ITMB Annual Conference 2012
Transcription
ITMB Annual Conference 2012
The policy newsletter of 57,680 Gypsies and Irish Travellers in England and Wales stand up to be counted in the 2011 Census Wheels in Motion Big Fat Gypsy Wedding complaint to Ofcom When the Going Gets Tough; ITMB Annual Conference 2012 ISSUE No. 11 FEBRUARY 2013 Issue no 11 February 2013 Content Directors Welcome Pg 2 Policy Pg 3 Updates from the Policy aspects of ITMB work Features Pg 10 A tribute to Pecker Dunne Capacity Building and Partnerships Pg 11 Tell Someone DVD Launch News from Partnership Team An update from the Health Team Operational and Community Pg 14 The Conference Report An update from Josie Rivka’s Internship Notice Board Pg 16 Pg 1. Director’s Welcome I am delighted to welcome you all to our first newsletter of 2013, which as you can see has got a bit of a makeover from our traditional style. We hope you like the changes. We are stepping into this new year with a great deal of expectation and renewed determination garnered from a very busy and demanding 2012. We eagerly anticipate starting a number of new work programmes for 2013. A warm welcome to Dr. Paddy Walls who joins our research team on a new project supported by the Department of Health “The Impact of Insecure Accommodation on Gypsies’ and Travellers’ Health” which we hope to start very soon. No doubt we will be contacting some of you later in the year with reference to this project. Plans are also in place to kick start a specific campaign and engagement project lead by our community interns to raise awareness and engage more Gypsies and Travellers to register on the electoral register and use their vote. We would love to here from any organisations or individuals that have been doing anything in this particular field. We have a really strong planning committee working hard to draw up our plans to celebrate Gypsy Roma Traveller History Month this year. Thus far it is shaping up really well with lots of fun, song and dance promised. Keep your eyes peeled for updates over the coming months for this two day event. Throughout 2013, we also hope to further build individual Gypsy and Traveller advocacy and representation in media, health, employment and planning policy and expand our successful community internship programme. There are considerable changes to welfare benefits happening this year with the introduction of the Universal Credit System which will impact on also many Gypsies and Travellers. ITMB have a number of concerns about how these changes will impact on the Traveller and Gypsy communities many already living below the poverty line. As a member of the Department of Work and ISSUE No. 11 FEBRUARY 2013 “The Conference Brochure is now on the ITMB Website.” Pensions Ethnic Minority Advisory (EMAG) We have been raising these concerns. Group Our Policy Team will be sending out an online survey and plan a roundtable event in London while Leeds Gypsy and Traveller Exchange will also host a roundtable event to capture concerns and provide case studies for our joint report. The Policy Team also report back on the 2011 Census. ITMB believes the number of Gypsies and Travellers-established as 57,680 in England and Wales-to be an undercount and have undertaken an analysis of the data by comparing the statistics to other available counts of Travellers and Gypsies. This research will be available within the next few weeks. We are finally able to take a big sigh of relief that Basildon Council have agreed to support our joint application with Home Space Sustainable Accommodation to the Homes and Communities Agency to develop the Gardeners Lane site. We will keep you all updated on this. The ITMB Annual Conference “When the Going Gets Tough” was held last November and proved very successful in helping us to increase our learning and determine our priorities for 2013. The Conference Brochure is now available on the ITMB Website. You can read more on all the above work areas and much more inside. Finally I would like to take this opportunity to welcome Lord Avebury as our new Patron. Lord Avebury as many of you will know is a veteran campaigner on Gypsy and Traveller human rights. We are deeply honoured by his acceptance of this new role and look forward to a renewed and productive relationship together. All the best in 2013! Yvonne MacNamara ITMB CEO Pg 2. Policy Corner 57,680 Gypsies and Irish Travellers in England and Wales stand up to be counted in the 2011 Census In December last year, the first ever census figures for the population of Gypsies and Travellers in England and Wales were released. In all 54,895 Gypsies and Travellers in England and 2,785 in Wales were counted. Although it is widely acknowledged that this figure is a significant undercount, ITMB would like to pay tribute to the tens of thousands of community members who stood up and proudly identified themselves as Gypsies and Travellers. The Council of Europe has previously estimated that the UK’s Gypsy and Traveller population is up to 300,000, referencing a number of different sources to support this, including a 2004 Commission for Racial Equality report. However, it is far from certain how accurate the COE figure is, considering the sources it references are not necessarily