June 2007 Newsletter
Flaming June is here, but in this topsy-turvy year, will it bring sunshine or showers? For mental health activists, the Government's response at Report stage will 'make the weather' (incidentally this phrase is the latest political cliche doing the rounds, so a years free newsletters to the first to spot a Cabinet Minister using it!!!)
Mental Health Bill
The Government's response to issues raised in the Committee stage will come at Report. Moves have been promised on advocacy and age appropriate recommendation but whether these will go far enough to satisfy campaigners is doubtful.
The unity of the Mental Health Alliance has been fractured by the decision of five organisations, including the Royal College of Nursing, to suspend their membership around the contentious issue of the role of medically qualified staff in safeguarding patients' interests. The Lords amendments were overturned in Committee in favour of the more flexible multidisciplinary approach reflected in New Ways of Working, but professional allegiances have proved too powerful to maintain a united front in the Alliance. SPN believes that no single profession should be regarded as having a lead role so for once is fully in support of the Government line! Follow the debate
BME Issues
One of SPN's Executive Committee members, Suman Fernando, wrote an open letter to Tony Blair rejecting the offer of an OBE. Read full text of this letter. Suman said "The Government Bill currently before Parliament is deeply flawed. So my pleas to Government is to withdraw the Bill as it stands today".
Particularly relevant to this topic is the forthcoming SCIE Conference on 14th June, where there are a number of free places available in the afternoon seminar, Developing mental health advocacy with African and Caribbean men (Adults' services) The seminar will include an outline of SCIE's new report on the provision of advocacy of African Caribbean men with mental health problems. For more information, contact Paul McGettigan on 020 7089 6842 or by email. The Conference is being held at the International Convention Centre, Broad Street, Birmingham
The Future of Social Work
The Director has been in the press again. Read his Community Care letter on the future of social work training. The draft response to the General Social Care Council consultation on the role and tasks of social workers is up on the website for comment. We will be sending SPN comments in on Friday 8 June to meet the deadline but all comments welcome.
Recovery Focus Group
Following up its work on recovery, SPN organised a focus group of Afro-Caribbean women with the help of the Afiya Trust. The service users provided powerful statements about their experiences which you can read here.
Health and Wellbeing Commissioning Framework
SPN's comments on the draft commissioning framework can be found here. In its comments, SPN emphasised the importance of user involvement in commissioning.
Research
SPN was well represented at the Study day on Mental Health Social Work: Highlights in Research and Practice. You can read about the day and the papers presented here
SPN Workplan
The workplan for 2007/2008 has now been finalised and can be seen here. Like all workplans, it should be flexible and able to adapt to changed circumstances, but it sets out our plans for the year ahead (thankfully with only 10 months left we have made a start on implementing it already!)
Keep Checking In
All at SPN hope you have a good summer but do keep looking at the website for the latest in mental health news and views.
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