A Community Ambassador in the Black Country is bringing more than 20 years of frontline experience in social care to help drive meaningful change in mental health services.
Rebecca Gardner, Operations Manager at the Sandwell African Caribbean Mental Health Foundation based in Sandwell, has spent her career supporting both adults and children across multiple social care settings, including some of the most vulnerable in society.
Her work has spanned roles including former Registered Manager of a children’s home, consultancy supporting the development of new residential services, Practice Supervisor for university students, and Organisational Safeguarding Lead. She is also highly experienced in strategic project management, with a strong focus in recent years on the voluntary sector and mental health; particularly the impact on racialised communities, while maintaining strong partnerships with organisations including the University of Wolverhampton and the Race Equality Foundation over the last few years.
Rebecca, a Mental Health First Aider and an experienced Practice Placement Supervisor, has supported several students across social work, mental health nursing and occupational therapy. Through her work, she is known for bringing people together, creating safe, inclusive spaces where lived experience is heard, valued, and used to shape better services.
At Sandwell African Caribbean Mental Health Foundation, an organisation established in 1994 to address longstanding mental health inequalities, Rebecca is committed to delivering culturally responsive support for Black African, Black Caribbean and mixed heritage communities.
She has embarked on her role as a Community Ambassador for PCREF to focus on driving systems change, particularly in addressing inequalities experienced by racialised communities, bringing both professional expertise and lived experience to this work.
Rebecca’s quote: “The Patient and Carer Race Equality Framework is a vital tool for systems change; it puts lived experience at the heart of decision-making and challenges services to be more equitable, accountable, and culturally responsive".
Rebecca will be joining The Ian Henery Show on Black Country Xtra to talk about her journey , the challenges within mental health servkces and how community-led approaches can help create a more equitable future.
The Ian Henery Show on Black Country Xtra
Sunday 12th April at 4pm
Monday 13th April 6pm
