Community Engagement: Meeting the needs of a diverse client group Yaser Mir International School for Communities, Rights and Inclusion (ISCRI), UCLan

Background UCLan has a history of engaging communities to meet diverse needs: Department of Health - Substance Misuse HMP – Prisons Home Office/Welsh Assembly – DIP and Criminal Justice* NIMHE/CSIP – Mental Health New Scotland Yard – Citizen Focused Policing Aimhigher – Higher Education

“SOUTH ASIAN: WEST MIDLANDS: MY EXPERIENCE” MAJOR RELIGIONS COUNTRY/REGION OF ORIGIN * Islam * Pakistan * Bangladesh * Hinduism * India * East Africa * Sikhism * Sri Lanka * Buddhism LANGUAGES & DIALECTS * Hindi * Gujarati * Urdu * Bengali * Bihari * Punjabi * Sindhi * Pushto * Syleti * Farshi * Hinku * Kutchi * Boluchi * Marathi * Telugu AGES AND GENERATIONS 1st Generation – 2nd Generation – 3rd Generation – 4th Generation DUAL HERITAGE GENDER / SEXUALITY / DISABILITY 3

UCLan Research Department of Health’s Black and minority ethnic drug misuse needs assessment 2000-2006 Data from a sample of 17,000 Drug Interventions Programme Black and minority ethnic community engagement programme 2006 Data from a sample of 370 service users

Barriers to drug service access: data from Department of Health’s Black and minority ethnic drug misuse needs assessment project 2000-2006 Although the drug-using patterns amongst minority ethnic communities are not different from those of the whole population, it doesn’t follow that they can simply 'slot into' existing drug services Responses may have to be different in order that the barriers to drug service access that they face can be overcome

Distrust of confidentiality Language Barriers to drug service access: data from Department of Health’s Black and minority ethnic drug misuse needs assessment project 2000-2006 Lack of awareness of the range of drug services and the help they can offer Stigma It brings so much shame to the family within the community, people just look down on you, they think the whole family is bad. The drug user won’t get a marriage proposal, and neither will the sisters if their brother is a drug user. (Drug user’s sister) Distrust of confidentiality Language Drug services’ lack of cultural competence

Key findings: DIP Black and minority ethnic community engagement programme 2006 Treatment engagement ‘No, staff no support for cultural problems & spiritual crisis’ ‘No, lack of cultural identification/empathy & understanding’ Staff attitudes – dignity and respect ‘Couldn’t give a shit. I am Black, parents poor they did not care’. ‘They are not culturally empathic, there’s no fairness of treatment, a lot of distrust with them, cultural identification is important, and experience of empathy is too’. Sensitivity to cultural and religious needs Harm minimisation versus abstinence Haram (non-permitted) versus Halal (permitted) Compatible with faith and belief systems

Key Recommendations: DIP Black and minority ethnic community engagement programme 2006 commissioning, planning and delivery of services Faith based and spiritual approaches part of a range of abstinence based options Commissioning BME (ex) service users involvement Workforce culturally competent, (ex) service users, reflect the make up of local communities equality and human rights training Family and carer support Drugs education and prevention messages

Communities and agencies working together experience and outcome Community Engagement Facilitated Supported Resourced Trained Communities and agencies working together Raising awareness Generating ownership equitable services = improved access, experience and outcome Reducing stigma, denial & fear Sustaining engagement Assessing need Developing workforce Increasing trust Articulating need Building capacity 9

CASE STUDY: BLACK AND ASIAN SERVICE IN ALCOHOL AND NARCOTICS (BASIAN) Example of Good Practice CASE STUDY: BLACK AND ASIAN SERVICE IN ALCOHOL AND NARCOTICS (BASIAN) Shahid Farid BASIAN CO-FOUNDER 10

What does this mean for you? OVER TO YOU!! What does this mean for you? What can/should you do? What is stopping you? 11