Year 1
During year one of the Healthy, Mobilised and BAME, service users have been involved in English language lessons, ICT sessions and also taking part in aerobics and sewing sessions. Further training and support has been provided focused on holding public authorities to account in Ealing and Hounslow. 65 BAME people have also been involved in three separate mental health awareness sessions in Southall. June and July saw 10 community outreach officers receive specialist training around the mental health act, Mental Capacity Act and Human Rights Act. Community outreach officers then cascaded their learning to a further 80 BAME people with poor levels of wellbeing. Additionally four community outreach officers received introductory training into cognitive behavioural therapy training so they are better able to support the communities they work with.
Year 2
Year two of the project has seen as continuation of activities that remove the isolation faced by many participants of the project. Additional to providing and brokering welfare and immigration support, have been incorporated into the project to help support people accessing support. During year two there has been an increased focus on using the experiences of project participants and their encounters with support services to improve the shape of the said services. In November and December 2013, ROTA, TCC and West London Mental Health Trust carried out two focus group discussions in Southall and Hounslow with members of the Tamil population to identify how services should be shaped and to explore where barriers exist. 2014 seen greater emphasis on building the capability of community outreach officers to support people accessing the project. This included training on counselling skills, specific work around domestic violence with two community outreach officers attending a 10 week basic counselling course.
Year 3
The third and final year of the project commenced in September 2014. In October 2014, a group of volunteers at Tamil Community Centre completed 10 sessions of training which were delivered by a professionals including psychologists and psychiatrists from the UK Sri Lanka Trauma Group. Sessions included topics such as the Tree of Life, Supporting Refugees from areas of trauma, addiction and parenting. Two outreach officers from the project commenced an advanced counselling in September 2014 delivered by Women and Girls Network. Project partners have also been working with University of East London around research and with South West London and St Georges NHS Mental Health Trust around culturally adapted community based interventions.