The Race Equality Centre Leicester

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The Race Equality Centre in Leicester & Leicestershire
 Address: 3rd Floor, Epic House, Lower Hill Street, Leicester, LE13SH
Tel: 0116 2999800 
Fax: 0116 2999801
Online Contact Form

 

TREC Health & Community Advocacy Programme

 

Programme Description

Funded by the Department of Health and in association with the Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust, The Race Equality Centre (TREC) has developed an effective advocacy service to deliver improved health outcomes for Leicester’s racial minority communities. The programme will further support local NHS providers, through community engagement and involvement to develop and enhance their practices in the tackling of health inequalities.

 

What is Advocacy?

“Advocacy is taking action to help people say what they want, secure their rights, represent their interests and obtain the services they need. Advocates and advocacy schemes work in partnership with the people they support and take their side. Advocacy promotes social inclusion, equality and social justice.” (Action for Advocacy)

 

Programme Aim

  • To research, assess and measure the impact of the advocacy processes for racial minority communities in Leicester in accessing health service provision.

  • To identify the barriers faced in accessing the health service provision from a personal, community and professional advocate service perspective.

  • Through the development of a community based advocacy stakeholders assurance group identify the clear links between advocacy and inequalities within the health service provision.

  • To utilise local knowledge and expertise to develop and implement mechanisms that will enable the racial minority communities to understand and influence the new model of health service provision. TREC has identified and met with various individuals and representatives from racial minority community groups with the aim of identifying the range of support and advocacy services they provide to members of their community accessing local health service provision.

TREC has also identified and encouraged representatives from these groups to volunteer their time to participate in the Health Advocacy Forum as ‘Health Advocates’.

 

The role of the ‘Health & Community Advocacy Forum’ is to:

  • Raise awareness of the services and provision provided by them and/or their organisation to the local community in which they are based.

  • Share their personal experience and practices in advocating on behalf of the community on health and well-being issues.

  • Be committed to take part in the personal development training programmes and other activities as arranged by TREC.

  • Network and engage with health service representatives, community engagement coordinators and other community based health advocates.

  • Identify and explore the barriers, issues and concerns which racial minority communities face in accessing local health service provision.

  • Identify, discuss and agree possible solutions and mechanisms to overcome and address the barriers and concerns raised.

  • Represent and provide the voice and views of the racial minority communities at a strategic level to influence the policies, practices and decision making processes of the local NHS.

  • In partnership with other members of the forum and TREC develop, implement and promote a strategic model of good practice in engaging and involving the local community in the tackling of health inequalities.

  • Support and create opportunities to provide feedback to the racial minority communities, using all available methods.

The forum is made up of representatives from the following organisations:

  • Adhar Project

  • Tele health Africa

  • Somali Development Services

  • African Community Health Group

  • The Leicester Chinese Community Centre

  • Organisation for Sickle Cell, Anaemia & Thalassemia Research Project

  • Cross St. Patients Participation Group

  • Leicester & Leicestershire Irish Forum

  • Brit Bangla Progressive Society.

  • West Indian Senior Citizens Project

  • Project Polska

  • Gypsy and Travellers Equality (GATE) Project

  • Lesbian Gay Bi-sexual & Transgendered Centre – BME Forum

The ‘Health Advocates’ have all been trained by Encompass training Ltd on “Managing Advocacy Campaigns to Encourage Organisational Change”, a course approved by the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM). The next stage of the programme is to identify opportunities for the ‘Health Advocates’ to strategically influence the policies and practices of the local NHS and health service providers in addressing health inequalities for racial minority communities in Leicester.

 

Links and more information: