Willie Macfadyen, Scottish Social Worker of the Year

 

 A man who has devoted most of his career to working with deaf people has been named Social Worker of the Year by the British Association of Social Workers in Scotland. Willie Macfadyen, a Trustee of BSMHD, who works for Glasgow-based charity Hayfield Support Services with Deaf People, received his award from Cathy Jamieson MSP at a special ceremony in the Scottish Parliament on 5 February. Willie has been a social worker for 35 years, working mainly with deaf people.He was recently involved in petitioning the Scottish Parliament for services to be provided in Scotland for deaf people with mental health problems. These are currently provided by the John Denmark Clinic from Manchester. Willie's colleagues describe him as a highly motivated worker, with "a sense of justice, listening ear, kind heart, considerable knowledge and innumerable contacts." Willie Macfadyen said: "The recognition of this award is tempered by the knowledge that deaf people in many parts of Scotland are still being denied access to appropriate and fully inclusive social work services. Hopefully, this will provide the focus for a national approach to reverse the decline in this specialist - but largely ignored - service. I have been fortunate in having had the experience of working with colleagues from a variety of roles and backgrounds who have given me the time and opportunities to develop my own skills and experiences. This award is for them as much as it is for me."

 
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Next BSMHD members meeting - Northampton, 12 May 2009

 

The next BSMHD meeting will be held in Northampton on 12 May 2009 at St Andrew's Healthcare, Billing Road, Northampton, NN1 5DG. The meeting will be an opportunity to meet staff from the Health Services and Deaf Organisations in the East Midlands. BSMHD Meetings are open to all members and are free to attend. If you would like to attend please contact Jonathan Isaac, [email protected] .

 
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BSMHD 2009 Annual Conference - London, 8 & 9 June 2009

Please note: Deadline for submitting abstracts is 20 March.

The next BSMHD Annual Conference will be held in London on 8th & 9th June 2009 at the Royal Horticultural Society. Abstracts of papers for consideration by the conference committee are requested on any subject relating to Mental Health and Deafness. The sub-themes for the break-out sessions at the conference are: Research in Mental Health and Deafness; International Services; Language issues; Primary Care; Professional Development; and Complex Problems. However if you are unsure if your paper fits into one of the sub-themes do please contact us to discuss. Presentations and workshops that include User Involvement are particularly encouraged.

The official languages for presentations will be English and British Sign Language. Simultaneous interpreting will be provided for all sessions between English and British Sign Language. Some sessions will also have a verbatim speech to text transcription service.

Abstracts (max 2 pages A4) must be submitted by email attachment in text (other formats, such as PowerPoint will not be considered) to [email protected] by 20 March 2009, please do not send PowerPoint presentations. The conference committee will select the most appropriate presentations and a decision will be made by 31 March 2009. Full papers will be required by 20 May 2009 to give time for the communication support team to prepare for the presentation.

There will also be a small exhibition attached to the conference, organisations interested in booking exhibition space please contact Jonathan Isaac, the conference organiser, at [email protected] .

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A one day conference for Mental Health Commissioners, IAPT Leads, Psychological Therapy Service Managers, Equality and Diversity Officers and all mental health professionals with responsibility for the provision of services for deaf people.

Thursday 26 March 2009, 10 am to 4.30 pm at the Deaf Cultural Centre, Ladywood Road, Birmingham, B16 8SZ

Improving Access to Psychological Therapies for Deaf People: Policy Context – Dr Ian McPherson, Director of NIMHE and Lead Director, Improving Access to Psychological Therapies Programme, setting the scene and emphasising the importance of commissioning IAPT for the whole community.

Deaf People’s experiences of accessing therapy – Jonathan Raperport, providing experiences of deaf sign language user issues when accessing NHS services including tips on being more deaf aware.

The need for Specialist Services – Hazel Flynn, Head of Advocacy and Counselling at SignHealth, explaining what works and what doesn’t for therapists working in sign language.

Making it happen – Jonathan Isaac, General Secretary of the British Society for Mental Health and Deafness outlining how IAPT programmes can incorporate access for deaf people, and giving an overview of current specialist service availability.

