Resetting the relationship between local and national government. Read our Local Government White Paper
Islington: Improving the mental health of young black men
The London borough has launched a programme to improve the mental health of young black men. The three-year project involves work in schools, community outreach as well as training for frontline staff such as police. Barbers have also been given training to support their clients and refer into support services
Research shows young black men are at higher risk of poor mental health. They are 17 times more likely than white men to be diagnosed with a serious mental illness and four times more likely to be sectioned under the Mental Health Act.
To tackle the issue, Islington Council and the local NHS launched a programme aimed at improving the mental health of young black men in 2022. The programme is overseen by a dedicated board and has received £2.5 million of investment from the Violence Reduction Unit and NHS North Central London Integrated Care Board.
The different strands
There are several strands to the Young Black Men and Mental Health Programme. There is a school-based programme, Becoming a Man, aimed at pupils aged 11 to 16. It is based on an initiative which started in Chicago in the US and has seen psychologists recruited to work five-days a week in schools to provide group counselling and one-to-one support to Black pupils. They are working in three secondary schools and have nearly 180 pupils involved – all of whom will get up to two years of support.
The second pillar is focussed on community outreach. It is delivered by the Elevate Innovation Team, which comprises of a small multi-disciplinary team including psychologists and practitioners who provide trauma-informed outreach support in the community to young black men up to the age of 25.
The team work closely with local services, including GPs and the youth offending team, to identify young men to work with. They then work one-to-one with them, co-developing bespoke plans and goals. The team is currently working with more than 60 young black men – and has seen an engagement rate of 98 per cent.
The other strands in the programme involve working with key people in the community. There is a programme of training aimed at barbers, which has seen staff at five barbershops get training in mental health first aid, making every contact count and safeguarding. It has equipped them with the skills to discuss mental health with their clients, recognising their unique role in society. The aim is to get 25 barbershops involved eventually.
Meanwhile, system change training has been offered to front-line public sector staff. It started last September and has seen staff including police, health visitors and school staff take part in one-day cultural competency training sessions covering issues such as unconscious bias.
More than 600 workers have taken part in it so far. The aim is to reach 1,000 by the end of the year. As part of the programme, a network of champions is being established to push forward with change projects in their organisations.
‘Holistic approach key’
Programme Director Charisse Monero said: “When we were designing the programme we worked very closely with the community to find out what challenges they were facing and why they were not accessing the traditional mental health support that is available.
“Several issues came across very clearly. They were suffering from what is known as weathering – feeling really worn down by the attitudes and behaviours they came across. They felt judged and stigmatised by services and they told us there was a real lack of Black role models.
“Each of the pillars of our programme has been designed to help address these challenges. The psychologists we have recruited to work on the Becoming a Man project are all Black. The pupils they work with are mostly around 12 to 13 years of age. This is when mental health issues are beginning to come to the fore.
“The psychologists provide them with crucial support from a respected figure, challenging their views and helping support them in these formative years. What is important is that this is not about a brief intervention – the support is in place for two years.
“The Elevate team is then there to help those that find themselves in trouble – they may have been excluded or left school. The team have to work really hard to build trust with these young men. They meet them wherever they want – in parks, in their homes or over a hot chocolate or coffee. It has been designed to bridge that gap between this community and mental health services.
“And the work with barbers complements that as they can refer into the service as well as provide supportive conversations to their clients.”
Councillor Jason Jackson, who is co-chair of the board that oversees the programme, is delighted with the work being done. “Growing up as a young black man in London is extremely challenging – it can often feel like the world is stacked against you.
“The Young Black Men and Mental Health programme is designed to empower guide and support young black men and boys as they face these challenges. Through the programme, we’re taking on structural and institutional racism to help shift they practices, assumptions and perceptions that could be holding young black men and boys back.”
And Executive Member for Equalities, Communities and Inclusion Councillor Sheila Chapman added: “In Islington we are steadfastly committed to tackling inequality. This three-year programme, with its holistic approach to addressing mental health issues, is an important part of our work to enhance wellbeing, aspirations and life chances of young black boys and men.”