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Community Development Workers Newsletter
The CDW Team have been involved in a number of projects this
past quarter. We have been working with a range of community
groups including migrant refugee support groups, ACCN African
Caribbean Community Network, Yemeni Young People’s Project
and the LGBTQ community at Summit House.
We have attended an array of events including Merit Vanguard ‘s
Mental Health First Aid Video Launch and a ‘Fight and Flight’
Conflict Resolution Conference, and we were also delighted to
accept an ‘Outstanding Team’ award at this year’s Black History
Month Conference.
We have also supported a number of health and wellbeing events
including Dudley College, Brierley Hill Library and Saltbrook
Place and delivered Mental Health Awareness and Five Ways to
Wellbeing presentations to groups across the Dudley Borough.
We also continue to engage in one to one client work signposting
appropriate community services and initiatives.
Working under the E&D (Equality and Diversity) umbrella the
CDW’s also support the Trust’s E&D Lead Paul Singh, to ensure
that patient and staff needs are met with accordance to the
Equality Act 2010. This involves regularly monitoring religious
and cultural resources across sites, supporting staff with
cultural competencies and raising awareness of the equality and
diversity agenda.
The CDW Team worked in
partnership with Dudley Talking
Therapies and the Sexual Health
Team at Summit house to deliver
mental health support to the
LGBTQ community in Dudley. The
collective team delivered a Coffee
and Cake Mental Health Drop-in
on Wednesday 5th July where the
team engaged with service users
and members of the public who
specifically travelled to the drop-
in to talk about their mental
health concerns. On the day the
team engaged with a number of
individuals and provided wellbeing
resources. The team are looking
forward to organising an event to
raise awareness of mental health
within the LGBTQ community
next year.
The CDW Team and
Tandrusti Project have been working in partnership with
ACCN (African Caribbean Community Network) to set up a
wellbeing garden project for the African Caribbean Carers
& Disability Support Group and service users who meet
weekly at the Community Centre on Abberley Street. The
aim of the garden project is to help improve overall
wellbeing through the renovation of the centre’s outdoor
space by creating a therapeutic area for relaxation,
engagement and activity. Creating raised beds for ease of
access we plan to plant vegetables, herbs and fruit in
preparation for spring through the guidance of garden
professional Janet Armstrong (Sourced in by the Tandrusti
Project). The project is particularly timely as group
members have been feeling especially low in mood due to
the loss of loved ones who were previous members of the
centre’s well established Carer’s group. In view of this we
have also planned to create a special garden memorial. This
will include the planting of a seasonal tree, a pebble making
activity and honouree plaques.
The Brierley Hill project is a local charity
which provides targeted life support and
coaching for individuals experiencing
difficult periods in their life. The much needed project
facilitates weekly information drop-ins where members of the
local and wider community within Dudley come along to receive
advice and support and retrieve food bank supplies. The
project also runs a Recovery Café during the week which
provides free hot breakfasts for the most vulnerable. The
CDW Team are working in partnership with the Brierley Hill
Project to help support the mental health needs of service
users. So far we have linked in with Dudley Talking Therapies
and worked with a Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner to
assess support needs and have since sourced in a Community
Mental Health Nurse who will be undertaking regular drop-ins
at the centre. We are also working with Tandrusti Project to
utilise the space on site to develop activities such as football
and martial arts to encourage group engagement.
The Yemini Young People’s Project was set up in
response to key recommendations that came out
of the “Thank You for Asking” report which was
carried out by Women in Theatre and
commissioned by the Office of Public Health to
develop an insight into the emotion health &
wellbeing of young people from
minority ethnic communities in Dudley. As the
findings highlighted that young people wanted to
be given the opportunity to talk about mental
health and how it affected them, in partnership
with The Women’s Awareness Association, Near
Neighbours and The Phase Trust, the CDW team
embarked on a project to raise awareness of
mental health and improve wellbeing within young
people in the Yemeni community. The project
entailed a series of activities based on the Five
Ways to Wellbeing. This included:
Connecting – Getting to know each other and
sharing experiences through dialogue
Being active – Zumba or fitness sessions
Keep learning – Canvass art activities
Take notice – A trip out into the countryside.
