PRACTICE Added values Support for Jewish people with mental health issues must appreciate the communitys unique identity. Naomi Glickman, Helen Rosen and Daisy Bogg explain how charity Jami is responding to this challenge T It is clear that the support provided by Jami and its social workers is embedded in community values and identity here is a great deal of evidence that locates spirituality, religion and faith as central elements of an individuals identity. In the case of Jewish people, this suggests that layers of complexity will be evident in any mental health crisis that would not be there otherwise. The history of persecution culminating in the holocaust is, of course, embedded in Jewish consciousness and identity. Mental health social work with second-generation holocaust survivors encompasses such wide-ranging difficulties as hoarding, eating disorders and addiction, all expressions of the legacy of lived experience that continues to affect the fabric of the family and contemporary Jewish society. It is why the charity Jami was set up. Among those Jami works with are the children of traumatised parents, parents who were emotionally cut off, often with very high expectations. Parents could also be anxious and over-protective. Individuals have talked about a sense of aloneness, combined with a conspiracy of silence within families about the holocaust. Parents wanted to protect their children and to forget; children knew not to ask. Little wonder that prolonged persecution, oppression and marginalisation have meant that, when Jewish people experience periods of mental ill-health, withdrawal community in London and the South East. This works alongside statutory and other voluntary organisations to support people to fulfil their potential, maximise selfesteem and progress along the pathway of recovery. The charity operates four wellbeing centres in London staffed by multidisciplinary teams comprising social workers, occupational therapists, wellbeing recovery facilitators, peer supporters and volunteers. The teams work in partnership with service users, families, carers and the community to promote recovery while optimising user involvement. According to the 2011 census, there were 263,346 people who identified as Jewish to the voluntary question on religion, population figures that have been maintained largely because of the rapid growth of the Charedi community. In and around London, for example, there has been significant growth in the Jewish communities of Hackney, Hertsmere and Barnet, which remains the borough with the largest Jewish population. The London wellbeing centres serve very different community groups: Hackney has the most orthodox, whereas Redbridge is more secular. Although there are arguments for and against community- into the Jewish community becomes the norm. Whether one is a religious or secular Jew, religious beliefs and practices can be precious and unique, representing personal and community identity and identification. The Jewish value system is intrinsic to Judaism and it emphasises honesty, justice and compassion. Belief in freedom and dignity, making life meaningful and being part of a community where you can share beliefs, practices and traditions is woven into the fabric of Jewish beliefs, with family life at the core in terms of rituals, festivals and observance. Jami was established in 1989 by parents, relatives and carers of people who had a mental health problem, with the emphasis on providing emotional and social support from within the community itself. It works with people across the range of religious practice and observance from the ultraorthodox (Charedi) community to the secular. The cultural background of service users is varied and includes a sizeable minority from countries outside Europe, including the Middle East, India and Africa. Diversity of background and life experience is held together by a sense of Jewish identity and belonging. In 2013 Jami became responsible for non-residential provision, creating a single mental health service for the Jewish specific services, it is clear that the support provided by Jami, and by its social workers specifically, is embedded in community values and identity. As such, it embodies the vision set out by The College of Social Work in its advice note The Role of the Social Worker in Adult Mental Health Services in terms of the community development and personalisation aspects of social work practice. This social work role is likely to evolve further as the Care Act 2014 comes into effect from 1 April. But social work is already strongly positioned in the charity because it captures many of the principles expected to underpin social work with adults in the future. It is social work that supports the community, focusing on prevention, recovery and social inclusion. More unusually, but no less importantly, it is a service that incorporates Jewish values and supports the role of faith in individual mental health as an intrinsic part of the social work task. Naomi Glickman and Helen Rosen are social workers with Jami. Daisy Bogg is an independent supervisor for Jami and a member of The College of Social Work Professional Assembly. Social work is already strongly positioned in the charity because it captures many of the principles expected to underpin social work with adults in the future "