Refugee Mental Health Forum

What are the aims of the Refugee Mental Health Forum?

The forum aims to ensure that refugees receive equal and fair access to mental health services including counselling, which meets their particular needs. The specific aims of the forum are to:

• Lobby statutory bodies to put refugee issues on the mental health agenda and to change their attitudes to a more responsive and culturally aware service.
• Educate the refugee communities through approved training, thus enabling them to provide dependable services to their communities.
• Develop and promote models of good practise in the refugee community organisations.
• Attend as well as organise conferences and seminars to highlight relevant issues and to raise awareness.
• Build up co-operation and partnership with counselling agencies and professionals working with groups.

 
What can you expect from the forum?

A link with training organisations and refugee organisations.

• Information on appropriate counselling courses for refugees.
• The opportunity to meet and work together with similar organisations - resulting in mutual support, sharing, learning and strategic thinking.
• A chance to influence the direction of policies and service.

 
Steering Commitee

The steering committee will be elected by members of the forum and will co-opt relevant agencies working in refugee health.

The chair of the steering committee will be a represenative from a refugee community organisation.

The Evelyn Oldfield Unit will service the steering committee.

 
Roles and Responsibilities

The steering committee will be responsible for developing policies and standing orders for the forum.

The steering committee will develop a realistic programme of action in response to the recommendations made by the forum.

The steering committee will convene the forum and may set up a sub-committee for a specific purpose.