WREN has continued its active programme of meetings, publications and other activities through the pandemic – see Past Meetings (many with YouTube links) on our Home Page

This update relates to our plans for 2022

Seminar Presentations and Dates

Jan 14 - WREN Planning meeting

Feb 8 -  Mental Health Government symposium.

Feb 9  - Mind Event – Coproduction and Race Equality

March 25 - Seni’s Law Community Empowerment Network seminars

March 31 - Launch of Mental Health Unit Use of Forces Act 2018 Seni’s-Law Event

April 4 - Seni’s Law Community Empowerment Network seminars. Module 2 Develop Policy – Community to Ward

April 11 - Module 3 Develop training – Develop recording

May 9 - 15   Mental Health week of Action.  PFA. Mental Health Foundation – NHS – United Family Friends

June 13 - Personality Disorder Race 13

June 20 - 26 Refugee Week, Mohammad

August Part 1. Mental health in work place Summer Seminar of Mentoring for black psychologists and Lancet.

September  22 - Work on Festival of Philosophy, Joint Lancet events on Peer group guidance.

October -  Conference with Royal College Race/Coproduction

December - Part 2 Mental Health in the work place – Focus surgery, sport and mental health.

WREN Meeting Dates

January 14 2022

February 14 2022

March 8 2022

May 17 2022

June 9 2022

July 13 2022

August 24 2022

September TBC

October TBC

November TBC

December TBC

For WREN Year planner page

Throughout the year members of WREN will attend seminars to participate in and disseminate work of other organisations- including The Mental Health Foundation, Northampton University, Manchester Metropolitan University, MIND, Royal College of Psychiatry. In this process Dr King will take a lead, coordinating role.

January – Planning for the year ahead- working in partnership with NHS (England), Lancet (Psychiatry), the Royal College of Psychiatry and grass roots community organisations

February – Government Symposium on Mental Health

March – Mental Health Units (use of Force) Act introduced (Known as Seni’s Law); 31^st March Joint Seminar with Royal College of Psychiatry on Seni’s Law;

Publication in Lancet Psychiatry of article by Ajibola Lewis and Marcia Rigg: ‘Black men wanted for restraint and research’

April to September developing a training programme* on how to be a peer reviewer, drawing on the experience of Professor Sashidharan, Malik Gul and Dr King’s work in Wandsworth with people with lived experience

May –working with Lancet Psychiatry and other publishers to promote training of people with lived experience in the process of peer reviewing so that they can become peer reviewers- ensuring that black survivors are empowered to take up these roles.

June– Developing a partnership alongside United Friends and Family Campaign to promote awareness of Seni’s Law across the community

Video work by Dr King and John Richardson in progress with College of Psychiatry:  Filmed dialogue with the consultants and WREN members planned, including Ajibola Lewis, to discuss the challenges for racialised communities in terms of MH treatment programmes.

Dr King to attend conference on behalf of WREN on Personality Disorder, part of a 3-day series being run by Northampton University: Colin’s presentation forwarded to Centre for VBP.

July – building towards seminar on peer reviewing* planned for Black History Month, to be coordinated by the Centre for Values Based Practice and Lancet Psychiatry.

Mental Health Foundation Conference on Body Image 6^th July-

Dr King to post the presentation he gave at this webinar

August – working with United Friends and Family Campaign to support and promote an event in October;

Papers in preparation by members of WREN network on race and trauma

September- Festival of Philosophy at Manchester Met University tbc

October/ November – Seminar* on peer reviewing by people with lived experience of MH issues- date tbc ; 29.10 WREN contributing to Event for United Friends and  Family Campaign https://uffcampaign.org/