BACKGROUND
The development of this four day training module was funded by CSIP and led by Dr Jennie Williams and Dr Sara Scott. The module has been designed to be delivered locally and contains both training materials and guidance and support for trainers; it was successfully piloted in the NW and SW of England in spring 2009.
MODULE
Aims & Objectives
The module supports the implementation of gender equality in mental health services by building staff confidence and competence in working from a gender informed perspective with men and women who have mental health needs. It aims to increase participant's:
- Understanding of the ways gender and other inequalities can impact on mental health
- Sensitivity to the ways mental health services can add to this harm
- Knowledge about gender informed practice
By providing participants with:
- Carefully structured opportunities to build on their existing knowledge
- Opportunities to reflect on their own thinking, practice, and place of work
- Time to think through the possibilities for change
(A few of the introduction session slides are above as a taster)
Who is it for?
The course has been designed to meet the needs of:
- Staff working throughout mental health services, including managers and decision makers as well as those directly involved in providing care
- Others working to improve mental health services, including advocates and user activists
Outline
This four-day training module:
- Has places for up to sixteen participants
- Can be provided at a venue of choice
- Has two main components:
- Part One (Sessions 1-4): Thinking About Gender
- Part Two (Sessions 5-8): Gender Informed Practice
ROLLOUT
Aims & Objectives
The National Mental Health Development Unit aims to make the GEMH module widely available through:
- Creating a national network of trainers who can provide the GEMH course by:
- collaborating with Regions to provide a jointly funded ‘Training the Trainers' (TTT) initiative; funding has been secured by the NMHDU to roll out courses in each region during 2009-2010.
- ensuring that this TTT course can also be directly purchased from Inequality Agenda www.inequalityagenda.co.uk
- Encouraging services which don't wish to train their own trainers to purchase the course directly from Inequality Agenda which has its own network of accredited trainers
NEXT STEPS
You can find out about more about the module by:
- reading the attached outline going on line at www.mentalhealthequalities.org.uk where you can look at some of the training materials for the first half of the GEMH module "Thinking About Gender"
- Then get your colleagues and especially commissioners interested
- If you are interested in becoming a GEMH trainer let the relevant people in your Region know