based on primary research. For this reason ITMB is conducting a small research project which will estimate a minimum population for Gypsies and Travellers in England based on Local Authority Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Needs Assessments. ITMB believe that the 2011 Census figure is a significant undercount. This is most likely due to many Gypsies and Travellers not self-ascribing as a result of the marginalization and discrimination they face on a day-to-day basis. Low educational attainment and poor literacy skills would have also contributed to the undercount. ISSUE No. 11 FEBRUARY 2013 “ITMB believe that the 2011 Census figure is a significant undercount.” significantly higher than the figures in the 2011 Census. Log on to the ITMB website to read the final report and for more information on the 2011 Census data. Office for National Statistics 2011 Census map Big Fat Gypsy Wedding complaint to Ofcom Following on from the successful complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority about the ‘harmful’ Channel 4 ‘Big Fat Gypsy Wedding’ billboards depicting Traveller children, the ITMB have complained about the BFGW series itself to Ofcom, the TV regulator. At the time of going to press, the Ofcom complaint is still under consideration. As with the ASA complaint, Howe and Co solicitor; David Enright, is helping to push the complaint through. Our soon to be published research will ensure that the Government, Local Authorities and the wider public understand the extent to which Gypsies and Travellers have been undercounted in the 2011 Census. The report will also recommend policy makers and service providers ensure inclusive policies and appropriate provision acknowledging that the Gypsy and Traveller population is Pg 3 Policy Corner When the Going Gets Tough; ITMB Annual Conference 2012 The ITMB recently celebrated another successful annual conference with Gypsies, Travellers, Roma, representatives from Traveller organisations, service providers and professionals descending on the conference suite of the Resource Centre on Holloway Road, London to debate and discuss Gypsy Roma and Traveller issues. There was a very good community turn out this year, with a contingent of Scottish Travellers representing the Minority Ethnic Carers Centre travelling all the way from Edinburgh. There were many Gypsies and Travellers involved in site development and management at this year’s event too, attracted by the ITMB’s success in Basildon with the Gardiner’s Way Traveller site application and the conference workshop on site delivery. The Conference ended with delegates delivering six Key policy recommendations to work on in 2013: 1) Extend and strengthen Gypsy Traveller Roma (GTR) engagement in new health service planning and delivery structures. 2) Continue to promote greater understanding and challenge inaccuracies and stereo-typing of GTR in the media and better inform the GTR public of media complaints mechanisms. 3) Improve the awareness of GTR communities and service providers of mental health issues and examine ways to extend the numbers of GTR mental health ambassadors. 4) To examine the impact of Universal Credit on GTR and develop community led initiatives to support the training and employment needs of young GTR’s. 5) Conduct strategic engagement with the Ministry of Justice/National Offender Management Service and expand GTR culture and awareness training programs to include delivery to management and staff in probation and ISSUE No. 11 FEBRUARY 2013 prison services. 6) Gypsy and Traveller Groups, CoOperatives and Not-for-Profit Businesses need to take pro-active steps to ensure that Government funding for Traveller sites translates into provision on the ground in those areas of highest need. “There were many Gypsies and Travellers involved in site development and management at this year’s event too” Pauline Anderson; ITMB Trustee Advisory Group Member and Chair of the Conference, opened by telling the delegates that she has a particular interest in early deaths amongst Travellers and the too often precarious housing circumstances experienced by her community. She also described her strong interest in promoting Traveller ethnicity and self-ascription, establishing a culture of Traveller pride, hand in hand with challenging discrimination and prejudice. The key speakers included Lord Avebury; All Party Parliamentary Group for Gypsy Roma and Travellers, Martin Gibbs; Health Inequalities and Inclusion Health, Department Of Health, Fr. Gerard Barry; Prison Chaplain Full Sutton Prison and Helen Goodman MP; Labour Shadow Minister for Media, and a lively panel debate followed by challenging questions from the floor. ITMB Advisory Group Members Pg 4 Policy Corner Other workshops included ones that discussed mental health, school bullying, Travellers in custody, media prejudice, apprenticeships and employment of young Gypsies and Travellers, women issues and what to do about blatant discrimination such as the ‘No Traveller’ signs outside pubs. Highlights of the workshops included discussion of the status and experiences of Gypsies Roma and Travellers in custody under the new National Offender Management Service (NOMS); a recounting of the history and successful outcome