Definition problems for Gypsies/Travellers/Showmen

problems. However, there may be structural reasons why people available and willing to be interviewed could have poorer health, with the exception of those who were acutely ill. On the other hand, compared to those who live in or spend time in areas that are not served by specialist health care professionals, our sample probably had better access to health care provision and hence potentially better treatment. This suggests the opposite bias, although the nomadic nature of our sample means that many will have lived in areas that are less well served. In any case, alternative procedures for gaining access to the study population would, in our judgement, have created even more problems with representativeness. For example, primary contact through Traveller education would tend to exclude men and the elderly, and would be sporadically unavailable – although we did use this as a secondary source. Attempting to contact the sample without trusted intermediaries would have resulted in very severe problems. On balance, for policy purposes, the results do not overestimate health difficulties and problems with access to services for the population as a whole.

Gypsy and Traveller Welfare – How can Supporting People help? 84. Gypsies and Travellers are of course one of the categories of people regarded as “vulnerable” in the context of the Supporting People programme. In general terms, the range of housing-related support traditionally funded by Supporting People for vulnerable people can be equally necessary for site-based Gypsies and Travellers, in particular where problems of illiteracy and a traditional wariness of outsiders is involved, for example in the interface dealings with state, local authority and agency providers. For example:

■ the facilities at some sites were out of order, with broken standpipes, unusable amenity blocks, and other problems, such as rat infestations. One of the local authority sites we visited was three miles from the town centre. It had become run down and was in a poor state of repair. This was partly because the number of residents had increased, following the closure of a large, unauthorised encampment. The site had no suitable pedestrian access and was poorly served by public transport. It had few facilities for children and had seen management problems, with the relationship between the site warden and residents of the site particularly fraught. There had also been tensions between youths from the site and other residents in the wider community, particularly farmers and passing motorists, who claimed that objects had been thrown at their cars. The incidents had been reported in the local press, and had exacerbated local feeling.

Respondents acknowledged the risks of engaging in unhealthy lifestyle behaviours recognising risky lifestyle behaviours and the need to address these in order to reduce illness and death in their communities. They lived with illness on a daily basis and made the link between risky behaviours and unhealthy outcome. However, the strategies they promoted to manage these risks potentially placed them at even greater risk for two reasons. They failed to access healthcare in response to symptoms and they relied on their own community members to diagnose, provide advice and treat health problems. Managing risks in this way had the potential to perpetuate ill health rather than prevent or ameliorate it. Gypsies and Travellers effectively became agents in the creation and continuance of risky behaviours and ill health. However, in promoting these risk management strategies they could be seen to act to preserve their cultural integrity and reduce the risks associated with contact with outsiders, whom they did not trust.

4.6 Although local authorities have a duty to serve an abatement notice once satisfied that a statutory nuisance exists or is likely to occur or recur, section 80(2A) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 enables a local authority to defer serving an abatement notice for up to seven days to take such other steps as it thinks appropriate for the purpose of persuading a noise maker to prohibit or restrict the nuisance, which may include mediation. Because mediation can take place quickly, soon after the problem has been identified, it can prevent problems escalating to a point where relationships between neighbours are damaged. Introducing legal proceedings can exacerbate a situation which polarises parties and drives them further apart. Mediation is also useful in tackling problems that are not amenable to legal remedy and where the noise complaint is symptomatic of wider issues between neighbours.

“It’s important, but sometimes they won’t have the parts…it’s fine if they have to come back again with the right parts.” 2.47. Nevertheless, a number of interviewees felt that resolving queries quickly and effectively is a priority across all landlord services. The greatest priority appeared to be assigned to response to repairs, with reference made to the inconvenience and anxiety caused by problems in response to repairs requests. Comments here also reflected views discussed earlier in this section that the key priority for Gypsies/Travellers is the provision of good condition pitch space and related amenities. Interviewees also suggested that, consistent with views on the speed of response from landlords, resolving issues effectively was a particular priority for families with children and others where repair issues can impact on health and quality of life.

