Watford Asian Community Care delivers Racial Equality in Mental Health Care for the BME communities across South West Hertfordshire.

WACC works with BME communities, mental health service users and their carers to support individuals and assist in improving local services.

We will provide the support or advice related to the following

• One-to-one support with any matters relating to mental health and social care
• Information, advice and signposting.
• Support in dealing with family or friends
• Help you access local services and resources
• Assist you to integrate back into the community after having suffered any illness
• Conduct home visits
• Accompanying you to any mental health related appointments to overcome language or cultural issues
• Advocacy support for anyone having problems with care, medical, benefits, entitlements, housing, legal and relationships.
• Referrals to health and social care services for assessment of their needs.
• Support service users to integrate back into the community for people with mental health problems to ensure better access to training, emotional support, employment and housing.

In order to improve mental health service provision, we are keen to hear from anyone who would like to share their, good or poor, experience of using local mental health care services. We also welcome any volunteers who are keen to participate in improving and developing these services so that they are more appropriate to Asian needs. As a volunteer you would be involved in improving some of the following:

• Promoting and improving admission to mental health care services.
• Influencing the planning, design and delivery of mental health services to become more culturally sensitive and responsive to their needs.
• Challenging inequalities in mental health services.
• Helping to raise public awareness of self care and mental health.
• Working in partnership with commissioners, service providers, service users, carers and community representatives.
• Identifying the communities’ issues, needs and problems.

A new DVD has been produced to promote good mental health amongst the Black & Minority Ethnic communities in Hertfordshire. This new DVD is aimed at breaking down mental health shame within local BME communities and will hopefully encourage the families, carers, parents and grandparents to seek help and the right kind of support earlier for their emotional health & wellbeing from the local mental health services.

For a copy of free DVD and support please call Pravina Patel on

01923 229903. Email: admin@wa-cc.org.uk.