CSIP are hosting the 3rd annual Delivering Race Equality in Mental Healthcare (DRE) conference in London on Thursday 13 March 2008. The key aim of the conference is to engage service users/carers and health & social care staff in addressing the challenges that will ensure equal access, experience and outcomes from mental health services for BME communities.

Attendees will benefit from:

l   Opportunities for networking and learning

l   Practical examples to embed and sustain race equality in mental health services

l   Interactive workshops with real-life guidance to address your key DRE challenges

l   Expertise on commissioning services to meet diverse needs of local communities

For further information and to book a place, please contact Lauren Pugh on 020 7972 4245 or email Lauren.Pugh@dh.gsi.gov.uk

Media training

We have media training sessions coming up in Bridgwater, Mansfield, York and Durham. If you are involved in promoting the work you do via the media then you might be interested in coming along. The sessions will be run by one of our media experts and will provide you with tips and tools for developing a successful media story.

If you would like further information about any of the media training sessions please contact the DRE team on 020 7403 2230 or email dre@forster.co.uk

The How To section of the DRE Network website (www.drenetwork.org) also has some tips on contacting the media so do take a look.

How To guides

We have now produced two How To guides (‘What worked where’ & ‘Developing a communications plan’) which are available to download from the How To section of www.drenetwork.org.

The last two guides, ‘Developing relationships with stakeholders’ & ‘Working with the media’, are due for completion at the end of February 2008.

We hope you find the guides helpful – they are intended to provide practical advice and important issues to consider. If you have any feedback then please do let us know by emailing dre@forster.co.uk

Photography

We are developing a library of photographs for the DRE Network website, which you will all be able to use as part of your own communications work. You can use these photos in leaflets, posters and campaign materials or even let the media use them.

If you have some good photos that you are happy to share with the network and external audiences we’d love to hear from you.  We are always looking for interesting photo opportunities so please do keep in touch with us at dre@forster.co.uk.

Please note that if your photos show people’s faces, you must have a signed consent forms to say that they are happy for you to use it. We won’t be able to upload photos onto the DRE network website without valid consent forms. 

Case studies

We recently spoke to Harbinder Singh, a British-born Sikh, who discussed his experiences of the mental health system over the last 15 years.  To read his inspirational story click here [link to case studies section of www.drenetwork.org]

We have also been in touch with Rashna Hackett, a consultant nurse for acute care at Sheffield Care Trust, who is spearheading an initiative to enable health professionals to engage with the needs of the Pakistani community in Sheffield. Here Enhanced Pathways Into Care (EPIC) project won DRE’s ‘More Appropriate and Responsive Service’ Award earlier this year. To read more about it click here [link to case studies section of www.drenetwork.org]

Do you know of an inspirational story that could help us promote DRE to the national and trade press? If so please do let us know by emailing dre@forster.co.uk.  

Sharing good practice

We have been contacted by a number of CDWs who are keen to promote the work they are doing locally. For example, CDWs in the South West are:

l        Developing a regional electronic calendar of BME community events, networks, and meetings by CDWs in Dorset

l        Establishing a forum to support participation of local BME communities in decision making regarding service provision and planning

l        Undertaking research looking at perceptions of mental health services in BME communities

For further information on all these projects please contact Mark Patterson on 07884 492741or visit the notice board section of  www.drenetwork.org. Also on the notice board is a photograph of the new CDW team in Cornwall plus details of the new CDW team in Sunderland.

If you want to share something with other CDWs then please let us know.

Contact us

The communications programme has been set up specifically to support CDWs. The programme is being run by Forster, the communications consultancy, working with the Department of Health. If you have any questions or feedback specifically about the programme then please contact Harriet Pearce Willis, Emma Wallace or Meg Baker at dre@forster.co.uk or call 020 7403 2230.

To unsubscribe from this newsletter, or for any questions about, changes to or additions to your email address, please contact the mailing list administrator dre@forster.co.uk