The current evidence base is limited. Compared with settled housing, there is far more literature focused upon nomadic forms of living arrangements and its health and wellbeing outcomes. Much of it assumes a qualitative approach, based upon research with small theoretical/convenience samples. This is unsurprising given that Gypsies and Travellers often fall under the category of ‘hard to reach’ and are not necessarily amenable to inclusion within larger samples. Nevertheless, much of the existing literature is in-depth and rich in detail as a result, and does not seek to generalise the experiences of participants. Generally, the evidence base defined and used health in its positive sense that proceeded beyond absence of disease to encompass a broad definition which includes, for example, physical, social and psychological wellbeing (La Placa et al., 2013) but which also avoided reducing it to a purely individual phenomenon by consideration of how health and wellbeing are constructed contextually. Health and wellbeing were theorised as situational and relational as opposed to traditional explanations based upon stable and measureable categories (McNaught, 2011; La Placa and Knight, 2014a, 2014b). The literature identified concentrated mostly on British or English Gypsies (Romanichals) and Irish Travellers. Only one source, that of Berlin (2015), compared two samples: one sample comprised Roma migrants living in Finland, and another, English Gypsies/Irish Travellers living in the UK. 3. Results

5. What people wanted People who took part were asked what kind of help they would like. The responses covered a range of areas; people did not just want specific help with stress, depression and nerves. Some people wanted support in their own homes and help with practical things like dealing with forms and other paperwork, and getting access to adult education and literacy classes. Some people also said they wanted help to get their children into school and to cope with them when they felt unwell. Some people wanted more intensive support for problems, for example, help to stop drinking.

The draft text for consultation added Travellers who do not meet the definition within the Traveller planning policy to the list of those groups whose need for homes should be identified: 61. In determining the minimum number of homes needed, strategic plans should be based upon a local housing need assessment, conducted using the standard method in national planning guidance – unless there are exceptional circumstances that justify an alternative approach which also reflects current and future demographic trends and market signals. In establishing this figure, any needs that cannot be met within neighbouring areas should also be taken into account.

The draft text for consultation added Travellers who do not meet the definition within the Traveller planning policy to the list of those groups whose need for homes should be identified: 61. In determining the minimum number of homes needed, strategic plans should be based upon a local housing need assessment, conducted using the standard method in national planning guidance – unless there are exceptional circumstances that justify an alternative approach which also reflects current and future demographic trends and market signals. In establishing this figure, any needs that cannot be met within neighbouring areas should also be taken into account.

It has been noted that spatial concentrations of specific ethnic minorities can bring important social and cultural benefits to those populations, most noticeably informal social support systems that help residents cope with social exclusion, racism and prejudice (Bauder, 2002). In all of our study locations the presence of other Gypsies and Travellers in the neighbourhood served to mitigate some of the problems outlined above, by reproducing traditional communities and social networks through which distinct cultural identities, within the context of the local communities, are maintained. For women in particular, access to networks of support could assist in alleviating isolation as well as offering practical support with child care or assistance with looking after aged or ill relatives. A frequent theme concerned the protection of having other community members in close proximity.

husband had given an excellent training session for Westborough councillors for virtually no fee. It transpired that she, like the others had health problems, for which she received hospital treatment. She also had had several tragedies in her family. I first heard Siobhan at a national conference and subsequently met her at similar conferences. I also met her on several occasions at WNTF. During a long conversation over lunch at an ITM conference, I asked her if we could talk about education as I was doing research into literacy. She agreed and we arranged that I would visit her in the city in which she then lived, as she had separated from her husband a few months previously and had to leave the family site. The interview took place on January 27 2009 in her flat near the city centre. The flat was small and very tidy. China was on the shelves and the net curtains in the windows were hung in the style I had seen in mobile homes. I recorded the interview which lasted four hours during which she made me tea and sandwiches.

husband had given an excellent training session for Westborough councillors for virtually no fee. It transpired that she, like the others had health problems, for which she received hospital treatment. She also had had several tragedies in her family. I first heard Siobhan at a national conference and subsequently met her at similar conferences. I also met her on several occasions at WNTF. During a long conversation over lunch at an ITM conference, I asked her if we could talk about education as I was doing research into literacy. She agreed and we arranged that I would visit her in the city in which she then lived, as she had separated from her husband a few months previously and had to leave the family site. The interview took place on January 27 2009 in her flat near the city centre. The flat was small and very tidy. China was on the shelves and the net curtains in the windows were hung in the style I had seen in mobile homes. I recorded the interview which lasted four hours during which she made me tea and sandwiches.

