Duncan, Mark Llewellyn (2024) What is the experience of Black staff working with people from Black communities who have co-existing mental health and substance use problems, and does Police contact impact this cohort? Doctoral thesis, University of West London.

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Abstract

The Black community continue to bear the brunt of negative stereotypes when it comes to treatment from both primary care services and the criminal justice system, particularly where the police are concerned. Those who are affected by co-existing mental health and substance use issues (also called “Dual Diagnosis”) also bear the additional burden of these highly stigmatising conditions. Despite the implications that these conditions can have on individuals and the wider community, the experience of Black people with “Dual Diagnosis” navigating the health and social care system is under researched, especially when the Criminal Justice System is involved. Therefore, the aim of
this study is to explore these journey’s through the lenses of Black practitioners whose work revolves around members of the Black community with a dual diagnosis.
The study utilised a qualitative method, whereby 21 semi-structured interviews were conducted with Black practitioners working in a variety of health, social care, and criminal justice services. that encounter Black clients who have a dual diagnosis and who have come into contact with the criminal justice system. The main finding was that, according to participants’ experiences, the Black community were suffering not only from stigma and trauma due to their life experiences but were also unfairly treated when it came to treatment services or indeed dealings with the police. Practitioners reported that the Black community are often stereotyped by White professionals and seen as aggressive and severely stigmatised. Black professionals also reported that training across the board for all staff, management, the police, and services was crucial if the status-quo was to be altered. Another prominent theme to arise was the issue of the lack of cultural awareness and needs of those members of
the Black community who encounter the police and dual diagnosis services.
This lack of understanding both on a ‘don’t need to understand’ and no inclination to want to understand is severely impacting the engagement and successful completion of treatment of these members of the Black community who are in need. Where the police were concerned Black professionals felt there was an inherent racist attitude to the Black community and those with a dual diagnosis were particularly treated poorly. Black professional relayed that they were seen as relatable by Black clients and on the whole Black clients had predominantly wanted to work with only Black staff. The study recommends that for effective change to take place there needs to be a greater sense of
cultural understanding by treatment services and the criminal justice services, especially at the front end where policing is integral. Aligned with this, policies
guidelines and training that have the desired impact need to be put into place to effect meaningful change going forward.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Identifier:	10.36828/thesis/12719
Subjects:	Medicine and health > Mental health Psychology > Substance abuse/misuse
Depositing User:	Marc Forster
Date Deposited:	25 Sep 2024 06:51
Last Modified:	04 Nov 2024 11:20
URI:	https://repository.uwl.ac.uk/id/eprint/12719

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