Memorandum by Women's Health and Family
Services (MA 13)
Women's Health and Family Services (WHFS), a
multi-ethnic community-based Health Advocacy organisation, was
established in 1981 by a group of local women in the London Borough
of Tower Hamlets. Its original aim was to address the significant
communication and cultural gaps faced by ethnic minority women
using NHS maternity and Social Services.
The aims of the organisation continue to be
focused around advancing education and empowering women to preserve
and protect their health and well-being. We strive to address
the unmet health and welfare needs of women residents and their
families in Tower Hamlets; in particular we serve women from Bangladeshi,
Somali, Vietnamese and Chinese backgrounds.
In 1994 the organisation changed from its original
name of Maternity Services Liaison Scheme (MSLS) and was incorporated
as a company with limited guarantee status. It is a registered
charity.
Our Mission is: To work for equitable
health care; to campaign for client's rights and choices, and
to highlight and challenge racism within the services.
Our Aim is: To advance health education,
and to help preserve and protect the health of women residents
and their families in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.
The current work of WHFS covers:
— Health advocacy: This includes
bridging the gaps between service users and service providers
both in hospital and primary care and by representing women's
issues both on an individual and community basis.
— Providing advice and support,
through interpreting and translation of advice services for
speakers of English as a second language, in particular speakers
of Bengali, Cantonese, Somali and Vietnamese. The advocacy workers
also provide individual advice on health, welfare benefits, immigration
and refugee issues and run health advice sessions. There is also
a weekly legal advice session and social support group for older
Somali women.
— Health promotion/education, including
keep-fit, exercise, health education groups for older women and
counselling. An innovative mental health project has been set
up and run by a Somali speaking psychology assistant, to research
and address the mental health needs of young Somali men in Tower
Hamlets.
— Through listening to the needs of
the local communities, WHFS have set up Special Projects for women
and children such as the Infant Feeding Project and a Coronary
Heart Disease Prevention Programme. For children we run the Hearing
Project for Bangladeshi children with hearing impairment and the
Somali Children's Homework Club and literacy class for their mothers
and carers. Most recently we have begun an outreach project with
the Sure Start programme for children under four years and their
carers.
— The organisation educates other providers
and funders about the needs of the targeted groups of women, through
research, publications and by talks and presentations to student
midwives, student doctors and others.
— WHFS continues to campaign for all
women's rights to an adequate health service and ability to make
informed choices about the service they receive.
CURRENT AREAS
OF WORK
— Building on existing partnerships
with funders and other community groups in order to represent
women's issues on both an individual and group basis.
— Strengthening dialogue with academic
and research organisations working with social change, poverty,
ill-health and community development.
— Developing projects addressing the
needs of minority ethnic groups associated with the management
of chronic conditions, eg diabetes.
— Continuing the dialogue with health
and social care providers to ensure the responsiveness of mainstream
providers to the needs of our clientele.
— Optimising opportunities for representing
the needs of the local communities in order to influence policy
decisions and delivery of services.
STAFF TEAM
Our team of bilingual speakers are employed
in health education, training, advocacy, support, campaigning
and empowerment of women and their families.
May 2003
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