Give - Art work to be displayed at local leisure
centre once complete
To encourage community cohesion the bid also included an Eid
Celebration for the young people to organise themselves. We have
also developed a youth club where young Asian and Yemeni girl’s aged
10–16 can meet on a weekly basis in Halesowen.
The Young people involved
in the project helped
organise the event, and
helped out on the day with
face painting and henna.
The event took place at
Halesowen Leisure centre
and was very well attended
with over 50 eventgoers.
The Mayor of Dudley,
Councillor Dave Tyler and
his wife, Mayoress of
Dudley, Barbara Tyler were
also present at the event.
Information stands from a
number of organisations
were also well received by
the public. Evaluation of the
event was very positive as
many event goers
commented on how
enjoyable and informative
they found it. The young
people involved did an
excellent job in organising
and promoting the event.
As part of the “Keep Learning” element of the
Five Ways to Wellbeing members took part in
a canvass art course. Sessions took place
weekly over a four week period at Halesowen
Leisure centre. The course included a brief introduction about the
Five Ways to Wellbeing and looked at the evidence based around
“Keep Learning” to improve overall wellbeing. Information on the Five
Ways to Wellbeing was also provided. Evaluations showed that the
girls thoroughly enjoyed attending the course and that they would
have liked the course to have been longer.
“I found the painting really fun and relaxing, I wish I could have done more”.
Young people’s trip to Barry Island in
Wales
As part of the Near Neighbours bid the
young people and some of their families
also went on a trip to Barry Island in
wales. The trip took place on Monday 21st
August and approximately 70 young
people and their families took part.
The trip was a success as everyone
thoroughly enjoyed the trip and it turned
out to be a lovely sunny day!
Girls Afterschool Club
Members identified that as girls
they don’t actually have a place
to go and socialise outside of
their home and school
environment. Due to potential
isolation this could lead to poor
mental health and low self-
esteem. In partnership with The
Phase Trust in Halesowen and
the Women’s Awareness
Association, the CDW team have
set up a weekly afterschool Club
catering to the specific needs
of Muslim girls to help improve
their overall wellbeing.
New Horizons - A migrant mental health project in Dudley
Research shows that there is an overall increase in psychological ill-
health within refugees and migrant populations. Individuals who
migrate due to severe hardships within their country of origin are
vulnerable to a host of potential mental health problems. Such
challenges arise from oppressions that drive their decision to
migrate; also separation from family, friends and cultural networks
can also feed into poor mental health..
With the view to help combat health inequalities within migrant
communities, the CDW Team have been working in partnership with
specialist health visitor Justine Morris and nursery nurse Claire
Poole. We have set up a project with the aim to help promote
wellbeing and reduce isolation amongst the new migrant communities
in Dudley. Based on the Five Ways to Wellbeing Justine and Claire
had been working with new migrant families in the borough and had
established relationships with many migrant families.
Through their work they have identified that many of the families
were isolated and felt that a support group would be beneficial. We
decided to run the project weekly for 3 months and then review the
needs of the group.
As a central location Netherton Healthy Hub in Netherton Park was
chosen as a place to meet up. The first meeting took place in early
May. The CDW team was instrumental in the promotion of the
project and in securing a small amount of funding that would enable
the group to take part in activities.
The CDW team also approached external agencies about facilitating
engaging sessions with the group. The Adult and Community Learning
team provided taster sessions as well as the CDW Team who
delivered sessions on the Five Ways to Wellbeing. Claire was on hand
each week to help look after the smaller children within a small play
area which was set up in the corner of the room.
As the most common language
spoken within the group was
Arabic we sourced in an
Arabic speaking interpreter
on a number of occasions. We
also translated posters into
Arabic.
The CDW team also put up
welcome and Hello signs
around the room in different
languages.
To mark World Mental Health Day,
the CDW Team worked in
partnership with Dudley Council
Library Services to deliver a “Five
Ways to Wellbeing” workshop at
Dudley library on the 11th October.
