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Original poster

Limiting MH support to certain cultural areas?

1000 replies

Mindcultural · 17/02/2026 18:48

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.

Limiting MH support to certain cultural areas?
OP posts:
Thread gallery
11
Original poster
Mindcultural · 17/02/2026 21:20

nomas · 17/02/2026 21:15

This with bells on.

They will keep pretending they haven’t seen this, Vivienne.

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I have seen it, but it doesn’t change my thoughts. It should be needs based.

OP posts:
Anyahyacinth · 17/02/2026 21:20

Mindcultural · 17/02/2026 21:09

I’m interested in why this is seemingly ok, but would absolutely not be ok, for a donor to specify that funds should only be spent on while children. It wouldn’t happen and shouldn’t happen.

Other children not accessing support doesn’t change the woeful MH support that was previously open to all children but now excludes a good number of children in need.

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It does happen…there are loads of charities whose funding must only be spent in certain geographical areas that are non diverse, there are charities for alumni of schools where it isn’t diverse….loads and loads of charities are set up to benefit non diverse populations …you may be upset because you are feeling excluded…now imagine that applying to all areas of your life and you have a little appreciation of being from a culturally diverse community in the UK…ironic isn’t it? Do you feel that slightly powerless, upset and angry feeling that causes generational mental ill health in culturally diverse populations???

Avabeen · 17/02/2026 21:21

5MinuteArgument · 17/02/2026 21:15

Yes, I agree. Some people from minority ethnic communities are economically privileged. The last Tory cabinet comes to mind.

Some white people are very underprivileged, in particular white working class.

These organisations should look at overall privilege. Ethnicity is too blunt a tool. It would be better if they targeted their services at those in the most need.

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Ethnicity is FAR too blunt a tool.

Socio-economic background/household income would be a much better indicator imo.

Minnie2012 · 17/02/2026 21:21

Mindcultural · 17/02/2026 21:09

I’m interested in why this is seemingly ok, but would absolutely not be ok, for a donor to specify that funds should only be spent on while children. It wouldn’t happen and shouldn’t happen.

Other children not accessing support doesn’t change the woeful MH support that was previously open to all children but now excludes a good number of children in need.

Show quote history

The page for the Youth in Mind project says the ‘donors’ are ”the Hollick Family Foundation, Leeds Community Foundation and the Paul Hamlyn Foundation”.

They are the funders, they set the criteria, and I’m sure will be happy to tell you why they’ve set the criteria in this way.

Except that would be like Asda writing to me and asking why I choose to shop at Tesco…

It’s their money, to spend as they wish. It is NOT public money.

SnowyRock · 17/02/2026 21:21

sexnotgenders · 17/02/2026 19:00

Because they clearly want to prioritise black and brown British children with what limited resources they now have.

Or are those kids not considered ‘British’ enough for you, OP

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Why? Obviously black and brown children should recieve services, but not exclusively. Thats as bad as just white and Asian children recieving services. It should be based on need not ethnicity.

Mapletree1985 · 17/02/2026 21:21

Ablondiebutagoody · 17/02/2026 21:16

My ds is culturally diverse but doesn't look it. I would just apply. What are they going to do? DNA test? Measure his cranium? Straight up tell me that he isn't brown enough?

The child doesn't have to be culturally diverse, they have to come from a culturally diverse community

Mustreadabook · 17/02/2026 21:21

Isn't the population of Leeds a culturally diverse community? Unless your child goes to entirely white British school, and only ever interact with white British people, then they are part of the culturally diverse population of Leeds, which has many cultures in it including white British.
Likewise if they were from an immigrant community who had congregated all in one place and only interacted with each other, that would not be a culturally diverse community, it would be a purely 'x' community.

MrsChristmasHasResigned · 17/02/2026 21:21

nomas · 17/02/2026 21:19

So imagine how much worse it is for BAME people.

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Absolutely.

VivienneDelacroix · 17/02/2026 21:21

JudgeJ · 17/02/2026 21:19

So you would be happy for this charity to prioritise white British children if that matched their beliefs or are beliefs meant to be in one direction only?

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It's not about "beliefs" is based on addressing a known and well-researched and evidenced inequality. So yes, if there was the same amount of data and research.

Cucumberino · 17/02/2026 21:21

VivienneDelacroix · 17/02/2026 21:02

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/

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Oh come on! No child has any access yo
mental health services unless they go private. It’s like saying white people have more access to lottery wins. When ANY child mental health services is THIS dire, prioritising by anything other than need is grim. In a famine and a field of starving kids would we spend time seeking out the kids without the shoes first cause they must be worse off? No, you treat the ones who’s chances of life you’re most likely to make a difference to. I don’t think much of Mind as a ‘charity’ if it’s willing to be so immoral as this. If they had any morals they ought to have told the funder not to be so racist.

Ablondiebutagoody · 17/02/2026 21:21

VivienneDelacroix · 17/02/2026 21:19

If he is, then he would get the support. There's no testing (which I think you know). You tick the box as you would on any form. There has to be some trust that people won't take advantage of a service that is trying to redress an inequality.

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From what you are saying, he would get the support even if he isn't. So the whole eligibility criteria is pointless. Just tick "other" on the form.