sexualised behaviour with someone other than one‟s husband is seen as shameful within traditional Gypsy and Traveller communities. Walk in Health Centre waiting rooms are often frequented by homeless young men with alcohol and drug problems and mental health problems, which can be very daunting and uncomfortable for Gypsy and Traveller girls and women. Many young women from strict and traditional Gypsy and Traveller families do not spend time with young men outside of their family without a chaperone. Therefore, such women and girls are less likely to be exposed to men with mental health problems who may also have drug and alcohol problems and thus may be intimated or

The following obituary of a leading Gypsy politician appeared in The Times 14.11.05. “Charles Smith Gypsy activist, poet, and film-maker, he once ran a successful antiques business. Charles Smith, who has died of cancer aged 49, was one of the leading English Romani community activists of his generation, chair of the Gypsy Council and, since April 2004, a commissioner of the Commission for Racial Equality. An activist in his own ethnic community, he was also a tough, pragmatic local politician. Living on a residential caravan site in Essex, which included both Gypsies and non-Gypsies, he fought Castle Point borough's claims that they had no Gypsies, and then was himself elected a Labour councillor for eight years. He served as mayor in 2002-03.”

Parry et al. (2004) found that the health impacts of residence in housing were profound, with travelling acting as a protective factor in terms of both physical and mental health. In contrast, Gypsies and Travellers living in housing, who rarely travelled, had the worst health status of all groups, reporting the highest levels of anxiety. Numerous GTAAs have reported housed Gypsies and Travellers experiencing hostility from neighbours. For children, the regularity of experiences of racist abuse, when coupled to a lack of positive images of Gypsies and Travellers, can lead to negative self-image and fear of revealing their ethnicity. The Ormiston Trust Children’s Voices research (2006, p. 3) indicated that ‘for those living in houses a lack of safety often meant exposure to racism from neighbours. Indeed houses were the type of accommodation where children felt they were most likely to experience racism.’

Residential concentrations of housed Gypsies and Travellers were identified in all of the study areas, with some estates containing 40-50 per cent Gypsy/Traveller households. In some cases this was a result of local authority approaches to managing nomadic communities by moving them en masse into newly built council accommodation following mass evictions or site closures. Another mechanism behind residential enclaves was through an active and conscious approach to the housing allocation system. As priority is given to those with existing family connections in an area, respondents often applied to be housed on estates where a network of relatives were in close proximity. Access to informal sources of knowledge have also allowed for a significant degree of movement within housing. A trend of frequent movement between houses was identified as participants exchanged premises through complex networks of carefully planned transfers until they were able to settle closer to their family and wider support system. As one respondent observed

communities, although this is anecdotal and needs further investigation. Goward et al. (2006) explored the nature of the mental health needs of Gypsy and Traveller communities in Sheffield and how well local services met those needs. The study concluded that a more ‘ joined-up ’ approach to working is required, and that services need to work across boundaries to begin to address the social and economic factors that contribute to the distress of these communities. Providing a comprehensive service at this time would also improve the communication and levels of consistency between primary and secondary health care services. Goward et al. also suggested that education, information and training were required to reduce discrimination and increase existing support to meet the mental health needs of Gypsies and Travellers.

Gypsies and Travellers face disadvantage and discrimination in almost every walk of life. The lack of adequate data at national and local levels means that there is no accurate picture of the discrimination and disadvantage that exists. A lot of emphasis in terms of improving site provision and facilities has been based on the perception that the numbers of Gypies and Travellers need to be known before any progress can be made. However, at the present time the system of monitoring does not give an accurate count. Not only is it difficult to determine how many

breastfeeding, without giving the necessary help to mothers to make it work. With regard to formula feeding it appeared that health professionals frequently spoke individually to bottle feeding mothers about how to make up a feed correctly, and how to sterilise bottles, which is agreed to be best practice (NICE 2008). A small number of mothers mentioned the health risks of formula feeding but most, including many Roma mothers saw formula milk as a highly acceptable alternative, and did not appear to have received information about any risks of formula feeding from health professionals. Irish Traveller and English Gypsy mothers required little assistance from health professionals as they invariably had previous experience of formula feeding and their families were experts in bottle feeding. However, this meant that old fashioned and harmful practices such as adding solid foods to the bottle at an early age, particularly among Irish Travellers, were continued with many appearing unaware of any adverse health risks. As other studies have shown having a ‘settled’