The Two Way Street (TTWS) is a Black African and Caribbean Mental Health Social Firm in Bristol. Run and managed on a day to day basis by professional individuals with a desire to improve mental health services for all in the Bristol area with the focus on the Black and African Caribbean community.

The company has developed over the last few years from a single person vision to a new and exciting company offering services for the local community and guidance and education for providers in cultural sensitivity and service redesign.

The Two Way Street's overall aims are to take up Black African Caribbean service users and carers concerns about the delivery of mental health services direct to those with the power to make positive change. They aim to share high quality information with service users and carers, and to be local point and access and support for the Black African Caribbean communities in Bristol.

Improving the knowledge of individuals leads to them feeling empowered and more in control of their lives, enabling them to take their own life in the direction they wish it to go.

Rachel Barclay, the Executive Director, explains that the strength of 'The Two Way Street' is that "A key ethos of The Two Way Street is to empower people and contribute to aiding and sustaining their personal recovery from mental distress".

The Two Way Street offers a service for Black individuals "needing a voice". A key part of the work is creating opportunities for Black African Caribbean service users to give feedback about their experience of using mental health services, to be heard, listened to and see change as a result. Volunteering and potential employment opportunities are increasing as the capacity of the company increase to meet the demand that is being requested of TTWS.

TTWS offers a unique service to Black African and Caribbean people, dealing with the local issues of over representation of this group in mental health services and the criminal justice system. The service users also deliver cultural awareness sessions to mental health staff and have contributed to commissioning consultations thus allowing input into informing local health service providers on how best delivering services from the grass roots.

TTWS offers a fresh and exciting approach to issues that can be traditionally challenging and difficult to address.

COMMUNITY SESSIONS ARE PLANNED AND EXCITING NEWS OF THESE DEVELOPMENTS WILL BE POSTED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

Fun and enjoyment is central to the way we deliver training and support.