Progress Report 7: March 2003 - September 2003

Summary

General Administration
Profiling Black and Minority Ethnic Groups in Cardiff
Equity: Assessing mental health and social care needs
Empowerment, promotion & outreach
Effectiveness: Establishing Monitoring frameworks
Efficiency:Documenting & disseminating project activities

Action Points

Summary

Over the last seven months, the five areas of work underpinning this study have been developed substantially. This is in part down to the work of the two research assistants who were hired in March 2003. Although reduced to only one research assistant in June 2003, having additional staff has increased the collation of key primary data and secondary documentation. In September 2003, Anne Fothergill (AF) joined the research team. Anne Fothergill is a principal lecturer at the School of Care Sciences at the University of Glamorgan and field leader for Mental Health.

To date, over half of the profiles of the target groups have been drafted and profiles of the remaining groups will be drafted by the end of November 2003. Thirty six interviews have been conducted with (1) steering group members; (2) clients (participants); (3) health, mental health and social care/ welfare workers, researchers, and managers; and (4) members of the seven target groups Work on summarising and analysing the transcriptions started in September 2003.

The focus groups have also started. The first one was led by Roon Adams (a data collector) comprising nine women living in Cardiff with links to the Yemen, Sudan, Palestine, and Egypt. Yuan Yuan Wang, a member of the Swansea Chinese Community CO-OP Society conducted a focus group with eight Chinese men and women.

One key theme emerging from the work on establishing monitoring frameworks is the collating of best practice guidelines based on visits and site-based interviews. To date, summaries and recommendations from two such visits to organisations working specifically with particular ethnic groups have been drafted, with several more visits planned to take place between October and November 2003.
Team members continue to promote, as well as disseminate information about the project and related research initiatives. Team members have made a number of presentations over the last few months to community mental health teams, academics, and members of the target groups. Also, the e-mail discussion group continues to grow and the website remains a key portal for information about the project, other research initiatives and activities in Cardiff and in Wales more generally.

Lastly, thanks to the research team and the steering group members who continue to help push the progress of the project along. Although we have not met up as a group, the regular contact with you individually has been a source of support.

General Administration

• Kalbir Kaur Mann (KKM) and Akli Ahmed (AA) joined the BE4 team March 2003
  

• Two research training workshops were held for the data collectors (March and May 2003) -there are 10 data collectors on our books
  

• Steering group meeting held in April 2003
  

• Akli Ahmed resigned from his post June 2003
  

• 5 transcribers were recruited in July 2003
  

• Steering group meeting scheduled for July 2003 was postponed
  

• First ethics committee presentation (July 2003)
  

• Second ethics committee presentation (September 2003) - successful outcome
  

• Anne Fothergill joined the research team (September 2003)
  

• Karen Roberts, the person in charge of the financial management of the project submitted six-monthly report. The project remains on track.

Profiling Black and Minority Ethnic Groups in Cardiff

The framing document for the profiling work was drafted March 03. The list of group and sub-group profiles is as follows:

• African groups (Somali, Sudanese & Zimbabwe )
  
• Black Welsh
  
• Caribbean
  
• East Asian (Chinese & Vietnamese )
  
• South Asian (Bangladeshi, Indian and Pakistani)
• One additional profile - Yemeni, with detailed references to sub-groups in Cardiff from the 'Arab speaking world'
  

Progress to date:

• Profile of Zimbabwean population completed April 03(AA)
  
• Profile of Bangladesh population May 03 (AA)
  
• Profile of Sudanese population completed by Dr. Bashir May 03
  
• Profile of Vietnamese population presently being drafted by KKM
  
• Profile of the Chinese population presently being drafted by KKM
  
• Document covering the profiles of remaining groups and subgroups presently being drafted (RSB). Final draft to be completed by 30 Nov 2003
  

Profiling Black and Minority Ethnic Groups in Cardiff

1. Literature Review
   · Framing document for literature review drafted March 2003 (RSB)
   · Health fact sheets (matrix of assumptions) drafted April 2003 (KKM)
   