Gardenservant · 17/02/2026 21:21

Anyahyacinth · 17/02/2026 20:51

Oh please. Reform say “the working class have never had it so good” and that “we will move to an insurance based healthcare system”

so we will be bake selling, crowd funding and going bankrupt for healthcare soon enough. Relying on philanthropy for the most basic care

Reform is about racism and destruction

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Oh please. Reform is about racism you say, I agree, that is why they will jump on stories like this.

Livelovebehappy · 17/02/2026 21:22

sexnotgenders · 17/02/2026 19:00

Because they clearly want to prioritise black and brown British children with what limited resources they now have.

Or are those kids not considered ‘British’ enough for you, OP

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That’s irrelevant. Services like this should be available to all. Not exclude someone because of the colour of their skin. It’s wrong on so many levels.

Cucumberino · 17/02/2026 21:23

Livelovebehappy · 17/02/2026 21:22

That’s irrelevant. Services like this should be available to all. Not exclude someone because of the colour of their skin. It’s wrong on so many levels.

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Exactly. Totally unethical.

Dgll · 17/02/2026 21:23

Bagsintheboot · 17/02/2026 19:28

You're completely free to fundraise enough so that they can offer support to white ND children if you feel there's a gap.

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I think the point people are making is that it would be unethical and therefore they wouldn't feel comfortable doing this.

JudgeJ · 17/02/2026 21:25

nomas · 17/02/2026 20:37

It's a well know fact that white working class boys have the worst educational outcomes of all groups in Britain. I remember there were some news when a wealthy donor offered to sponsor private school bursary for two white boys from poor working class backgrounds. There was an outcry of "racial discrimination" and school rejected this. Funny that it's ok the other way around.

Any proof? This is exactly the kind of anecdote that Reform come out with.

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I cannot comment on the offer of a bursary being rejected but I retired from teaching 20 years ago, in the last 10 years there had been concern about the quality of education of working class boys, in our school predominently white, of slightly lower than average ability, various programmes addressed gifted and talented, girls, very low ability and these boys slipped through the cracks.

Anyahyacinth · 17/02/2026 21:25

Tableforjoan · 17/02/2026 21:05

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

edit.

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

Edited
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This is a specific project Mind is doing for 3 charity funders…foundations and charities NOT the NHS

Cucumberino · 17/02/2026 21:27

Anyahyacinth · 17/02/2026 21:25

This is a specific project Mind is doing for 3 charity funders…foundations and charities NOT the NHS

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Why did they accept it though? Why not tell them it to be so bloody racist?

Str0ganoff · 17/02/2026 21:27

nomas · 17/02/2026 21:19

So imagine how much worse it is for BAME people.

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BAME children are 10 times more likely to be referred to CAMHS via education , social services and youth justice schemes!

Referrals are like gold dust.

Itsmetheflamingo · 17/02/2026 21:28

Reinventedblanket · 17/02/2026 21:19

Yeah exactly this and I think made much worse because SMI is very unpalatable to social media. Theres not endless reels, talk of self care or a nice recovery arc and I say that as someone who really struggles with my mental health and is multiply medicated and recieving input from services after many years of nothing but I can still recognise I am very privileged to not fall into this vastly overlooked and often meligned group of people who mostly only get anything at all once they are on a locked ward in first instance.

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Oh my goodness yes! The amount of people who don’t realise how many people can’t be made better with a bit of therapy or a course of medication.
The amount of people who can’t comprehend a life in and out of hospital, criminal records because psychosis has escalated so many times, can’t comprehend someone whose best life looks like a good 3/4 hours a day.

and often this is because early intervention didn’t happen, for black men usually due to racism, so their mental illness got worse and worse and worse until it was too late

Anyahyacinth · 17/02/2026 21:28

surrealpotato · 17/02/2026 21:07

It's disgusting, unacceptable and racist.

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

Rubbish as has been said many times traveller children would be eligible, Ukrainian children would be eligible and many more ..it is not about skin colour

Minnie2012 · 17/02/2026 21:29

Gardenservant · 17/02/2026 21:18

If I wanted to drive people to Reform I would not have put unfortunately would I? I despise Reform. Read more carefully.

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Except dropping words like ‘discrimination’ and ‘racism’ into a debate based on a flawed understanding of delicate issue, and encouraging people to go to the press about it, might just do that…

Think more carefully.

Tableforjoan · 17/02/2026 21:29

Anyahyacinth · 17/02/2026 21:25

This is a specific project Mind is doing for 3 charity funders…foundations and charities NOT the NHS

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I don’t think reform voters are going to care tbh.

They will just see that a charity that does receive any funding from govt decides to discriminate against them basically. They won’t care past the headlines. Which is why in this time it’s such a politically dangerous move.

Slowly reading through the links pp posted about why it’s so low in certain communities.

ChattyCatty25 · 17/02/2026 21:29

SoSoLong · 17/02/2026 18:59

It's a charity, they can provide mental health support to hamsters if they want. They chose a segment that aligns with their interests, which is people from culturally diverse areas.

If they were purposefully excluding any other race, you’d call it what it is, which is racism.

Cucumberino · 17/02/2026 21:29

It really is shit like this that makes you think Reform might have a point about ‘woke’ nonsense.

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