Progressing Equality events - we’re helping services take forward steps

News - 4 November 2024

Statutory and voluntary sector organisations are coming together to make services more inclusive, one pledge at a time.

Participants discuss the progress they are making with their pledges during October’s Progressing Equality event

Our whole team at Nafsiyat has found it immensely valuable to participate in the Challenging Inequalities Project.

Yasin Ahmed, CEO, Nafsiyat Intercultural Therapy Centre.

A little bit of background

Back in 2019, we interviewed 73 residents from migrant communities who were living with mental health issues to learn about their experiences of accessing support. We published our findings and shared them with the decision-makers responsible for mental health services in the borough. 

One of the outcomes of our research was a change to existing commissioning structures. The All Age Mental Health Partnership Board is a group of stakeholders from various sectors that work together, discussing and recommending how money will be prioritised and invested to provide mental health support in Islington. Following the publication of our report, a subgroup was established to address inequalities in mental health service delivery.

Making pledges

In 2023, the All Age Mental Health Partnership Board and the Inequalities Subgroup members each made three pledges to increase their organisations' inclusiveness. 

These pledges varied depending on the size and type of organisation. For example, a large statutory organisation such as a council or NHS department might have pledged to develop a more consistent framework for how demographic data (such as the age, gender, and ethnicity of people using services) was captured within contract monitoring. Or they may have pledged to develop opportunities to directly involve residents in service development activity with their senior leadership team. Either pledge would make it easier for a large statutory organisation to identify what groups are not accessing their services.
 
A smaller community-based organisation might do a really good job of reaching certain groups but might struggle to reach others. They might have pledged to make their service more inclusive to groups that are not currently using their services. 

Pledges may reflect existing work to address inequality, or be new ideas. Pledges are useful tools as they encourage measurement, accountability, and reflection. The act of making pledges has helped participating organisations to think about inclusion in a bigger way.

Our Progressing Equality events

Healthwatch hosts two Progressing Equality events each year. These events bring together organisations that have made pledges. It’s an opportunity to take stock, to talk about progress made and challenges faced. We invite participants to identify where they would value input from the group. Ideas are exchanged and relationships are built. 

We asked ourselves some challenging questions about our work with people with disabilities, with the LGBTQ+ community, and our work with people from collectivist cultures*, having set these areas as our pledges. 
 
The Progressing Equality events enabled us to take stock of where we were with our pledges and kept us on track. At the events, Healthwatch Islington expertly brought a wide range of key partners together and we were able to share good practice, ideas, and contacts which will prove vital as we ensure our pledges are fully met. We are a stronger organisation for having gone through this process and are much better informed about where we are and where we need to be in these specific areas of work.
 

Yasin Ahmed, CEO, Nafsiyat Intercultural Therapy Centre.

 

*Collectivist cultures prioritise the needs and goals of the group as a whole over the needs and desires of each individual

A toolkit to help commissioners design inclusive services

The Challenging Inequalities Self-Assessment Toolkit contains evidence and expertise from our various partners on how those involved in mental health in Islington can work together to address the inequalities that we know continue to exist in service delivery. It was authored by Islington’s Inequalities Subgroup of the All Age Mental Health Partnership Board in August 2021.

This first edition of the toolkit focused on race and ethnicity. Islington Mind have published a second chapter in 2024 to support organisations to increase access and inclusivity for the LGBTQI+ community, guided by specialist services mostly operating in London. The Challenging Inequalities Self-Assessment Toolkit - LGBTQI+

Find out more

To learn more about the Challenging Inequalities Toolkit, the Progressing Equality events, and how to make pledges, email megan@healthwatchislington.co.uk

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