The Irish Traveller Movement in Britain (ITMB) believes that to have a happy and successful life you should be healthy both in body and mind. The ITMB Health and Wellbeing projects span a wide range of issues that seek to address some of the shocking statements we see about the poor life expectancy of Traveller communities.
Maternity Project
ITMB joined forces with the Royal Free Hospital’s maternity team for a project intending to educate both staff and Irish Traveller service users on what to expect on the maternity journey. As part of a larger national engagement programme ‘Pacesetters’ the idea was that service users should influence the service provided. Irish Traveller women were able to work with staff on cultural awareness training as well as produce a Maternity Care and Irish Travellers – A guide for NHS and Irish Travellers DVD http://www.irishtraveller.org.uk/publications/dvds/ , and a package of information for Travellers to take away and disseminate to help explain the whys and where for’s of what happens once you become pregnant.
The project was not only successful for those involved, but won a prestigious award from the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Maternity (APPGM) for ‘Best example of involvement of service users in the development and delivery of maternity services’ .
The ITMB team and some of the women who had been involved were presented with their award at the Houses of Parliament by Anne Milton MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Public Health. The APPGM, which includes the National Childbirth Trust (NCT) – the UK’s largest charity for parents – is a cross-party group which highlights maternity issues within Parliament by bringing together health professionals and service users with politicians. The DVD was launched at the Tricycle cinema and promoted at the Tate Modern. Copies of the film are available on request or can be viewed on our website.
Health and Community Engagement Course
This Level 2 NOCN accredited course involved learning about all aspects of community health care, equipping participants with the skills and abilities to inform other members of Travelling communities . Working innpartnership with their local health authorities to identify need and good practice for services dealing with Traveller communities. Several candidates are currently enjoying being involved in diverse sessions from cooking a health meal from scratch, to meeting professionals and inspiring adaptations in services for Traveller communities. If you would like to work with ITMB as a guest speaker for the programme or would like to start the course, e-mail info@irishtraveller.org.uk
Mental Health
ITMB is starting a new project, creating a DVD with Flexible Films on Mental health. Flexible Films have worked with us on the Maternity project and have lots of experience working with mental health projects. Watch this space for more information.
Domestic Violence
Domestic violence can be both a physical and psychological problem and ITMB are setting up an online forum specifically for Traveller and Gypsy women to find support and help. We’ll be working closely in partnership with Solais Anois. Watch this space for more information.
Mental health issues for Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller (GRT) communities are not an area thathas received a lot of attention or research. A recent Irish Traveller Movement in Britain conference, held in London in 2010, was entitled ‘‘Against the odds’’. The title illustrated the overwhelming obstacles to social inclusion perceived by these groups in British society. The IPPR estimated(Crawley, 2004) there are about 300,000 Gypsies and Travellers in the UK,of which two-thirds reside in housing. Emerging evidence from Accommodation Assessments(Cemlyn et al., 2009) would appear to indicate that this is an under-estimate. Various categories of Gypsiesand Travellers (with different ethnic origins and histories) are included in that figure, e.g. Scottish Gypsy-Travellers; Welsh Gypsies; English Romanies, Irish Travellers and ‘‘New Travellers’’. Only certain groups of Gypsies and Travellers (who have been accepted in law as ethnic minority groups following court cases in relation to discrimination) are legally protected by Race Relations legislation.
To read the full report, click on the title above
