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21st century women
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Big Lottery Funding for 2010- 20122010 sees the end of the current Health Project. To allow the centre to continue providing a service, we have been working on a new devised project for the last 10 months and would like to inform our members that Big Lottery Fund has granted the funding of this new project. New Project - Bridging Inequality The project aims to support vulnerable Chinese speaking services users to have equal access to services in different area, especially health and, to empower them to speak up on the issues that affect them. At the same time it will act as service providers’ medium to access the Chinese community so that they provide an equal and effective service. The short term goal is to provide advocacy service between the Chinese community and service providers. But it is the long term goal that will make the difference; to be able to make an influence towards national policies, this can be done by the advocate worker carrying out surveys and researches so that national data on different areas will include the voices of the Chinese community. Increased culture sensitivities, enabling Chinese users cultural needs to be included in training manuals for service provider staffs. The biggest barrier that prevents the Chinese community accessing service and service provider providing an effective and equal service is lingual. However we must be clear that interpretation alone in not enough to achieve the above. Interpreting is just part of the advocacy BME users’ need, what the BME users need is a comprehensive package of support services including interpreting, translation, advices, information and channels for exercising patients' right such as complaints. At the moment there is no advocate for the Chinese community, resulting them not using services or denied services to meet their needs. By having a full time Advocate Worker working as the front line worker between serivces user and provider, a part time manager taking the role of making sure the project is run successfully by bridging the gap of differences and raising awareness of needs to statutory organisations will mean the Chinese community’s needs are met and enjoy an equal service. This funding has creates 2 posts for the centre The front line Advocate worker will provide a flexible service and support the service user effectively at the time it is needed. At the moment, language line and freelance interpreter cannot take up that personal support role which some vulnerable person will need, or have to have before they can be represented. The Manager will keep the network in contact, so appropriate information will be delivered and services user’s need will be reflected to providers for them to shape their service guidelines. At the moment due to lack of awareness and unable to bridge gap of difference, service users are hostile towards services providers, resulting trust non existence. This prevents service providers from providing a service that is equal and meets the needs. The manager will be the core ambassador who can build relationship between the two parties, reducing judgemental prejudice and segregation. |
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