Association of Black Social Workers & Allied Professions

Welcome

ABSWAP - the Association of Black Social Workers & Allied Professions has been pioneering new approaches to mental health care. As part of the New Ways of Working with New Types of Workers initiatives, ABSWAP ran for three years a pilot project to develop an approach to mental health focusing on the individual and aiming to leave behind the destructive old and out-dated institutional approach to mental health care.

In partnership with Skills for Care we have been researching the needs of Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) mental health service users and and providing them with a range of services to empower them and give them a sense of worth and a stake in society. A key part of our work was to help those with mental illness to partner with care workers and doctors to help manage their own situations and illness: "Our care, our health, our say". And we also helped some of our mental health services users become New Types of Workers who can then help to support others with mental health problems by offering advocacy, mentoring and life coaching services.

Printed from www.abswap.org, September 5, 2010. © Copyright: ABSWAP 2003-2008.

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