2. Interviews
   · Coding of information sheets and of interview data (RSB)
   · Rolling process in recruitment of interviewees continues (RSB & KKM)
   · Transcribing of interviews underway (managed by BE4 Administrator, Trish Millard)
   
3. Focus groups
   · 9 Arabic speaking women (from the Yemen, Palestine, Egypt, and Sudan) - June 2003
   · 8 members of the Chinese community in Swansea - September 2003
   

Milestones (October - December 2003):

• The first draft of the literature review for this study was completed August 2003 (KKM). The draft will be reviewed by research team. Final draft to be completed by 1 Nov 2003
  
• Interviews will end in October 2003
  
• Preliminary findings drafted in December 2003
  
• Focus groups for (1) mental health professionals and managers (2) social care professionals and (3) members of voluntary mental health organisations will take place between November 2003 - December 2003
  
• Focus groups with African, Caribbean, and South Asian groups will take place between November 2003 - December 2003

Note: We began to conduct interviews in March 2003. To date, 36 interviews have been conducted:

• Participants (or service users) - 5
  
• Carer - 1
  
• Mental health professionals working in the statutory sector - 4
  
• Manager working in the mental health statutory sector - 1
  
• Mental health professionals based in the voluntary sector - 8
  
• Social care and welfare professionals (including community researchers) - 7
  
• Members from the project's seven target groups - 10
  

Empowerment, promotion & outreach

• Meeting with Ian Wiley and Linda Newton re. recruitment of South Asian staff into mental health nursing. This Information was passed on to admissions officers in the School of Care Sciences to encourage recruitment of students from Black and Minority Ethnic groups into nursing (KKM)
  
• Following from above, RSB helped the Admissions Officer arrange for people from BME groups to attend the School of Care Sciences' Open Day 21 June 2003. The School paid for the hire of a bus. Twelve people attended on the day, with four showing a strong interest. (RSB)
  

Milestone (October - December 2003):

• A partner in BME women's health and wellbeing conference scheduled to take place December 2003
  

Effectiveness: Establishing Monitoring frameworks

KKM visited the Vietnamese Mental Health Association (London) on 22.05.03 to gather evidence for best practice. A similar visit was conducted to the Chinese Mental Health Association (London) 11.07.03

Milestone (October - December 2003):
Best practice visits are planned to the following organisations between Octobers - November 2003:

• Asian Services - Birmingham
  
• Franz Fanon Centre - (African and Caribbean users) - Birmingham

Efficiency:Documenting & disseminating project activities

• Presentation made to Sealock Community Mental Health Team (April 2003) (RSB)
  
• Presentation made to members of Counselling Service Programme (RSB)
  
• Presentation made to Riverside Community Mental Health Team (July 2003) (RSB)
  
• Information sent to doctors' surgeries in targeted areas. (KKM)
  
• Presentation to women's group at South Riverside Community Development Centre informing them about our project. (KKM)
  
• Conference presentation, Minority Ethnic Women's Network Swansea - September 03 (KKM)
  
• Conference presentation made by Professor Susan Procter at the Network for Psychiatric Nursing Research Conference - September 2003
  
• Email discussion group continues to grow and is active. There are presently 76 members (RSB)
  

Action Points

Milestones: October 2003 - March 2004 (suggested timetable):

• Literature Review - drafted August 2003 by KKM, completed in full November 2003
  
• Best practice document - first draft completed September 2003, completed in full November 2003
  
• Profiles of target groups and geographic areas - completed in full November 2003
  
• Preliminary findings from data - drafted December 2003. Completed in full March 2004
  
• Steering group meetings - re-scheduled for December 2003 and March 2004
  
• Dissemination event to be planned for Feb or March 2004
  
• BE4 website (www.be4researchproject.org.uk) will be undated and research findings made available March 2004
  
• Email discussion group - transferred over to AWETU for management March 2004
• Article submitted to Nursing Times - January 2004 (RSB)
  
• Abstract submitted to the Transcultural Nursing and Healthcare Association conference 2004 (RSB)