services
• Decrease discrimination stigma associated with
  Mental Health
• Create awareness of mental health services
• Greater involvement of the third (voluntary)
  sector

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As a result there will be -

• Increased Service User satisfaction
• Greater confidence for accessing Mental Health
  Services in the BME community members
• Reduced rates of admissions to inpatient services
• Improved rates of recovery
• Fewer incidents of violence due to inadequate
  treatment
• Less fear of mental health services in the
  community

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• CDW work has only just begun !!!
• We have more to do Inside and Outside
• With partners and communities we can make life
  better