of the complaints made to the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) regarding Channel 4 Big Fat Gypsy Wedding billboard posters and a critical challenge to the claims that forced marriages was an “massive problem” within the Gypsy and Traveller communities when no solid evidence had been found to substantiate the allegations. Delegate feedback after the conference proved to be excellent with 100% of respondents expressing positive views on the event as a whole and 95% saying that the event met their expectations ISSUE No. 11 FEBRUARY 2013 Travellers pay compared to ‘the settled community’. A complaint was lodged in October by the ITMB and the Traveller’s Times following an inaccurate claim by a BBC West Midlands Radio (BBCWM) presenter during an interview with Traveller’s Times Editor, Damian Le Bas and David McGrath, the leader of RAID (Residents Against Inappropriate Development), a group of residents opposed to a Traveller site planning application in Meriden, Derbyshire. During the live interview broadcast on a popular BBCWM talk-back show, the presenter digressed from the local issue and said to Mr Le Bas that: “A couple facts about the Travelling community. When you have a look at the amount of taxes they pay, it tends to be a lot lower than the settled community.” “the Travelling community paid less tax than the settled community” The presenter then went on to claim that: “When you look at how they wish to integrate then, that’s a lot less integration than the settled community (and) how they participate in democracy, also a lot less than the settled community.” When Mr Le Bas demanded to know the source for those claims, the presenter claimed that: “This is a Home Office Study backed up by the Treasury which was done in 2010. What it said was that the Travelling community pays less money in taxes than the settled community, which is something they suspected for some time.” BBC to rectify inaccurate Gypsy and Traveller tax claim after ITMB complaint After the programme, Mr Le Bas phoned the show’s producer to try to verify the source of those claims. When this failed, Mr Le Bas contacted ITMB Media and we decided to act as co-complainants. This then became part of our ongoing strategy to affect the way Gypsies and Travellers are reported on and represented by the UK’s public service broadcaster. ITMB Media has recently pursued a successful complaint about an inaccurate claim about the amount of tax Gypsies and After some initial investigations, the ITMB found out that the document that BBCWM had used to back up its ‘facts’ was a 2006 report by the Local Government Association, a quango set up to spread good practice amongst local authorities. ITMB Annual Conference 2012 Pg 5 Policy Corner ISSUE No. 11 FEBRUARY 2013 Crucially, the report did not back up the claim that “the Travelling community paid less tax than the settled community”, or the associated claims that Gypsies and Travellers did not “participate in democracy” or wish to integrate. Consultation on changes to the education of Travelling children Instead, the report’s focus was to push LA’s towards tackling the dire shortage of site provision by countering local opposition to new sites by ensuring that Gypsies and Travellers living on sites “should be seen” to pay the same council taxes as everyone else. In fact, Gypsies and Travellers living on authorized sites are subject to the same taxes as anyone else. The Government is proposing to introduce major changes to legislation which will result in economically nomadic families being prosecuted for their child’s non-attendance in school. “At the time of going to press, the ITMB has two other complaints going through the BBC complaints system” Angry that a report designed to counter prejudice was actually being used to fuel it, the ITMB lodged a formal accuracy complaint with the BBC. After an initial knock-back, the ITMB and Mr Le Bas appealed and eventually, the BBC Editorial Complaints Unit upheld the complaint and the BBCWM producer offered to broadcast an apology with a correction. This success is doubly important because the BBC issues an editorial bulletin to all of its hundreds of regional and national producers and news desks that analyses successful complaints and suggests improvements, meaning that corrected mistakes effect how all BBC content is produced. At the time of going to press, the ITMB has two other complaints going through the BBC complaints system; One concerns a joke about the Gypsy experience of the Holocaust broadcast on Radio 4, the other concerns BBC Online’s repeated highlighting of ethnicity in the headlines of criminal cases involving individuals of Gypsy and Traveller ethnicity. If you have a complaint about any TV programme, radio show or press report and do not know how to take it forward, then please contact the ITMB and ask for ITMB Media and we will discuss with you what to do next. Existing legislation, under section 444(6) Education Act, gives parents a defence in which they cannot be found guilty of a school attendance offence, provided that the child is of no fixed abode and: • parents are engaged in a trade or business of such a nature as to require them to travel from place to place, and • the child has attended