The Communities of Practice session on 29 May was hosted by City of Wolverhampton Council and brought social care practitioners together for an important conversation about mental health, mental ill health and the need to challenge stigma.
I opened by highlighting that mental health affects everyone, with around one in four people in England experiencing a mental ill health each year.
Kieran Jones delivered a powerful presentation about his journey of being diagnosed with anxiety and depression, and his experience of being in a mental health unit. (see Kieran's account of his contribution below)
Kieran spoke openly about how mental ill health manifested for him and what led him to feel alone at the time. Kieran also shared valuable “golden nuggets” on how best to support someone experiencing mental ill health, including what meaningful and compassionate support can feel like.
Naomi Elendu facilitated a thought-provoking session on the wellbeing of adult social care workers. She shared insightful facts about the cost of sickness absence across the workforce, emphasised the importance of self-care and offered practical wellbeing tips.
Her session prompted important discussion about recognising the signs of burnout and systemic barriers impacting the ability for social care workers to address their wellbeing. Naomi also highlighted the impact of racial discrimination within the social care workforce.
Sylwia Juranek closed the session with an impactful contribution on trauma in a range of contexts, including generational and cultural trauma, its impact on parenting and children, and trauma arising from sexual violence and abuse.
She also explored the physical effects of trauma and the importance of understanding people’s experiences through a trauma-informed lens. Sylwia highlighted the often-hidden population of Polish people who require mental health support but are underserved because they are categorised within the broad “white other” group. This issue stressed the importance of disaggregating data so that people’s distinct needs are properly recognised and met.