New accessible Psychological Therapy service

Remark! is pleased to be part of a exciting new project providing BSL translation for The British Society for Mental Health and Deafness (BSMHD).

The British Society for Mental Health and Deafness (BSMHD) and NHS North West are delighted to announce a two year national project starting from 1st April 2010 that aims to enable all Primary Care Trusts throughout England to provide a psychological therapy service that is culturally and linguistically accessible in sign language, through the employment and training of a new workforce of Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners (PWP) and High Intensity (HI) Therapists. The development work is focused on ensuring that deaf people will be a major part of this new workforce.

The project, which will be jointly managed by NHS North West and BSMHD, will:

• work with the Strategic Health Authority IAPT leads to create consortia of SHAs across England using a hub model and work with each regional hub to produce detailed service specifications and potential delivery model/s including identifying an IAPT site to be the lead PCT for the hub
• develop, with existing IAPT training providers, PWP training courses to be delivered in BSL designed to be accessible to all Deaf PWP trainees from across England support the training provider to deliver the PWP training to ensure it is appropriate for Deaf trainees
• develop and deliver a High Intensity 'top-up' course, delivered in BSL, for the existing workforce of qualified, and soon to be qualified, Psychological Therapists able to work in Sign Language • develop and deliver a Supervision course, delivered in BSL
• develop, with existing IAPT training providers, High Intensity courses to be delivered in BSL designed to be accessible to all Deaf High Intensity trainees from across England
• support the training provider to deliver the High Intensity training to ensure it is appropriate for Deaf trainees
• develop a support infrastructure for this specialist workforce, including Supervision, peer support and continuing professional development
• arrange for the translation of appropriate Assessment Tools into BSL including GAD7, PHQ9 and Core
• produce IAPT Information in BSL on DVD and the internet

This site will develop during the lifetime of the project to be a resource for professionals to provide them with support and information about improving access to psychological therapies for Deaf people.

Please visit www.deafiapt.org.uk to see the website.