[WiLT] Medical Justice Befriender Training Day - Sat 27th June 2009

[WiL Admin]

Medical Justice Befriender Training Day
10am to 4pm on Saturday June 27th 2009

School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), Thornhaugh Street,Russell Square,
London, WC1H 0XG.
Kindly hosted by the SOAS Detainee Support Group
This training day is free of charge and open to all visitors to immigration
detainees.

Aim of the training;
1. Help befrienders offer the most effective support they can to vulnerable
women detainees.
2. Reduce befriender burn-out by giving guidance and support.

To book a place, please email emma.ginn at medicaljustice.org.uk

Provisional programme includes:

Legal process overview
Where / how people are detained and a background to detainees' state of well
being prior to reaching the detention centre. Information about those detained
on arrival in the UK and issues regarding the destitution and criminalization of
asylum seekers. Overview of the asylum determination process, fast-track, Non
Suspensive Appeals, Judicial Reviews, fresh claims, and other routes to safety
including the 7 year children's concession and being a dependent of an EU
citizen, etc.

Deterioration of health
Topics will include denial of medication and what can be done about it, how one
knows when access to hospital    is necessary and how to ensure it, conditions
in hospital (including issues of privacy, confidentiality and handcuffing), and
hunger-strikes including medical effects and what visitors' advice is
appropriate.

Torture Survivors
What torture is, what scars to look for, how a medico-legal report may or may
not help and advice to visitors on how most appropriately to ask detainees about
torture.

Pregnancy
Including pregnancy complications, fitness to fly, and appropriate
anti-malarials.

Gender-based Persecution
Including rape survivors, honor killing, female genital mutilation, domestic
violence, what specialist groups are available for support, and advice on how a
visitor can most appropriately ask detainees about gender based persecution.

Mental Health
Including depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, psychosis, sectioning, how
mental health should be considered in asylum / human rights cases, medico-legal
reports and visitor's mental health assessment tools.

HIV
Including denial of medication in detention, denial of HIV testing and/or test
results, children with HIV or with an HIV+ parent, and treatment available "back
home".

Children in detention
Including children's health issues, who are the responsible authorities and for
what, social services, child protection teams, unaccompanied minors and sources
of help.

Trafficking
Including what trafficking is, who does / does not identify themselves as a
trafficking victim, and what specialist groups exist for support.

Assaults
Including the what is "reasonable" force and circumstances surrounding its
legitimate use, collating evidence of an assault, potential legal remedies, and
reporting an assault to the Home Office, it's contractors and the police.

Rule 35
Including what Rule 35 is, what the Home Office policy is and how to ensure its
implementation.

Medical Justice referrals
The Medical Justice referrals process and how to make an effective referral.

Accessing support
Including access to support within Medical Justice, Medical Justice Supervision
Sessions, and accessing outside specialist groups.

To book a place on the training
Please email emma.ginn at medicaljustice.org.uk

Feedback from the Sept 2008 Befriender Training day + download the Medical
Justice Befrienders Training Manual
http://www.medicaljustice.org.uk/content/view/453/108/