at a school as a registered pupil as regularly as the nature of that trade or business permits, and • if the child has attained the age of six, that he or she has made at least 200 attendances during the period of 12 months ending with the date on which the proceedings were instituted. “We do not believe that repealing section 444 (6) Education Act will improve the education outcomes of children of Travelling families.” ITMB fully acknowledge that the attendance and achievement of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller pupils is unacceptably low and that the Government, Schools and Parents need to work together to address this issue. However, we do no believe that repealing section 444 (6) Education Act will improve the education outcomes of children of Travelling families. We would encourage the Government to focus it energies on building safety and trust, mutual respect, high expectations, partnership working, flexibility and support for access with Gypsy, Roma and Traveller pupils and parents, rather than pursing an agenda focus on enforcement. Pg 6 Policy Corner To read ITMBs response to the consultation go to the education policy page on our website: http://irishtraveller.org.uk/policy/education-policy/ Major changes to benefits with the introduction of Universal Credit In April 2013 the Government is taking a first step towards introducing major new changes to millions of people in receipt of benefits, including many Gypsies and Travellers. Called Universal Credit, the new benefit will replace child tax credits, housing benefit, income related employment and support allowance, income based jobseeker’s allowance, income support, parts of the social fund and working tax credits. The Government states the objective of Universal Credit is to simplify the current benefits system and remove barriers to people getting and keeping work. ITMB has a number of concerns regarding the introduction of Universal Credit and its impact on Gypsies and Travellers in receipt of benefits. Whilst supportive of measures that encourage claimants into work and skills training, there is a danger that sections of the Gypsy and Traveller community will lack the basic literacy skills and education to make the required progress from benefits to work or training courses. There may also be cultural barriers which prevent sections of the communities reliant on benefits taking up full and part-time work or training. ITMB also has concerns regarding the new benefits cap being introduced alongside Universal Credit which will limit the total amount of benefits received by working age people and families to £500 per month. ITMB, in partnership with Leeds GATE, will be organising focus groups in Leeds and London to review the possible negative impacts on Gypsies and Travellers as a result of Universal Credit. We will be writing a short report based on the information gathered in these sessions ISSUE No. 11 FEBRUARY 2013 “ITMB has a number of concerns regarding the introduction of Universal Credit and its impact on Gypsies and Travellers in receipt of benefits. “ and raising any concerns with key policy makers. Keep an eye on ITMBs website for further information about the focus groups and report. ITMB publish new report on the inclusion and ethnic monitoring of Gypsies and Travellers in the National Health Service After a year of research, which included sending 146 freedom of information requests to Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) in England, ITMB have published a new report highlighting the exclusion and lack of ethnic monitoring of Gypsies and Travellers in the NHS. ITMB conducted the research after becoming aware of the dearth of reliable national and local data on Gypsies’ and Travellers’ health. The report found that just 20 (16%) of PCTs had monitoring procedures in place (or were in the process of introducing them) to assess Gypsies and Travellers service use and health and wellbeing outcomes. The majority of respondents (71%, 89/125) conducted no ethnic monitoring of Gypsies and Travellers and 16 (13%) said either the information was not held or gave an inconclusive response. The report acknowledges there are a variety of reasons for the poor inclusion of Gypsies and Travellers health needs including discrimination, unstable accommodation, lack of cultural awareness, poor literacy and engagement with statutory bodies. However, the report found another significant reason is the Department of Health’s (DHs) non-inclusion of Gypsies and Travellers alongside the sixteen ethnic minority groups/categories they monitor in the NHS. DHs position is in conflict with a national policy trend towards greater inclusion of Gypsies and Travellers who are ethnic minority groups under UK law and were included for the first-time Pg 7 Policy Corner alongside the 16+1 national ethnic codes in the 2011 Census. ITMBs findings have been used to inform the Inclusion Health Boards’ Data and Research Group progress report, including recommendations presented to Anna Soubry MP, Minister for public health. ITMB are hopeful that the Minister will support measures proposed by the Inclusion Health Board to address the continuing exclusion and poor health of Gypsies and Travellers. ISSUE No. 11 FEBRUARY 