Workforce and Training: The challenges and opportunities for training Deaf Professionals – Pauline Latchem, Counsellor and Trainer, describing the barriers she faced as a deaf person accessing professional training and detailing the exciting new Counselling training course for deaf people.

The Doncaster Experience – Ben Jones, Primary Care Practitioner For The Deaf Community, Doncaster PCT IAPT Team looking at the approach to the provision of psychological therapies for deaf people at the Doncaster IAPT demonstration site.

A strategic approach to services for deaf people – Group discussions exploring the opportunities for partnership working and the strategic development of services.

Delegate Fee: £95. Full details on the BSMHD website at www.bsmhd.org.uk . To book your place or for further details contact: BSMHD, Westwood Park, London Road, Little Horkesley, Colchester, CO6 4BS. Tel/SMS: 07880 715427 Fax 07876 835857 Email: [email protected]

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ESMHD SIG Meeting - Rome, 15-19 April 2009

 

Please note: Deadline for registering is 13 March. The Special Interest Group Meeting will take place in Rome from 15th to 19th of April of 2009. The aim of the Special Interest Group meeting of professionals working in clinical, medical, psychological or socially oriented settings for deaf children or adults and their families is an interactive process of sharing knowledge and discussions in depth. Scientific work and case histories are presented by all the participants.To participate in the Deaf Children and Families SIG, please send your abstract and/or expression of interest to [email protected] before March 13. 2009. To participate in the Mental Health for Adults and Families and Medical Issues SIG, please send your abstract or question before March 13th, 2009 to Ines Sleeboom-van Raaij e-mail: [email protected] or Beate Øhre e-mail: [email protected]

 
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Any member who has paid their membership fees in full can become an executive member. The procedure is: 1) Send your name to Renata Sarmento (Manager) [email protected] before 15th of March; 2) One month before the AGM, you will be sent the AGENDA and the names of those standing for election; 3) During the AGM the Council will take a vote to elect the new executive members.

 
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Mental Health/BSL Interpreting Workshop - Stirling, 19/20 June 2009

 

The purpose of this workshop is to achieve a greater mutual understanding between professionals in mental health and sign language interpreting. We will cover vital information for this field and how to appropriately use vocabulary, terminology and jargon in the field of mental health. It is a rare opportunity to have this kind of workshop with Deaf professionals and mental health professionals in Scotland.The aim is to enable clear communication – especially when conversing with a Deaf patient directly, when explaining procedures such as treatment or admission, etc. It is also very important for mental health reviews, tribunals, etc. How do you deal with assessing a situation where you are interpreting for a Deaf person with a mental health issue? What should you do if you are in a dilemma? How best do you ask for clarification? Are you the best person for this assignment? Should you both stay neutral? What if no BSL interpreter is available? These issues are just a few that we will address and which could easily occur when both professionals are working in mental health. This workshop will increase the knowledge between both sets of professionals, provide a better awareness of discrimination and equality and look at the difference between interpreting and advocacy – so that the Deaf person has the same access to mental health services as a hearing person. In addition to the above workshop objectives, you may want to explore or expand your skills in communicating/working with BSL users, non-BSL users or hearing impaired users in this field generally – but how? The only way is to attend our workshop on 19th/20thJune 2009 at Stirling Business Management Centre. We will be gathering on the Friday evening for drinks and a meal and the workshop starts proper on the next day, Saturday, from 9.30am to 4.30pm. If you are interested in attending or would like to find out more, please contact [email protected] . Booking forms can be found on our website www.actualsigns.com

 
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In May 2008, the Scottish COuncil on Deafness published a research report, “Making the Case for Specialist Mental Health Services for Deaf People in Scotland: with recommendations for action.” This report laid out the reasons why Public Petition PE808 was lodged with the Scottish Parliament and why the issues raised in January 2005 were still the same, if not more serious in 2008. The report did not cover forensic mental health; neither did it mention anything about the numbers of deaf people with mental health problems who are part by the Criminal Justice system – supported by Criminal Justice Social Work Teams or in the prison system. The full report can be downloaded from the SCOD website at www.scod.org.uk/Research-i-46.html

 
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