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.

Why would the skin colour of those accessing their service matter? If these children have a need why not meet it?

Why are you talking about targeting any group whatsoever? Why would we treat or not treat anyone based on aspects of their identity? Why are medical services being accessed on identity rather than action need?

This thread reminds me of an article I read recently about the ‘lanyard classes’, people who judge you on:

Race
Sexual orientation
Religion
Gender
Wealth
Disability

etc etc because they are so wrapped up in these things being so much more important that the actual person in front of them. I’m a disabled working class white person and the lanyard classes judge my ability to access healthcare based on my ‘disabled working class whiteness’ rather than the urgency or not of whether I - a person - need to access those services. And it’s wrong. ‘Demographic quotas’ - for goodness sake. How discriminatory! And they cannot see it due to having travelled too far down a DEI (as my company calls it) rabbit hole.

I’m not a Reform voter, but I can see this being a very rich vein for them to mine. We need back get to people being people, not ‘identities’.

This thread is just EW, I hate when people make a post with a question then proceed to not accept any decent responses to that question and go down their own agenda of hate. The charity has accepted funds that has certain stipulations most likely based off some statistics / studies that made them decide that is where the funding needs to be focused. If people could focus their own energy in challenging the UK gov on MH cuts, fundraising, writing to MP's and other charities to outline their personal circumstances and try to get some support this thread wouldn't be so hard to stomach. Where there is a will there is a way, nothing is as easy as it's supposed to be whether it be SEN, Disability benefits, PIP, MH Services, Court waiting times, Police Services, Getting an NHS dentist etc etc...Most people are fighting for something and it shows how broken the UK is even though we are one of the richest countries in the world. Unfortunately in this era, there are so many people who only want to critisize / moan and few too many who actually do something and make a positive contribution. Some will even go as far to blast a charity who they have never supported or made a donation to but expect priorty treatment when they need a specific service that particular charity offers.

Yes but the charity can’t act on that in a way that contravenes EA2010. The circumstances under which a charity can discriminate in service provision on grounds of nationality are extremely narrow if it’s not in the charity’s founding objects.

If I gave you a car only to be used in ram-raiding, you’d still need to check whether ram-raiding is in fact legal. That the car was a gift for that purpose won’t help you if it turns out it’s not.

I haven’t seen anyone anywhere saying that OP was making this up. In fact lots of people have come on here to say yes, OP has outlined the situation accurately and it’s OK because it’s only discriminating against white people.

I wouldn’t call that race baiting. Lots of people have come on here asking why an aspect of your identity is more likely to help you to access healthcare rather than actual need. An old fashioned concept I grant you, but if a person has a leg falling off and is white, you shouldn’t step over them to get to the brown person with a broken fingernail. And yet in OPs situation they didn’t even ask her if she had a leg falling off because she was too white.

Medical need.

I do write to my MP regularly about the lack of mental healthcare services thanks. My child needed CAMHS and the GP referral was rebuffed. The GP wrote again as my child’s self harming was getting increasingly serious and we were added to a 3 year waiting list. My in laws gifted us the money to access private services in the end. Thank goodness. My child is still here. But what if we couldn’t access the money. It’s disgusting that we expect children to wait a high proportion of their lifetime to access services in situations when if caught early the treatment would be so much shorter and less expensive.

But that doesn’t mean that we accept money - any money - with discriminatory strings attached.

Again, you’re prioritising the person’s identity rather than the actual person in front. My fried is black and has 2 kids. She’d have had pretty sharp words if you suggested that she was incapable of voicing concerns while in labour just because of the colour of her skin. How patronising.

White boys are protected by EA2010 just like any other race/sex/age combo. They can’t be unlawfully discriminated against on grounds of those characteristics. In many cases it will be lawful but in many other cases not.

EA2010 overall is a pretty good framework. It’s widely misunderstood though.

Many posters, including some who work for charities, seem to think an unlawful policy becomes lawful if a) I’m sure they meant well, and/or b) a funder tells you to do it, or c) it’s a charity, they can do what they like, and/or d) it all sounds a bit Reform-y.

Perhaps we need a term for this. “Lanyard Law” maybe (analogy to Stonewall Law).

I live in Scotland and really recognise this ‘Lanyard Law’. What do you mean it’s wrong to house this male murderer in a woman’s prison? Etc etc.

My fried is black and has 2 kids. She’d have had pretty sharp words if you suggested that she was incapable of voicing concerns while in labour just because of the colour of her skin. How patronising.

At the point, your posts have simply become cliché.

You’re not interested in helping anyone at all, you just don’t want any BAME people to get help.

What makes you say that? All I’m saying is people should get help based on their need. My friend has no need for help just because she’s black, but I bet if she did they’d be a fund for providing it based on their fact she’s black and ‘statistically speaking that demographic’ blah blah blah rather than ‘oh this PERSON needs help let’s help them’.

Help based on personal need, not identity.

@Cucumberino
Demonsrated my point beautifully, where there is a will there is a way. The circumstances you have written down are NHS / goverment services and their are no stipulations on who gets priorty over who, it's mainly down to chronological date order. Your right, the wait times are disgusting i've had a few similar personal circumstances, I would not wish on my worst enemy. However the main point of reference is that we are talking about a charity, not the NHS. Charities are ultimately there to help those most in need and that need may well fall into a catergory and/or sub catergory. Absolutely no one can confirm on MN if the charity are not considering any applications from the white british demographic as they state they are helping young people from culturally diverse communities. In my opinion cultrally diverse would be inclusive of the white british demographic. The letter also stated - 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. Keep in mind that we do not know the criteria set to be offered support it is probably a number of factors taken into account to meet the criteria. And lastly I would like to think if a person is demonstrating severe MH symptoms - A. The NHS MH Services would be the 1st point of contact B. The charity would prioritise help whether that be contacting / signposting to other services which they know can offer immediate help (most charities do). I do have experiance with both as I have 2 family members with serious Mental Health conditions and was also a support worker for a number of years.