2013 “Mrs McCarthy is very proud of appearing in the local press and sees it as recognition of her years of tireless campaigning for Gypsy and Traveller rights” contact between services and Travellers before a crisis occurs. Speaking about Haringey's promise to consult the Borough’s Travellers, Mrs McCarthy told the readers of the Tottenham and Wood Green Journal that: “They have made no contact. I identified myself at the meeting and said that I was a housed Traveller; my address is on their computers and they never even sent a letter saying whether the consultation is going ahead or not.” Office for National Statistics 2011 Census When the tough get going: ITMB Advisory Group member Bridget McCarthy fights for her rights in the local press ITMB Advisory Group member and Haringey Irish Traveller Bridget McCarthy, was recently pictured in the Wood Green and Tottenham Journal protesting about cuts to Traveller services outside Haringey Council headquarters. Mrs McCarthy’s picture ran alongside an article that reported on Haringey Council’s failure to properly consult the local Gypsy and Traveller community about its decision to cut the award winning Haringey Travelling Peoples Team. Mrs McCarthy is one of many people who are concerned about the decision to cut the HTPT, which offers a unique equalities based model of social work and engagement with Travellers and a focus on prevention and facilitating Bridget McCarthy outside the civic centre http://www.tottenhamjournal.co.uk/news/ haringey_council_accused_of_broken_promises_by_ furious_irish_travellers_community_1_1678405 At the time of going to press, according to a letter in response to a query from ITMB Patron, Lord Avebury, Haringey have suspended the decision to cut the team and are in negotiations with the team members involved. Mrs McCarthy is very proud of appearing in the local press and sees it as recognition of her years of tireless campaigning for Gypsy and Traveller rights. She would also like to thank the Tottenham and Wood Green Journal for taking a local Traveller issue seriously and reporting fairly and without prejudice a concern of a community that does not often have a voice in the media. Pg 8 Policy Corner Basildon Council support ITMB’s plan for a new Traveller site near Dale Farm The Irish Traveller Movement in Britain has taken a significant step towards creating a new Traveller site in Basildon, with the Council deciding to lease the land to ITMB’s partners, Home Space Sustainable Accommodation (HSSA). This is an important development in plans to build the new Traveller site at Gardiners Way and address the serious shortfall of Traveller pitches in Basildon and Essex. In December, last year, the Council’s Development Control Committee passed ITMB’s planning application for the Gardiner’s Way Traveller site. With Basildon’s decision to support the lease of the land, ITMB and HSSA are optimistic that they will be able to proceed with securing the funding for the development of the site from the Homes and Communities Agency Traveller sites grant. The new site is for 15 pitches and will provide homes for the most vulnerable Travellers residing in Basildon. The site will have a community building, a children’s playground, tree-planting and grassed areas and will be bordered by English native hedging. The site is a short drive from Cray’s Hill primary school, which is attended by many of the children evicted from Dale Farm who continue to live in the Basildon area. ITMB and HSSA estimate it will take 12- 24 months to develop the site at an estimated cost of just over one million pounds. The site will house 30 caravans on 15 pitches. ISSUE No. 11 FEBRUARY 2013 Temporary Stop Notices – Government attack on the most vulnerable Gypsies and Travellers The Government is proposing to make it easier for councils to use Temporary Stop Notices against caravans. Temporary stop notices are a planning enforcement measure, which requires unauthorised development to stop immediately with heavy fines and no appeal. “There remains a chronic shortage of sites. Some families, and it tends to be the poor and vulnerable, move onto land without planning permission because of the lack of any where to go, and impossibility of living at the roadside. “ In 2004, the then Labour Government excluded their use against residential caravans because of the undersupply of Traveller sites. Now the Coalition Government is proposing to allow them, even though the accommodation situation is no better. Michael Hargreaves, ITMB Planning Expert, said: “There remains a chronic shortage of sites. Some families, and it tends to be the poor and vulnerable, move onto land without planning permission because of the lack of any where to go, and impossibility of living at the roadside. We already have a formidable battery of enforcement powers. Despite being required for many years to make provision, most councils have failed to do so. In many cases stop notices will breach human rights, but the people affected won’t be able to access the courts. The planning system is heavily biased against Gypsies and Travellers. Applications attract many more objections. Many are refused, and approvals only won by going to appeal, which means the system is more expensive for