Harnessing Community and Generic Social Work to address the

Impact of Social Exclusion on Mental Health in Traveller Gypsy and Roma Communities

Michael Ridge, Community and Generic Social Worker with

Travellers and Gypsies (statutory sector) since 2000. Dip in Social Work and MA in Social Work

Traveller Movement Britain, Management Board, Trustee, since 2002

Cardiff Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Conference

, 19th September 2014

1

Overview

• Case Work • Community Social Work • Two Community Social Work Projects • Conclusions. Harnessing and developing

mental capital in Gypsy Roma and Traveller communities

2

Haringey Travelling Peoples Team • 2 person Team • Travellers Liaison Officer. Manages two authorised

Traveller sites in Haringey and any unauthorised encampments.

• Vast majority of Travellers and Gypsies in Haringey and elsewhere have to live in housing because of the acute shortage of sites.

• Roma populations have increased in Haringey and they also live in housing and receive direct support in Haringey from a Roma Project Worker

• One full time Social Worker. 3

Generic Social Work • Co work cases according to need with relevant professionals and teams

• Ensure equality of access to services and culturally sensitive practice whilst

maintaining and developing mental capital in Traveller communities

• Traveller Gypsy Family Group Conferences The Family Group Conference Tool Kit. Family Rights Group 2006.

• • Extended families can be a source of mental capital in Traveller Gypsy

Roma communities.

• TGR communities can have a deep mistrust of mainstream social services as they fear their children may be removed.

• Specialist team earns trust of Travellers. Haringey Council is using a community social work model that engages Traveller families before a crisis occurs Rowena Davis reports 10 June 2010 Community Care.

• 4

Community Social Work

• Driving Theory Support Groups

• Welfare Rights Drop in

• Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Needs Assessments.

• Gypsy Traveller Child Poverty needs assessments.

• Traveller Gypsy Roma Joint Service and ITMB interagency forum meetings.

• Supporting GRT Evidence Based Practice by supporting research especially research and needs assessments that maximise TRG involvement in planning implementation and dissemination

• Targeted evidence based Traveller awareness presentations mostly run in partnership with Travellers and sometimes run in partnership with TM

5

Community Social Work

• Partnership work with Traveller and Gypsy mental heath professionals

• Partnership work with TRG communities the voluntary sector and other professionals e.g. mental heath video “Tell Someone” with TM

• Community social work theory • Traveller Gypsy Youth Work • Traveller Gypsy Roma History Month • Two Traveller Gypsy Roma Community Social Work

Projects will now be discussed. 6

Conclusions and Recommendations

• Cultural Psychiatry, ( See Racism and Mental Health. Prejudice and Suffering. Dr Kamaildeep Bhui 2002 and 2006) Community Social Work and Voluntary Sector approaches such as those approaches developed by TM in partnership with Gypsy Roma Traveller communities could be more closely harnessed to support and generate mental capital, resilience and well being in Gypsy Traveller Roma communities throughout the life course.

• These approaches could also be harnessed and developed to access and counteract the impact of complex Traveller Gypsy Roma racisms on mental heath and mental capital in these communities.

Closer Partnership Working

• Closer inter professional working/closer voluntary sector/statutory sector working/ closer needs assessment/academic and clinical partnership working with Gypsy Roma and Traveller communities, though local – “Gypsy Roma Traveller Joint service Interagency Forums” that feed into national and international conferences