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.

So they aren’t taking any donations from the public anymore at all?

Well clearly there are posters here who only have an issue with the balance being addressed an we’re fine as the status quo was before, even suggesting the targeted funding should be declined therefore going back to when it was helping white children disproportionately.

Did you actually read their research paper?

“Can’t be bothered to google”

You’re a very nasty person from your pedestal.

You haven’t read young MINDs governing documents though have you? It’s not published in full.

I’ve not assumed that at any point.

There are situations in which this would be lawful, and others in which it’s not.

The “funders require it” is not a get-out-of-EA2010 card and that’s the thing I’m pushing back on in posts I’ve replied to.

Also pushing back at: “unless you’ve run a charity / campaigned for funding, you have no right to question”.

Not making a general point that targeted services are always unlawful (which would be an idiotic position).

Their general services are continuing to support the children who are already flagged and receiving care, they cannot take any additional new general referrals until they receive more funding. These services are open to all and the children are disproportionately white.

That will be due to take up.

So where do white children go now if the NHS are investing in and funnelling them to MINd who have slammed the door in their faces?

So if we give to MIND then none of their funding goes to young MINDs then?

I gave them £20 pre-Christmas on the way home from a particularly boozy Christmas lunch. Last cash they’ll ever get off me. I didn’t know I was expected to research whether they operated in a discriminatory fashion.

Is MIND Young Minds then? I’ve donated to them and so does our local supermarket.

So if a ‘culturally diverse’ person asks for help will they be treated equally to a white middle class one? Or are they regarded as ‘special’?

And is this ok?

Something similar happened to my autistic son; he was denied support because he wasn't in the right postcode. Consequently, his health deteriorated and I had to give up work to care for him FT. Fortunately he's alive and well but for a time he was suicidal. A terrible experience and to be rejected from state support added to the trauma. I appreciate that funding can be difficult for charities but providing support should be based on need because there's a risk they will miss young people at risk.

The funders would require the governing documents to cover such objectives, was the point. They would expect to be shown them to demonstrate this eligibility.

You haven’t read MINDs governing documents either though have you? So totally moot point. Either of them or both could say their objectives include widening access to under represented communities and you would have no idea.

You appear to be mocking a child who has been refused mental health support by a charity funded to provide mental health to ALL because of her skin colour.

The ‘anti racists’ appear to be selective in their outrage about blatant racism.

Has anyone provided any examples of these fabled ‘white only’ charities PPs keep claiming in order to justify this? Are PPs generally happy to have society divided along strict racial lines? I thought integration was the aim?

It appears MIND/ Youth in MIND and Young Minds are separate charities.

Young Minds is open to everybody.

If Youth in MIND is just for BAME, they need to update their mission statement

No but I have a generate expectation that a nationwide charity doesn’t partake in discrimination. It’s probably safest not to give to charity but to keep all spare money in an account incase my white middle class child ever needs services that they’re too white for.

Now I’m genuinely intrigued. When you say ‘widening access’ that implies they weren’t allowed access in the first place. Are you saying that clinicians had been refusing treatment not on clinical need but other factors.

I’m afraid I don’t share your faith that a funder, or a charity, would never ignore or misconstrue EA 2010.

Thank you for confirming that you would prefer for no child to get help.

It is highly unlikely that the funders will change their grant-giving policies off the back of a charity like MIND refusing a grant (or, more accurately, just not applying for a grant in the first place as the criteria are usually pretty prior to application). Those grantmakers will simply divert the funds that they have allocated to support BAME communities to other charities which are better placed to serve their target demographic.

Feel free to start a charity aimed at only your perceived ills that the struggling white children of the middle classes face.

Are white working class children now culturally diverse? How would the charity define that?

Widening access is a commonly used term, you can ask Chat gpt to explain in more detail if you think it’s an important point.

The NHS needs to update its materials and staff. It needs to be recognised that white children can’t be funnelled to MIND now and that MIND doesn’t base provision on need.

You seem very confused . OP is talking about children having a service refused altogether. That is not the same as additional support being provided for disabled people to overcome physical barriers like lack of transport.

By your example, you are suggesting it would be ok to run a hospital bus service for black people only. Which is clearly wrong.

What I would appreciate is the charity commission stepping in and stopping all medical charities from taking funding that asks them to discriminate on anything other than clinical need. That would tackle this issue.

Too much to ask I suspect.

Well, if specific charities or funders are actually failing to meet their legal duties under the Equality Act, they can be taken to court. We don't actually have any evidence that this is the case here, do we?