Travellers. This measure would disproportionately impact on the most vulnerable. If approved, it would be a blot on the UK’s reputation for fairness to minorities.” Pg 9 Features A Tribute to Pecker Dunne By Richie Butler ISSUE No. 11 FEBRUARY 2013 traditional song. Pecker also performed for occasional, but brief, pub residencies and concerts. Among his greatest fans were the Clancy Brothers and the Dubliners. Pecker made the album “Last of the Travelling People” in 1987, happily receiving £600 cash-in-hand from the record company, rather than having a concern for the legalities and complexities of artist royalties. “In his music compositions, he wrote about the lure and consequent hardships of life on the road and with great sadness and concern that the Traveller way of life seemed to be gradually disappearing” It is with great sadness that ITMB heard of the passing away of Patrick Stephen “Pecker” Dunne on 19th December 2012, aged 80. Pecker was a Traveller musician, composer and story-teller; well-known and loved across the island of Ireland. At various times, he brought his entertainment to London, Birmingham and elsewhere in England. In his latter years, Pecker lived in Killimer, Co. Clare, Ireland. Pecker was born in Castlebar, Co Mayo on 1st April 1932 to a Traveller family with roots in Wexford. Pecker followed the family musical tradition, learning to play banjo, melodeon and fiddle among other musical instruments. Pecker was originally called ‘ Major Packard’ after a man for whom he rode horses. His youngest sister mispronounced the word ‘Packard’ as ‘Pecker’ and the name ‘Pecker’ stuck. Pecker left home at the age of 13 to busk in numerous countries for over five decades. Pecker was very proud of his Traveller culture and heritage. In his music compositions, he wrote about the lure and consequent hardships of life on the road and with great sadness and concern that the Traveller way of life seemed to be gradually disappearing. Pecker met his future wife Madeleine in a pub she owned in Co. Cork. They travelled the road together for many years before finally settling in Killimer to allow their four children-Stevie, Madeleine, Tommy and Sarah-to attend school. Pecker stopped drinking around this time and had over 30 years of sobriety at the time of his passing. After Pecker’s funeral Mass at St. Senan’s Church in Kilrush, his son Stephen played a musical tribute, including a very well-received rendition of his father’s song “O’Sullivan’s John.” Pecker’s remains were transferred from a hearse to a horse and cart for the final leg of his journey to Burrane Cemetry, near Killimer. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam (May his soul rest with God). Pecker was a regular and very recognisable presence at top GAA matches, race meetings and traditional music festivals, playing his 5string banjo or fiddle interspersed with Pg 10 Capacity Building & Partnership Team News from Partnership team Many schools would like to engage with GRTHM month but are unsure of what to do or where to start. For that reason we have been promoting a user friendly and practical resource CD with a range of ideas and activities for GRTHM June 2013. And it’s free. We have written to all the heads of children services in London reminding them of GRTHM in June and enquiring what their plans are to support it. We are also linking up with other London boroughs to explore how we can work together to promote knowledge of the histories of Gypsies, Roma and Travellers in June. We have a meeting coming up with School Inclusion and Learning Achievement in Greenwich to plan events for June. We have been regularly hosting support and planning meetings for a range of education professionals, to help them deliver activities during the month. We have been working with Rocky Deans, who is the coordinator for the London Gypsy Roma and Traveller History Month. It is worth having a look at the website for possible inspiration, www.grthmlondon.org.uk/ Meanwhile Hackney library have come up with a list of tips for getting local libraries involved in GRTHM. They should know as they have run a number of popular and successful events during previous history months 1. Its important to get agreement from the Head of Library Services to celebrate GRTHM. 2. Its important to get a time commitment for a staff member to lead on GRTHM for libraries with a small budget for events and publicity. 3. It is essential for libraries to work with a steering group made up of local Traveller services. 