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 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.

If you are so up in arms, so something about it.

Something like what? set up MH charity supporting white kids only? really?

Such as?

I’m sure you would feel the exact same if they had a doner fund 12 months additional resources for neurodivergence.

From reading the charity’s website and their sponsor’s website, this is what has happened.

There are charities that support trans kids, of which the vast majority are white. No one is complaining about money spent on that charity.

What you’re saying is if the charity can’t centre white kids, it should close.

Nobody is saying that they should be centred. It should be equal for all. The issue is that they are being excluded.

So if my child can’t access a service, no child should be able to?

Charities rely on grants and trusts, who in turn stipulate the service that money can be spent on. Most charities have pockets of funding ring fenced for based on their grants and trusts income. Selection criteria might include kids who are care experienced, of a particular gender identity or sexuality, or with a particular disability, or indeed ethnicity or race. Instead of bemoaning this we should recognise that multi-year general, unrestricted funding is almost impossible to get now and ask why that is.

Most trusts want a shiny new project, something they can use in their own publicity and most trusts are cause specific. It’s always been thus.

I work in the charity sector…we get funding for specific jobs…

Victim support…street robberies …you’d want us to support victims of car crime? On a street robberies project?

Digital inclusion for people with LD…you’d want to argue that everyone should have it??

If this is the Leeds project you can see 3 charities have funded Mind to do this SPECIFIC work with culturally diverse communities young people and the reason is that that is a priority for those funders…with THEIR cash

If a certain grant giver wants to give money for a specific purpose, that is what it is for. Whether you or I or the woman down the road likes it is irrelevant. If this were public money it would be different and we would all have more say.

This is why outsourcing from the NHS, and relying on charities which rely on grants to fund MH treatment is so fucked up. As for what you can do - you can ask questions and vote accordingly.

But targeting this charity at this time is not the answer.

What UK charity serves white people with the exclusion of others (discounting the Brownies) ?

If they were only for white British and specifically excluded everyone else, yes.

ND provision is always allocated on need. You don’t get provision just for being ND. You shouldn’t just get provision based on skin colour,

do you trust BBC?

Top schools defend rejecting bursary for white boys - BBC News

or Parliament docs?

The forgotten: how White working-class pupils have been let down, and how to change it - Education Committee - House of Commons

"The educational underachievement of White working-class pupils is clear. They are among the most likely to not achieve a pass in English and Maths GCSE and the least likely to go to university. "

WTF?

While you’re all squabbling here about government spending cut to the barest of bones and then cut off entirely, there you’ve got billionaire Jim Ratcliffe moving out to Monaco to pay less tax than any of you on PAYE and lecturing you on how it’s the immigrants taking your money and services off you. Not him not paying his taxes so services don’t get cut - oh no.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/oct/18/being-white-wont-hold-boys-back-being-working-class-just-might

"Any proof" indeed. This level of ignorance is why democracy doesn't work.

They may now only receive funding from a grant with these requirements. So they possibly used to have a mix of funding that enabled them to provide services to all groups, and they ave now been forced to narrow their focus in line with the requirements of their only remaining grant/funding?

I know of several charities in my area purely for ND kids, provision is only for young people with a diagnosis, because that’s the terms of their grant funding.

So we’re ok with donors to charities retaliating by stipulating their money should only go to white people?

Private charity work is never going to be open to all. That’s nonsensical, the sector wouldn’t exist otherwise. There are charities specifically for babies, certain conditions, old lonely people, disabled veterans etc and they all offer services to a narrow groups of people.

That’s literally why we have public services that are generally open to all.
Outside of that people can privately fund what they want!

Charities like Mermaids help trans children, of which 83% are white, according to an article in the Times.

Having an issue with migration levels and tax loopholes are not mutually exclusive.

You can have an issue with both simultaneously. But I agree. The emphasis is skewed

The same people who vote for tax cuts will be on here saying services should be there for everyone….these services have been slashed or sold off for decades…children who need specialist care are sent hundreds of miles away …horrific things are happening in private care homes for children…for profit.

This is a charity targeting its work because the need is a tidal wave. Racism grows this harm and need for services

The university local to this specific charity initiative has a scholarship only open to white working class males and I’ve not seen a thread created to moan that middle class women can’t avail of it.