If this is true I shall be redirecting my donation to another mental health charity that helps everyone regardless of their culture. Bad mental health affects all cultures so I don’t want to give to a charity that wouldn’t help someone based on that. I understand it could be that they’ve secured funding based on it but I wouldn’t like to see anyone denied help and there will be other charities that won’t be having to do this which I’d rather support. I will contact them and ask what’s happening but what a shame if it’s true.

Young white men who also happen to be the highest risk of suicide? That is well thought out.

I’m interested in what the term ‘culturally diverse’ means though. Culture is Not the same as ethnicity. How do define the base level culture to determine if you are diverse from it? If they are looking at ethnicity do they require a DNA test? Aren’t we all ,culturally diverse’ since no one lives the same identical life?

but you’ve misunderstood the point anyway. It wasn’t about rates of sectioning. The point was, (for third time)

-the majority of black men are sectioned in the back of a police car

-the majority of white men are not (they never see inside a police car)

It doesn’t matter if more black men experience psychosis, this stat isn’t about the volume.

its it’s about where they end up while in psychosis

Being ND or gay significantly increases your risk of suicide, likelihood of struggling with MH and in the case of ND severity.

I wouldn’t expect NT young people to have the door slammed in their faces by this charity either. Help should be based on need.

It’s just appalling .

And a white ND young woman or man is more likely to be sectioned than a NT black young man so really not getting your point.

Simple question:

Do you think it’s right that any charity is allowed to choose who they provide services to based on race?

Aren’t gay and ND people culturally diverse?

I think it means whether you’ve been to both the Tate Modern and the V&A no?

@Coffeeandbooks88 @Str0ganoff

JUST BECAUSE A CHARITY MIGHT FOCUS A PARTICULAR DEMOGRAPHIC DOESNT MEAN THERE AREN'T OTHER CHARITIES FOCUSING ON ANOTHER -

A QUICK GOOGLE SEARCH OF CHARITIES WHO SUPPORT MEN / YOUNG MEN - ANY OF THESE CHARITIES COULD HAVE SPECIFIC FUNDING FOR WHITE BRITISH DEMOGRAPH

Several UK-based charities and organizations focus specifically on men's mental health, aiming to break down stigma, reduce suicide rates, and provide safe spaces for men to talk, often focusing on peer support. While these organizations are open to all men, they are often designed to meet the specific needs and communication styles of men, including white men in the UK.
letstalkaboutsuicide.co.uk +2
Here are key charities aimed at men's mental health:

• ANDYSMANCLUB: A peer-to-peer talking group for men, with over 150+ locations across the UK. Their motto is "It's okay to talk".
• CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably): Focuses on suicide prevention and support for men in crisis, offering a free helpline and webchat daily from 5 pm to midnight.
• Movember Foundation: A global charity raising funds and awareness for mental health, suicide prevention, and prostate/testicular cancer.
• Men's Sheds Association: Aimed at reducing loneliness and isolation by providing community workshops ("Sheds") where men can work on practical projects together.
• James' Place: Provides free, face-to-face therapy for men experiencing suicidal thoughts, with locations in Liverpool, London, and Newcastle.
• MANUP? (Man Up?): A registered charity dedicated to breaking the stigma around mental health, encouraging men to speak openly.
• Men’s Minds Matter: A charity focused on preventing male suicide through clinical psychological intervention, research, and education.
• StrongMen: A charity focused on supporting men dealing with bereavement through peer support and retreats.
• Mates in Mind: Raises awareness of mental health in the workplace, particularly in industries like construction and manufacturing.
• Directions for Men: Provides local, safe, and supportive group spaces for men to discuss mental health challenges.
• The Proper Blokes Club: A community project focusing on mental health through walking and talking.
• Walk and Talk 4 Men: Informal walking groups designed for men to connect and share.
• We Are HUMEN: A global movement with "The HUMEN Space" offering anonymous, free-to-attend, in-person groups for men.
• ManHealth: Offers peer support groups and resources, including the "ManBassador" programme, to help men with mental health issues.
• Talk Club: A "talking and listening" club for men offering groups, sports, and therapy to help men stay mentally fit.
• Men's Minds Matter +7

Specialized Support:

• ManKind Initiative: A charity offering a confidential helpline for male victims of domestic abuse.
• Dads Unlimited: Focuses on supporting separated dads with mental health, co-parenting, and family separation.
• letstalkaboutsuicide.co.uk +1

Resources for Finding Support:

• Hub of Hope: A database that helps men find mental health support services in their local area.
• Mind: Provides resources specifically for men and often runs local men-only groups.

@Mindcultural tell them you're 'settled travellers'. Play the race baiters at their own game.

Why is sex different then?
Or age?

There are charities aimed at only women, only old people, only people with certain conditions, only veterans etc.

It’s interesting how much people lose their shit at funding which was the result of research showing a gap in access between certain cultural diversities within the area this branch of the charity operate in.

The race dog whistle really makes some people lose their minds that they can’t even think clearly. I’m

They won’t do that because arguing on the internet is addictive and entertaining whilst campaigning for change takes real work.