4. Include GRTHM in the libraries events plan for the year (this plan includes other event ISSUE No. 11 FEBRUARY 2013 programmes such as Black History Month, Adult Learners Week, Family Learning Festival etc) 5. Ensure the Councils Communications Team are aware of GRTHM and include it in their yearly events plan too - this helps to ensure proper media coverage of the month. For more info above please contact: [email protected] GRTHM 2012 at Elthorne Park An update from the Health Team The primary focus of our current health work is Mental health awareness and ensuring Local Authorities are fully aware and including Gypsies and Travellers within local Joint Strategic Needs Assessment. Separate to the launch of our mental health DVD Tell Someone we have been commissioned to deliver a number of mental health awareness training sessions. We delivered the first of these to Oxley NHS Trust which covers a large region of south London. The training was very well received giving pause for thought to some outreach workers and service managers about the delivery of their services. The evaluations were very impressive and we enjoyed and they enjoyed themselves. If you are an NHS trust or service provider and require training in delivering health and wellbeing Pg 11 Capacity Building & Partnership Team services to the Gypsy and Traveller communities then please get in touch [email protected] or phone 0207 6072002 ‘Tell Someone’ DVD launch ISSUE No. 11 FEBRUARY 2013 health services, and health service providers are not always very good at accommodating them when they do.” Sophia also featured in the DVD: “It was a chance to share my experience with the community about how I learnt to cope with and eventually recover from postnatal depression,” she says. “Telling someone is very therapeutic and can be the first step towards recovery.” The Irish Traveller Movement in Britain recently celebrated the launch of our ground -breaking DVD that explores the delicate subject of mental health amongst Traveller communities and the discrimination that many face when trying to get treatment. The DVD, called ‘Tell Someone’ is both for the community and for professionals and service providers. Traveller men and women, some coming from as far away as Scotland, watched the DVD in the plush surroundings of the Tricycle Theatre cinema in Kilburn, London and enjoyed the buffet in the foyer upstairs afterwards. The DVD is divided into sections and includes Travellers talking about their mental health and recovery, as well as showing interviews with “Telling someone is very therapeutic and can be the first step towards recovery.” particular health clinic adapted its services to become more inclusive towards Gypsy and Traveller communities. Produced by Flexible Films, the film includes interviews with Thomas McCann, the Irish Traveller psychologist who runs Eire’s only dedicated Traveller counselling service, Paul Farmer; CEO of Mind and Father Jed Barry; prison chaplain at Feltham prison. Sophia Vale, English Traveller and Health Promotion Officer for the ITMB who was involved in making the DVD, said: “’When they are feeling low, many Gypsies and Travellers tend to bottle it up and keep their problems to themselves. A lot of Gypsies and Travellers do not know how to access health and mental ECOPS Scottish Travellers with Sophia at ‘Tell Someone’ launch “’When they are feeling low, many Gypsies and Travellers tend to bottle it up and keep their problems to themselves. Yvonne MacNamara, CEO of the Irish Traveller Movement in Britain, says: “As their traditional way of life becomes increasingly untenable and in the face of hostile prejudice and discrimination, many in the Gypsy and Traveller community are increasingly falling prey to mental ill-health and developing symptoms of depression, anxiety, panic attacks, low self esteem and hopelessness.” “Research from Ireland shows that the suicide rate for Traveller men in Ireland, is three to six times higher than the wider population. Pg 12 Capacity Building & Partnership Team ISSUE No. 11 FEBRUARY 2013 “Anecdotal evidence suggests that similar rates of suicide in the UK. Irish Traveller Psychotherapist, Thomas McCann, says that the rate of suicides amongst Traveller women is rising to the same level as men. This is fast becoming a crisis for a vulnerable community that has difficulty accessing the help and services which many benefit from.” “’Tell Someone’ is a ground-breaking educational DVD that was made in response to this crisis. It was made with the help of Gypsies and Travellers and is aimed at the Gypsy and Traveller community, as well as health professionals, mental health charities, service providers and campaigners,” she says. ‘Tell Someone’ features Gypsies and Travellers talking about their mental health and recovery. It also features GP’s and other health professionals and mental health service providers talking about how they have adapted their services to be inclusive of Gypsy and Traveller communities.” Tell Someone DVD Pg 13 Operational and Community corners ISSUE No. 11 FEBRUARY 2013 The Conference Report An update from Josie With a great deal of preparation, and organisation, the hard work paid off on Thursday 15th November 2012, when the ITMB Annual Conference, When the going gets tough took place. Hi Everyone Here’s a little update for you on what I’ve been working on over the last couple of months Participants at the ITMB confernece As part of the operations team, we ensured that evaluation forms were present for everyone to complete. 