Limiting MH support to certain cultural areas?

[Mindcultural]

I have today received this message below from a mental health support service for young people.

AIBU to think it’s completely wrong to offer support based on cultural diversity and would like to know how they decide who fits this criteria?

Hi,

I’m getting touch as you have recently made a referral to our Youth In Mind services on behalf of a child or young person.

Unfortunately, we are having to reduce the size of the team for funding reasons, so we now only have funding to support young people from culturally diverse communities, if this is relevant for the individual you referred to us, please can I ask that you complete this form forms.office.com and we will be back in touch accordingly.

If we are now no longer able to offer support to the individual you have made a referral for, please accept our apologies for this. Please feel free to keep an eye on our website for updated information regarding available services as we are always looking for new funding opportunities to allow us to reach more children and young people.

It’s not though, as the text clearly says they are unable to support regardless of need unless you are from a diverse community (what ever that actually means!)

I’ll await seeing reform or the other new one use this as a lovely bit of advertising to gain more support.

“White British children forgotten by charity that gets funding from the nhs” or something along those lines.

It should just be most in need. Same as a women’s refuge should be the women most in need not based on her ethnicity. Sorry your husband can beat you tonight because you’re white British. Sorry your mental health doesn’t matter because you’re white British.

It should be colour blind. Ethnicity blind. Purely most in actual need.

I did wonder this when first reading it, but on the website it actually says - anyone from a racially, culturally or ethnically diverse background

Where have you been for the last 20 years or so? Essential services have been hived out to the third sector for decades, accelerated following the 2008 crash where it was believed the private and third sectors would counteract the impact of austerity. Reinforced over years of Tory government - this is what we voted for, so can’t be surprised when services just aren’t there.

There’s massive health inequalities in many communities, it’s awful when it’s impacting your own child but some of these children won’t have had the opportunities many other children have had and therefore these funds are about closing the gaps which have been there for decades. I work in a charity and we will be doing specific initiatives for under represented groups because bluntly they face more barriers and have missed out on many other provisions. Kindly the fact this is the first time you have experienced barriers to accessing services illustrates your privilege as a white family. It’s not fair that the funding isn’t there for all children but it is fair that some facing extreme health inequalities have been prioritised.
https://raceequalityfoundation.org.uk/press-release/ethnicity-and-young-peoples-health-inequalities-reports-published/
also in the current racist climate where children and their families are being openly racially abused or discriminated against will inevitably mean that yes they may need MH support more.
Maybe be thankful you’ll never have to worry about this at least. I do hope you find support, it’s horrible, I know how hard it is to access support myself but i definitely don’t begrudge others having accelerated or prioritised to even up inequality gaps.

But the problem here is not that this charity is doing what it needs to in order to survive. Or that whoever funded this grant has a particular interest and this money was given to address that.

The problem is that NHS services have been cut beyond the bone. If it were properly funded and set up then specific charity initiatives would not be such a focus.

I dont think you and I are wanting different things here. But I do think you are focusing your anger in the wrong place.

I wanted to get behind this government, but Streeting has been a massive disappointment and has carried on with the almost wholesale outsourcing of services from the NHS. My experience of trying to campaign to save our local NHS run service was eye opening and depressing. The level of apathy people demonstrate until things directly affect them is truly grim.

Because white British children have better access to mental health services. Children from diverse backgrounds are hugely under-represented in children's mental health services, but then (particularly Black men) are over-represented in high tier in-patient mental health services as adults.

If minoritised children are referred to mental health services it is more likely they'll be referred through Social Services than their GP or self-referral, meaning they have less autonomy in their treatment.

Their experiences are less positive than those of white British children as well. (Those that do get help).

Services aren't culturally accessible to a lot of children and families from diverse backgrounds, so it's great that this charity is trying to redress the balance. I hope it means that their staff have appropriate training and representation to reach these children, so they can access early intervention at the same rates as their white British peers.

https://repository.essex.ac.uk/38101/2/How%20Do%20We%20Understand%20The%20Underrepresentation%20of%20Black%20Children%20and%20Families%20in%20CAMHS.pdf

https://contact.org.uk/about-contact/news-and-views/discrimination-faced-by-black-children-in-mental-health-services/

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10748456/

It should be colour blind. Ethnicity blind. Purely most in actual need.

Exactly what every victim of racism has thought, anywhere, ever, since the dawn of time. It’s an indication of how desperate times are in the UK that even white folk are talking like this now.

Genuine question here if anyone has a genuine answer.

What stops someone anyone from accessing the help? When people say certain groups are underrepresented. Why? Is it because they choose not to apply or ask for help? Or are we genuinely saying that the nhs or somebody goes nah sorry your black Bangladeshi we can’t help you?

Because if people choose not to ask for help that’s different to being told no. Which is what mind Leeds are now doing. Saying no.

Honestly this . I run a local children’s charity that is condition specific so at the exclusion of children who do not have the condition . The condition does not discriminate it includes all.

Money is scarce but if. We received a donation that specified it was only for a certain section of our children I’d vote to politely refuse and if the decision was not what I’d hoped I would resign.

In the current climate decisions to target specific groups when there is so much need feeds the division.

The NHS is not non-existent. CAMHS is an NHS service and the vast majority of users of CAMHS are white. It’s also been shown that white parents are better able to navigate the CAMHS service, compared to BAME parents who often face language and cultural barriers for using the service.

They don’t get funding from the NHS. Why are you peddling lies?

Sorry but MH support is pretty non existent for any child. This further excludes children. Support should be needs based alone.

I read a comment that said they did. That’s all.

edit.

a fast google says mind gets funding from
nhs/government grants.

So including white traveller kids.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-50947271

So you’re not actually interested in the facts and figures.

I’m appalled. I’m British Indian and am so sick of people placing people into boxes based on ethnicity/race. It’s just one of my characteristics.

I think this sort of thing causes a lot of division. Support should be given on the basis of who needs it most. I’m British Indian and went to private school and had two loving parents. Not saying all brown kids have it good obviously but I grew up with a lot of privilege. I personally do not need any special treatment.

We don’t speak enough about the disproportionate serious metal health issues black men and boys suffer from, usually exasperated by the systemic racism in the system that supports them (do you know the majority of sectioned black men are sectioned in the back of a police car?)

I work with a charity that doesn’t select on race but do only support very serious mental health issues in a residential setting. With no ethnicity, age or gender “entrance” criteria, over 50% of our clients are black men. Imagine anywhere in the country where you could imagine that is possible. Black men are what, 2/3% of the population?

it’s a crisis that’s not spoken about , by white people at least

I beg your pardon.

We’ve been battling for years for my raped and sexually abused child who is now seriously ill from untreated trauma. I have another ill child too. We have received no privileges at all I can assure you, not even during the multiple times they’ve attempted to take their lives. We have been battling non stop for precious little. My children are discriminated continuously by services due to their autism.

Your ignorance as to the reality that all families black and white are living with is astounding.

So no fact checking, just blindly believing what your told?

It's disgusting, unacceptable and racist.

Because what they actually mean by 'diverse 'is 'not white'.

Was it an offered by a charity that accepted donations for a broad inclusive democratic that decided to target a specific group? Or was it an Local health org or council run initiative

It says they are unable to support new applicants, they have current, existing children accessing ongoing support and I dare say a great many of them will be white.

So no fact checking, just blindly believing what your told?

Youth In Mind has listed its sponsors, the NHS is
not one of them.