Developed by the New Economic
Foundation, the Five Ways to Wellbeing;
Connect, Be active, Keep learning, Take notice, and Give, were explored as
participants took part in small exercises to strengthen their understanding
of each concept. This included using the library resources to find inspiring
recipes in cook books to learn about each other. A number of resources were
also available for participants to take on the day which included self-help
guides and ‘The Road to Wellbeing’ guidebook.
“Perfect, short accessible session.”
“Reminded me of how to aim to achieve wellbeing”
The CDW team delivered a Five Ways to Wellbeing
presentation to the Migrant Women’s Coffee Morning
group which is run by Annie from CFED (Centre for
Equality & Diversity). Members meet monthly to find out
about services across the borough. All of the women
attending were from a Middle Eastern or African
background. Twelve women attended on the day, all of
whom participated in the workshop. As well as finding out
about the Five Ways to Wellbeing, members also carried
out an evaluation of their own wellbeing. The session was
well received and evaluated by those attended. All of the
women fed back that they enjoyed the session and learned
something new and useful.
The CDW Team delivered a duo of training sessions
at the Beacon Centre in Stourbridge. The first
session explored the Five Ways to Wellbeing with a
group of service users with varied visual impairments.
We used colours as a theme to engage through activity and talked
about acts of kindness. The second session was delivered to a group of
staff and volunteers and focused on mental health awareness. The
session encouraged discussion around stigma and challenged perception.
Feedback was positive as attendees felt valued in being able to openly
share their own experiences whilst asking questions and exploring
answers as a group.
SIG (Special
Interest Group)
For this quarter’s
SIG meeting the
CDW team arranged a
speed dating style
networking event to
enable eventgoers the
opportunity to find out about each other and the work they do
on a one to one basis. The event was held on Tuesday 18th July at
DY1 on Stafford Street. We had approximately 20 attendees
who fed back that they enjoyed the format of the day which
enabled participants to speak to each other intensively for 5-10
minutes each. Eventgoers included representatives from:
Healthwatch
Dudley Carer’s Service
Adult Learning
ACCN (African Caribbean Community Network)
Merrie Maggie Laughter Yoga
Solutions for Health
Public Health
Tandrusti Trust
Dudley Canal Trust
CDW Team attend Fresher’s Fayre at Dudley
College On Thursday 21st September the CDW Team
attended Dudley College’s Fresher’s Fayre. The team
were supported by EBE’s (Expert by Experience Trust
representatives) Kerrie and Andy who were on hand to
support the team with distributing information on
mental health and talking to the students and staff.
As well as having a range of resources and leaflets to
hand out we also provided a short ‘fill in the blanks’
quiz on mental health that students could take part in.
The CDW’s attended a Health and
Wellbeing day at Saltbrook Place in
July. Saltbrook Place provides a
welcoming and friendly home
environment which provides support
for homeless people who have a
connection within the Dudley area.
The CDW’s were on hand to provide
information and support on mental
health and wellbeing services in
Dudley and many residents came and
spoke openly about their mental
health needs.
CDW’s attended a Health
Information Week at Brierley Hill
Library Health Information Week
is a multi-sector campaign to
promote good quality health
resources that are available to the
public. The CDW’s joined a team of
professionals from a number of
local organisations to raise an
awareness of resources and health
initiatives available within the
Dudley Borough. As well as
accessing information and support
on mental health and wellbeing,
eventgoers were also able to have a
full health check on the day which
proved to be quite popular.
Representatives from library
services also took the opportunity
to launch their ‘Reading well for
people with long term conditions’
scheme, which is a series of books
available for people with long term
conditions to help better
understand their illness. Overall a
very informative event, in the heart
of the community!
CDW Team are awarded with ‘Outstanding Team’ Trophy at Merit
Vanguard Black History Month Event Merit Vanguard teamed up with the Royal College of Nursing and
Health Education West Midlands to co-host a special conference for health professionals across the region
to celebrate Black History Month in October. Entitled ‘Your Story - Your Legacy’ the event encouraged
delegates to think differently about how they tell their personal stories to help shape change and create
their own legacies. Key note speakers on the day included Clare Patey, Director of the Empathy Museum
who talked about her experiences leading worldwide empathy themed projects which included a Human
Library, where instead of borrowing a book, participants borrowed humans who shared their stories.
