The killing of George Floyd in the US, and the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on BAME communities in the UK, have highlighted the huge inequalities in our societies. Such times call for introspection and self-questioning from each one of us on what we can do to support Black communities in the fight for justice.
As a network committed to supporting young people and upholding their rights, Youth Access and our members have a responsibility to stand with people of colour in this moment, and ask ourselves what we can do to address injustice. This means confronting the significant racial inequalities in our mental health system - including in the services we offer. These inequalities manifest in many ways, just a few of them being:
- BAME young people feel less able to access traditional mental health services
- Black people are four times more likely to be detained under the Mental Health Act
- Young people of colour are more likely to be turned away for early intervention
Minority communities have particular mental health needs and meeting these is key to the human right to mental health - something that the Youth Access network has long been committed to. At this hour of need for mental health support for people of colour, it's vital that we consider how to transform the system into one that realises these rights. This means:
- Understanding and addressing barriers in the system
- Engaging with young people from different BAME communities to address specific needs
- Representation of Black and minority groups in the therapeutic community, and greater valuing of their insight and expertise
Our small staff team at Youth Access has been focusing this week on doing what we can to support Black young people at this time. So far we have published a blog for Black young people on how to look after their mental health right now, and a blog for practitioners at our member organisations on being a racially responsive practitioner. We're also working on more materials and resources to centre racial justice in our ongoing campaign for young people's right to mental healthcare to be realised.
We know we can count on the solidarity and support of Youth Access members as we work on addressing the multiple injustices faced by people of colour and say loudly and clearly: Black lives matter.