42% of individuals who attended the conference completed feedback forms. This means, as a Team, we can identify areas which need to be worked on, and items which need to be amended. The conference evaluation can be found within the 2012 ITMB Conference report which will be available on the ITMB website in the next week. “Excellent and thought provoking” Overall the conference was a great success, and the comments we received support that statement. “Fantastic speaking from all the Travelling Community” Josie O’Driscoll, ITMB Volunteer With support from ITMB I am taking part in the Romed Mediators programme which is a training programme for Gypsy Roma Travellers launched by the Council 0f Europe in 2011. A mediator is a person whose work involves promoting communication and understanding between members of Gypsy, Roma Traveller communities and any public authority, such as schools, health services, council departments, government agencies, landlords Twenty four GRT trainees from all over the UK started there training in Manchester Late 2012 and the second training will take place in March in Manchester. The first Congress of Roma mediators from the Council of Europe/European Commission Romed programme took place at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Brussels on the 17th-18th January 2013, with more than 250 Roma and Travellers from the 20 countries participating in the programme. Six places were available for Representatives Pg 14 Operational and Community corners “Six places were available for Representatives from the UK and I was lucky and privileged to have been one of the six” ISSUE No. 11 FEBRUARY 2013 here until I go back to Berlin to continue my social work studies. In the last months I have been working on different projects with the ITMB Policy team as well as shadowing experienced Traveller social worker and ITMB Rivka Jubitz, ITMB Intern Trustee Michael Ridge and education worker Peter Norton. from the UK and I was lucky and privileged to have been one of the six. The congress was an inspiring experience. It brought together so many Roma and Traveller participants speaking many different languages, including Romanes. There was an evening concert , Orchestra Europea per la Pace and the Alexian Group whose star performer, Santino Spinelli, is also a ROMED trainer. They performed the anthem Jelem Jelem I can tell you everyone enjoyed and most of the room was on there feet dancing. One thing that amazed me in Brussels was how many similarities there are and how much we have in common. I was lucky to attend the congress and I’m grateful I get the chance to share my experiences in the UK through the ITMB Newsletter Best wishes to all Rivka’s Internship Having been with ITMB for five months already there is sadly just one month left for me A big part of the work, especially in the last two month has been research into the population of Gypsies and Travellers in England. The other project I am still working on is research into the money that local authorities spend on evicting Gypsies and Travellers from unauthorised sites. “I am very happy about getting this experience and am enjoying my time as long as I am here!” Whenever it was possible I was shadowing Peter in the work he is doing as an education support worker in Walthamstow. With him I went around the area to visit the families who needed his help. Peter is doing this work voluntarily as he got cut but is still really needed in Walthamstow. Before Christmas I have also been shadowing Michael Ridge in the work he is doing in Haringey in the Travelling Peoples Team and could see a child protection conference he was working on. The time I have and am still spending here has been very interesting as I can see the different views on the work ITMB is doing and is done more widely with Gypsies Roma and Travellers in London and the UK. I am very happy about getting this experience and am enjoying my time as long as I am here! Pg 15 ISSUE No. 11 FEBRUARY 2013 Inclusion workshop—addressing the local health inequalities of Gypsy and Traveller communities. Noticeboard This workshop is a must for officers or workers with a specific remit to develop and address health inequality. Like and Share our Irish Traveller Movement in Britain Facebook Page 19th march 2013 at the Resource Centre, Holloway Road, from 10am—1pm. Please phone 02076072002 for more info Visit the ITMB website to find out more about the Policy work we do, with briefings and reports available to download: http://irishtraveller.org.uk/policy/ Have you got something you would like to advertise? Land? Caravan? Gypsy Roma Traveller History Month, June 2013: Let us know if you are holding an event. Email us at [email protected] Please contact the office, and we can arrange for this advertisement for you in our next newsletter. The content is subject to acceptance. Interested in Volunteering? If you are interested in volunteering, and would like to know more about what volunteering opportunities there are at ITMB, please email: [email protected] Pg 16. Contact us How to find us [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] www.irishtraveller.org.uk Irish Traveller Movement in Britain Follow ITMBritain 020 7607 2002 Irish Traveller Movement in Britain The Resource Centre 356 Holloway Road London, N7 6PA If you wish to make donation, visit our website and click on the My Donate link Thank you to all of our Funders from all at ITMB We are funded by If you would like to make any contributions to our next issue or simply to make a comment on this policy newsletter, please get in touch: Editor: Sabrina M Fahy [email protected] Charity Number: 1107113 Company Number: 4038939
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