Nicholas Haines, co-founder of the Five Institute also delivered an inspirational workshop exploring ideas
in which delegates could learn how to treat themselves with kindness, as well as each other. Introduced by
Paul Singh, Equality and Diversity Lead, the CDW Team were delighted to accept an ‘Outstanding Team’
award on the day.
The Trust launched a brand new initiative to help ensure
fairness for staff from black and minority ethnic (BME)
backgrounds. The new Cultural Ambassadors provide support
during formal processes such as investigations, grievances or
disciplinaries by ensuring investigation teams uphold equality
and avoid any cultural bias issues.
Merit Vanguard celebrated its
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA)
Resource Video Launch on World
Mental Health Day in October.
MHFA England is an accredited
evidence based programme which
focuses on increasing the mental
health literacy of the population.
The Merit Vanguard produced a video resource to
reflect the demographic within the West Midlands
region. The video included talks by volunteers that
represented a range of equality and diversity
protected characteristics including gender, race,
sexuality, religion or no belief and disability. The
videos were showcased at Vue Cinemas at Star City in
Birmingham. The CDW’s were particularly proud to
support an original CDW project, Pyari Sangat (Asian
Women’s Mental Health Support group) member
through the volunteer process and to also watch the
experiences of our very own EBE’s (Expert by
Experience) on the big screen.
Gypsy Roma
Traveller
History
Month
Celebration
In celebration of Gypsy Roma Traveller
History month, the MERIT Vanguard
Equality & Diversity Workstream
organised a theatre performance and
interactive workshop on the 28th June.
CDW’s attended on the day and watched
a play called ‘Crystal’s Vardo’ which
examined the impact of bullying looking
into the story of a young Gypsy girls
experience at school. It also explored
the rich history and culture of Gypsies
and Travelers to raise awareness and to
improve the understanding of the
Travelling community.
Diversity and Inclusion Workstream In May, MERIT was successful
in becoming a NHS Employers Equality, Diversity, & Inclusion Partner
on their 2017/18 Programme. The Equality and Diversity Partners
programme supports participating Trusts to progress and develop
their equality performance and to build capacity in this area. At the
same time the programme provides an opportunity for partners to
offer advice, guidance and demonstrations of good practice in equality
and diversity management to the wider NHS.
To date, key topics such as the Workforce Race Equality Standard
(WRES), and the Workforce Disability Equality Standard (WDES)
have been explored with good practice shared. Presentations
highlighted the work of MERIT demonstrating Inclusive Leadership,
Inclusive planning/communication and working in collaboration with
Service users.
In partnership with NHS Employers, we held
a Bullying, Harassment and managing conflict
workshop (Fight, Flight or Resolution) in
September. The conference looked at
various research projects across the NHS
addressing bullying and harassment and
shared case studies on conflict
resolution/meditation. Over 80 participants
in attendance and positive feedback received
from delegates.
We also held an Inclusion master class (Going
beyond the Inclusion Conversation) aimed for
Chief Executives, Boards and Executive
Leaders, in partnership with HEE (Health
Education England) and the RCN (Royal
College of Nursing). The event was a great
success involving round table discussions,
leading to high level commitments being
agreed by the leadership team across the
West Midlands, to progress an inclusive
leadership culture to meet the developing of
people, improving care (Compassionate,
inclusive and effective leaders at all levels).
In addition the event explored best practice,
supporting Trusts with culture change.
We are currently working in partnership
with Exeter University on the Gender Pay
Gap Duty requirement. This partnership
will look at each Trusts practice in
understanding and reducing pay gaps. This
project will look at diagnosing patterns in
pay data between men and women and
further at the level of single (male to
female for example), dual (with the
addition of ethnicity for example) and
even multiple combined characteristics.
Coming Soon
Christmas SIG (Special Interest Group)
Networking Event on Tuesday 12th Dec – book
on now!
If you would like to talk to a CDW please
see the details below:
Office: 013814 366517
Senior CDW - Anita Chumber
07766 368373
CDW – Iram Maan
07917 559683
Email: [email protected]
Get in touch!