Improving Access to Psychological Therapies for Deaf People

BSMHD and NHS North West are delighted to announce a two year project starting from 1st April 2010 that aims to enable all Primary Care Trusts throughout England to provide a psychological therapy service that is culturally and linguistically accessible in sign language, through the employment and training of a new workforce of Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners (PWP) and High Intensity (HI) Therapists. The development work is focused on ensuring that deaf people will be a major part of this new workforce. The project, which will be jointly managed by NHS North West and BSMHD, will:

• work with the Strategic Health Authority IAPT leads to create consortia of SHAs across England using a hub model and work with each regional hub to produce detailed service specifications and potential delivery model/s including identifying an IAPT site to be the lead PCT for the hub
• develop, with existing IAPT training providers, PWP training courses to be delivered in BSL designed to be accessible to all Deaf PWP trainees from across England
• support the training provider to deliver the PWP training to ensure it is appropriate for Deaf trainees
• develop and deliver a High Intensity ‘top-up’ course, delivered in BSL, for the existing workforce of qualified, and soon to be qualified, Psychological Therapists able to work in Sign Language
• develop and deliver a Supervision course, delivered in BSL
• develop, with existing IAPT training providers, High Intensity courses to be delivered in BSL designed to be accessible to all Deaf High Intensity trainees from across England
• support the training provider to deliver the High Intensity training to ensure it is appropriate for Deaf trainees
• develop a support infrastructure for this specialist workforce, including Supervision, peer support and continuing professional development
• arrange for the translation of appropriate Assessment Tools into BSL including GAD7, PHQ9 and Core
• produce IAPT Information in BSL on DVD and the internet

For further details contact Jonathan Isaac [email protected]

 

European Congress on Mental Health and Deafness, Cambridge November 2010: CALL FOR PAPERS

The Call for Papers is now open. The deadline for submitting abstracts is 28th May 2010.

The 8th European Congress on Mental Health and Deafness will be held in Cambridge, United Kingdom on 2nd - 5th November 2010. The theme of the Congress, 'Healthy Deaf Minds in Europe', will serve as the agenda for an exciting scientific programme. Providing a forum for addressing mental health issues and developing links between all of the various professionals working in the field of deafness, such as psychiatrists, psychologists, psychotherapists, counsellors, therapists, nurses, social workers, interpreters, educationists, deaf people, carers and the community.

The Congress will take the form of a collection of Symposia each focusing on a specific area of expertise within mental health and deafness including: Deaf Children, Young People and Families; Deaf Adults; Deaf Elders; Forensic Services; Multiple Disabilities; Service Development; Language Deprivation and Communication; Primary Care and Community Services; Mental Health Promotion and Education. Within these Symposia and the Congress programme there will be an opportunity to include papers on a wide range of topics including Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults, Addiction, Sexual Abuse, Domestic Violence, Suicide, Asylum Seekers, Education policy, Audiology, Genetics etc. Full details at www.esmhdcongress2010.org

 

Social Work with Deaf People, Promoting Deaf Mental Wellbeing Conference

The Department for Children Schools and Families have published the draft framework for LSCBs in respect of deaf children that was discussed at the conference. It can be found at www.dcsf.gov.uk/nsdu/consultations.shtml

Look down the right hand column under related documents you will find the "resource pack" listed as the 6th item. The framework is on page 128. Please do take the time to respond to the DCSF consultation mentioning this resource so that DCSF are aware of the strength of interest and concern about services for deaf children.

 

London Healthy Deaf Minds meeting

The next meeting of the London Healthy Deaf Minds will be on Wednesday 7th April in the small meeting room, Friends Meeting house, Euston Road, opposite Euston station from 6.30pm until 9pm. The topic is "Deaf with Dementia". There are several speakers including: Professor John Keady and Katherine Rogers, University of Manchester. Ruth Geall, Head of Social Care at RAD. Professor Bencie Woll and Tanya Denmark, UCL Deafness, Cognition and Language Research Centre.

 

World Federation of the Deaf Congress, South Africa - July 2011

Call for Papers: Deaf-Gain and the Future of Human Diversity. “Deaf-gain” is a term that upends the traditional understanding of d/Deaf people as defined by “hearing-loss” and asks what insights emerge if we ask, “what do people gain from being d/Deaf?” Abstracts/Proposals (300-500 words) due: May 1, 2010. Full details at www.wfd2011.com

 

National Governance Meeting

The next National Governance Meeting will be held on 15 April 2010 at 10.30am - 3.30pm at Greater Manchester West Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, The National Centre for Mental Health and Deafness, John Denmark Unit, Bury New Road, Prestwich, Manchester, M25 3BL. For further details or to confirm your attendance please contact [email protected]

 

Deaf Art and Drama Therapists

Newcastle Deaf Link are starting a small therapeutic group in May for Deaf mental Health service users and want to use the medium of art to help them explore feelings and thoughts. Any Deaf Art or Drama Therapists interested in participating please contact [email protected]