A Camden-based foundation is working with the UK government to create a programme to help minorities get the mental health treatment they deserve.
The Race Equality Foundation has worked to improve the Mental Health Act 1983 for people from black and minority ethnic groups. The proposal looked at the rising rates of detention under the Act, the disproportionate number of BME people detained under the Act, and other processes out of step with the modern mental health care system.
“It was a very important project, that we were more than happy to make. Black people and people from the minority are very poorly represented and that should not happened the era we live,” said Samir Jerag, 33, a policy and practice officer at the Race Equality Foundation.
“It was important for us to do something about this, because that is the core of our foundation. We are fighting for those who does not have voice,” adds Jerag.
The Foundation, which was established in 1987 as the Race Equality Unit under the National Institute for Social Work (NISW), became an independent charitable organisation and in 2006 changed its name to the Race Equality Foundation. It aims to explore what it is known about discrimination and develop evidence-based practice to promote equality.
It disseminates better practice through educational activities, seminars and conferences, written materials and websites, working closely with local partners and communities, volunteers and social enterprise sectors.
The current project, which aims to finish at the end of May, hopes to change the way in which people from ethnic backgrounds are treated when seeking help for mental health issues.
“A lot of people from minorities do not get the treatment they deserve or seek and often are sent to the wrong institutions. Black people, for example, are often sent to courts as criminals, instead of being placed in a mental health facilities,” Jerag said.
According to the Foundation, people from BME backgrounds are most likely to suffer from mental health conditions.
Nuria Raposo, an 18 year-old student from a racially mixed background, believes that the organisation is on the right track. “My grandfather suffered from dementia and according to my parents he wasn’t treated right,” she said.
“Firstly, he was charged multiple times [with crimes] and spent two years in the jail until finally they diagnosed him.
“I am happy that the Foundation is doing something for us and all the people who are mistreated, just because they come from different backgrounds,” she said.
Jerag said the system needs to fundamentally change. “The problem of people who are put into facilities is real. Some of them do not need treatment, but are kind of forced to mental health facilities. That is wrong and as unfair as not getting any help,” he said.
For this project the foundation has been asked to look over both legislation and practice and come up with a plan and recommendations. “It is a very important project for us and we take it very seriously,” said Jerag.
The ultimate goal is to make greater autonomy for people subject to mental health legislation, as well as greater access to services for those who need them. The Foundation also seeks to reduce harm and improve safety for people seeking the help they need.
“We are very honoured to participate in this project. Our aim is to make the health services better and equal for everybody. We are not going to stop up until we manage to make at least a bit of a difference. People deserve better, we deserve better and we are not stopping to fight for our rights,” said Jerag.
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