ICYMI: Fall Edition
In Case You Missed It
Help Guide BC’s New Independent Rights Advice Service – Join the Lived Experience Leadership Committee
An Independent Rights Advice Service (IRAS) is being created in BC!
People who are detained and experiencing involuntary treatment under the Mental Health Act will be able to talk to a rights advisor, who will provide information and answer questions about their legal rights and options.
The service operates separately from the health care system. The Canadian Mental Health Association, BC Division (CMHA BC) will be delivering the rights advice service in partnership with Health Justice and a number of Indigenous-led and community organizations.
Join the Lived Experience Leadership Committee
We are seeking people across BC with lived and living experience of involuntary admission and treatment to join the Lived Experience Leadership Committee. As partners in shaping the service, Committee members will give feedback and guidance on its creation and implementation.
We recognize your contributions to the Committee with a $32/hour honorarium.
To apply, fill out the application form by Wednesday, November 15: https://forms.office.com/r/N3rji5EVyi (flexible deadline)
Questions?
If there's something we can do to make the application process or your participation in the Committee more accessible, please reach out to Vivian at vivian@healthjustice.ca or 604-358-7916.
For example, we may have some resources available to help with accessing a device and/or WiFi. As well, please let us know if you need flexibility around the deadline.
Those who would like to apply but do not wish to physically fill out the form can phone Vivian to answer the application questions or submit a video to Vivian answering the questions.
There may be future engagement opportunities for family and supporters regarding the IRAS, and we will share these opportunities as they arise.
For more information, please read the poster: click here
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Image description: Flyer for the Live Experience Leadership Committee.
The header reads:
“Help Guide BC’s New Independent Rights Advice Service - Join the Lived Experience Leadership Committee!” with green, orange, and blue triangles against a brown background with the Health Justice lettermark.
The text reads:
“An Independent Rights Advice Service (IRAS) is being created for people in BC who are detained and experiencing involuntary treatment under the Mental Health Act. They will be able to talk to a rights advisor, who will provide information and answer questions about their legal rights and options.
The Canadian Mental Health Association, BC Division (CMHA BC) will be delivering the rights advice service in partnership with Health Justice and a number of Indigenous-led and community organizations. The Independent Rights Advice Service operates separately from the health care system. The service is independent of hospitals, facilities, and community mental health teams.
People with lived and living experience of the involuntary mental health system in BC will be essential partners in shaping the rights advice service. We would like to hear from you!
Lived Experience Leadership Committee
We are seeking people with lived and living experience of involuntary admission and treatment to join the Leadership Committee, which will:
· Meet via online video-conferencing every 6 weeks for 1.5 to 2 hours
· Give feedback and guidance on the creation and implementation of the service (including infrastructure, training of rights advisors, educational materials, evaluation and quality assurance, and further engagement with other people with lived experience)
We will recognize your contributions to the Committee with a $32/hour honorarium.
Who can apply?
· People who have previously experienced involuntary admission and treatment in BC
· Are currently residents of BC
· Have access to an electronic device with a camera and webcam that can connect to the Internet
We especially encourage Indigenous, Black, and otherwise racialized people; youth; older adults; neurodivergent people; people with disabilities; 2SLGBTQIA+ people; people experiencing poverty and homelessness; and people from rural and remote communities to apply.
If there's something we can do to make the application process or your participation in the Committee more accessible, please reach out to us. For example, we may have some resources available to help with accessing a device and/or WiFi.
How to apply
· Fill out the application form here or in the QR code: forms.office.com/r/N3rji5EVyi
· Deadline: Wednesday, Nov. 15
If you need flexibility around the deadline, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Questions?
For more information or if you have any accessibility requests, please contact Vivian at vivian@healthjustice.ca or 604-358-7916.”
Images on flyer:
On the left is a photo of two people in jackets sitting on a bench, facing away from the camera, and looking at autumn-coloured trees.
On the bottom right is a QR code.
Blog Post Highlight: What to Know about the Mental Health Review Board’s Latest Annual Report
The Mental Health Review Board recently released its 2022/23 Annual Report, which gives us insights into how people detained under the Mental Health Act are getting access to detention review. We’ve summarized 3 important things to know about this report in this blog post.
Education Sessions Highlight
This fall Health Justice has been providing education sessions to many service providers who work with people impacted by the Mental Health Act, such as our session "Delivering Equitable Legal Services" provided at the Law Foundation's Provincial Advocates Training Conference. We have also been conducting a four-part education series for health care providers called “Health Care Consent and the Mental Health Act Education Series”. Each session takes a deep dive on key aspects of health care consent law and its intersections with the BC Mental Health Act and is open to any Vancouver Coastal Health or Providence Health Care staff or medical staff.
A guide to Part 3 of the BC Adult Guardianship Act
While the first part of this project completed in the summer, some people may have missed it. The BC government announced it is reviewing the adult abuse, neglect, and self-neglect response framework. This review is an important opportunity to consider how Part 3 of the Adult Guardianship Act is working and how we can make improvements in this province. With funding from the Law Foundation and Notary Foundation, Health Justice has produced A Guide to Part 3 of the BC Adult Guardianship Act to explain the law and how practices have been impacting some adults who experience investigations and responses. You can view the guide and learn more about this project here.
To keep up with what we’re up to, check out our socials below!
In Case You Missed It: Other News
October was RDSP Awareness Month
If you or your loved one are 49 or younger and have a disability, you could be eligible for government contributions to the Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP)! Planning for retirement can sometimes feel like an overwhelming task. As an adult with a disability, there’s already so much to consider – deciding whether you want to further your education or find a job, volunteering with the community, navigating relationships, having secure and affordable housing, making sure your disability needs are accommodated, and spending time doing what makes you happy. Access RDSP aims to provide free support, information, tools and resources on the Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP) and planning for your future so that you can focus on being you!
Upholding dignity and human rights: the Federal Housing Advocate’s review of homeless encampments (Interim Report)
In February 2023, the Federal Housing Advocate launched a systemic review to “examine the human rights issues facing encampment residents in Canada.” Punitive responses to encampments “fails to address the underlying conditions that have led to the growth of encampments in the first place” and “does not respect the human rights of encampment residents to live in dignity and have access to safe and secure housing.” This Interim report “provides an overview of what the Advocate has heard and learned to date about encampments in Canada and proposed human rights-based solutions.” It will serve as a foundation for deeper reflection on these issues and the discussions that follow will “inform the findings and recommendations that will be included in the Advocate’s final report.”
“He was detained by police after sending a tweet. 8 years later, he's fighting for a public hearing”
Abbass was illegally detained by the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary and “housed for six days at a psychiatric unit against his will in 2015.” He now “wants to see legislative change to the Mental Health Care and Treatment Act in relation to the checks and balances that are required for detainment.”