Preparación de reguladores de crecimiento

Centre 12’s Director and staff were asked to identify their community-based partners. More than half the participants saw public health practitioners as their main partner, and this included community hospitals, sub-district health promotion hospitals and psychologists. This reflection is congruent with Centre 12’s mission, which focuses on “developing the potential of networks both inside and outside the public health system in community mental health services” (Mental Health Centre 15, 2012, p. 2). The Centre provided many training workshops and met with public health practitioners regularly for 6 years during 2005–2011. Academics, special interest groups, NGOs, local government, and community partners were also identified as partners by about half the Centre staff. However, these relationships were different from that of the training relationship with public health practitioners because the other groups mainly share information and resources with the Centre. Finally, media networks were also mentioned by the Director and a senior staff member as partners in promoting Centre 12 and mental health issues with the public.

157 5.3.1.1 Public health practitioners

Seven staff members said without hesitation that public health practitioners were their main partner. Centre 12’s role as a knowledge provider for public health practitioners was summarised by a clinical psychologist who had worked at the community hospital for several years as: “Their duty is treatment; our duty is providing them knowledge” (Staff no. 11).

Interviews also show that the Centre staff perceived themselves as trainers, and the public health practitioners were trained by them. The categories of health practitioners include community hospitals, sub-district health promotion hospitals and psychologists. Those three health sectors are under the jurisdiction of the Provincial Public Health Offices. As a result, two staff who have worked as public health technical officers saw the Provincial Public Health Office as one of Centre 12’s partner groups because the office has facilitated coordination with public health practitioners.

This quotation shows the nature of the perceived partnership:

In general, we did not contact the Provincial Public Health Office except when we had the relevant situations or cases. Sometimes we have asked for their help such as when we organized training workshops for health staff. However, if we have some interesting projects such as a scholarship for staff in the area or some project which will benefit both of us, we will tell them. Besides, when we have produced some useful media, we will give it to them and if they want any support, they will just coordinate with the Centre. (Staff no. 5)

5.3.1.2 Academics, special interest groups and NGOs

Academics, special interest groups and NGOs were mentioned as partner groups by the Director and three other participants who worked with the Centre since it was set up. Interviewees also identified specific people in this group and their important role as information sources, such as “We work with The Deep South Coordination Centre, Miss X, Y, and Z [name are withheld for ethical reasons], they worked on database and women issue” (Staff no. 9).The Director also said “Miss Y and Z [names are withheld for ethical reasons] are NGOs who help us especially on training programmes for the 74 psychologists”.

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The staff’s reflections on partner groups appeared related to their work experiences. Staff who had worked with the Centre for more than 3 years thought of people and groups outside the health sector while staff who worked for less than 3 years mostly talked about public health staff. This might be because the more experienced staff had participated with the Rehabilitation Sub-Committee which combined the various groups who have worked with Centre 12.

5.3.1.3 Community partners

One new staff member with several years of experience working in the community hospital thought of community leaders and religious leaders as partner groups. Her view of partnership as networks was based on her previous experience working closely with the communities:

Community leaders and religious leaders are the important networks, especially when we want to go to the area. We will tell them before going and sometimes we went together for home visiting. (Staff no. 4)

It is interesting to note that in section 4.8.3.1 community leaders and religious leaders were described by several other staff as mental health deliverers (helper groups) rather than partners. They were also perceived as people who could help to reduce suspicion when the Centre staff undertook home visiting, as is indicated in the excerpt above.

5.3.1.4 Media networks

A different perspective on partnership was provided by Centre 12’s Director and a senior staff member who, when asked about partners, spoke about working with radio.

We are strong in collaborating with media networks. We could see the overall picture of mental health work which was not restricted to only public health officers or hospital staff. We found that mental health messages could be disseminated by many groups especially radio producers… When the Centre was set up we had budgets for mental health promotion and we funded a radio station to promote our Centre. It was effective because people here could remember us and knew about our functions. (The Director)

Based on Centre 12 interviews, five people representing four partner groups were selected for interviews. The rest of this section reports on these interviews and provides

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an insight into how the partner groups see their role and includes two case stories, one on the power of community partnership, the other on the power of community participation.

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Table 5.4 The five partner group representatives’ background and work experience

Participant No.

Representative of Work experience

1 Academic research sector: The Director of the Deep South Coordination Centre (DSCC)

Director, Assist Prof Dr Metta Kuning, has a solid background in statistics. Currently a lecturer in the Department of Mathematics and Computer

Science, Faculty of Science and Technology, Prince of Songkla University in Pattani province.

DSCC’s main role is database management. Also

works on home visiting and empowering people affected by the violence, especially widows.

2 and 3 Special interest group: Two volunteers of Brahma Kumaris Foundation

Works on inner spiritual development

Working in the Deep South Coordination Centre (DSCC) which focuses on building community strength and disseminating their knowledge about spiritual development, thinking positively, and living together with respect, to public health practitioners through training courses and workshops.

4 The public health practitioner: A staff member of the Provincial Public Health Office

Major role is supporting physical and psychological health systems

Provides budgets, materials, and knowledge for all public health practitioners in the province.

5 Media network: A radio deejay of the National Radio Thailand in the Three Southern Border Provinces

Radio producer and performer with 8 years’ experience in the National Broadcasting Services of Thailand, based in the southern border

provinces.

Major role is a programme director who controls chart shows, broadcast schedules and coordinates with all radio deejays.

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