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Increasingly, the potential of a social marketing approach to tackle complex and challenging health priorities is being realised for black and minority ethnic (BME) groups. Social marketing is the application of marketing concepts and techniques to achieve behavioural goals for social good. For BME groups, which often have worse health outcomes than the general population, social marketing can be an effective method to support targeted interventions for improved health and well‐being and reduced health inequalities. This paper describes some examples of social marketing approaches aimed at improving the health and well‐being of BME communities. The examples show positive outcomes overall and provide some key learning points for future work in this area.

Health inequalities exist between ethnic groups, an important example of this being infant mortality with babies of mothers born in Pakistan having double and babies of mothers born in the Caribbean having 63% higher rates than the national average. West Midlands Ethnic Minority Liaison Committee (WELCOME) and partners organised a conference to arrive at consensus among experts and stakeholders and to make recommendations around reducing infant mortality. One key area discussed, which is often contentious, was cousin marriage: its potential impact on infant and perinatal mortality and what health service response to this should be. Recommendations included: the setting up of a community genetic service in areas with higher risk of recessive disorders as a consequence of cousin marriage; genetic education to the wider public and health professionals; and community engagement, including community and religious leaders. This paper outlines how these recommendations were arrived at, the potential barriers identified in addressing this issue and the process by which service change was achieved with an aim to improve the outcome of infant and perinatal health among groups with higher burdens of genetic disorders in Walsall.

Engaging with people with a learning disability to develop and enhance service provision is central to the ethos of personalisation and citizenship. Despite this there appears to be a lack of research to gather users’ views on how they feel the services meet their unique needs and how these could be improved. A service evaluation was developed to understand service user’s experience of accessing a community forensic service (CFS). The paper aims to discuss these issues.

The questionnaire was conducted by an independent third party experienced in facilitating complex communication, utilising a written format and Widget Rebus symbols. Questions were based on Trust Values, family and friends test and clinical forensic engagement. The samples were service users open to the CFS on 1 July 2014.

Data were gathered from 28 individuals, there was an even spread of ages 17-65. In all, 93 per cent understood what help they needed from the service, there was acknowledgement of who they would go to if they wanted to complain, 100 per cent were happy with how information had been provided, most felt the service was respectful, fair, friendly and they were listened to.

The findings suggest that more needs to be done around understanding and engagement in care planning. There are plans to gather information from direct carers and setting up focus groups to further understand some of the issues and ways forward.

Asking for feedback from people who have offended, some of whom now experience increased restrictions, is fraught with concern and approached with trepidation. However, the responses received contradict the natural instincts. The results showed promising appreciation of the support received in the context of everyday lives and positive risk taking.

As part of an initial needs assessment for a community development project to improve access to health and social care services for new migrants, a local epidemiological profile of new migrants was produced for Walsall in the West Midlands. Data were compiled from Office for National Statistics estimates of international migration, National Insurance Number applications from overseas nationals, ‘Flag 4’ GP registrations by new immigrants, United Kingdom Border Agency asylum bulletins, and Citizens Advice Bureau immigration queries. It is estimated that there has been a steady influx of between 800 and 1,400 new migrants per year into Walsall. The majority are young adults from Asia and Eastern Europe, and are living in the southern part of the borough. This information needs to be updated regularly, shared with relevant partners and used to inform commissioning decisions.

Race, religion and culture have been issues in a number of high profile public enquires, but there is little advice to black and minority ethnic (BME) communities about ways to help safeguard children. In Walsall, the Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) worked with Muslim organisations to raise awareness on safeguarding local children. The Madressah Project focused on places where large numbers of Muslim children went each day for religious education.The aims of the Madressah project were:• to provide information and guidance to parents, carers and Mosques/Madressahs on ensuring the safety of their children• to advise Madressahs on their legal obligations• to provide advice on safe recruitment• to provide child protection training to the Mosques/Madressahs.The project resulted in an action plan and Good Practice Guide. The Guide attracted wide interest from inspectorates and other local authorities resulting in Walsall providing advice and guidance to others looking to improve practice and provide safe environments for children irrespective of race, ethnicity or culture.

In most jurisdictions a suspect has the right to remain silent during criminal proceedings and he cannot be penalised for making false statements. This is loosely known as the ‘ban on self incrimination’ and is regarded as an important factor in due process protection of individuals subject to criminal proceedings. The right to silence applies only to the stage of criminal proceedings, and up to date it has surprisingly not been seriously debated. A criminal may have caused individuals and society major loss, damage or suffering; in principle one would expect that he would be obliged to assist in the clearing‐up of the case, particularly if this could ameliorate or repair the negative consequences of the crime. But this is not the way it is looked at. The suspect is under pressure, and must not be faced with the choice of lying or confessing.

Research reveals alarming results on the prevalence of the dishonest consumer behaviour known as deshopping. Deshopping is the “deliberate return of goods for reasons other than actual faults in the product, in its pure form premeditated prior to and during the consumption experience”. In effect this means buying something with no intention of keeping it. The authors consider the implications of deshopping and retailers’ prevention of deshopping, exploring the research undertaken to date and the methodology for further research.

In their income inequality theory (IIT), Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett posit that income inequality is at the heart of social “ills”. However, their critics argue that the hypothesis is biased and that “cherry picking” is used and support for the IIT is obtained by selecting a suitable sample of countries. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

With a sample of 127 countries, the authors study to what extent the correlation between income inequality and social “ills” varies among countries sampled by geography, religion and income level.

The results of the analysis show that the strength and sometimes the direction of connections between inequality and social “ills” vary according to countries’ cultural background and historical legacies. The IIT is not a universal law. However, it is on a firmer footing than competing explanations.

The results contribute both to material and methodological debate on consequences of income inequality.

With an estimated over 40 million Internet users all over the world, things that once happened only in “real life” are starting to occur in this virtual world. This Internet, just like the physical world, cannot rely on laws alone to keep order. The rules that regulate behavior, the policies for what is acceptable and the laws that pertain to activities have developed and will continue to emerge over time. However, conflicts of interest are inevitable and wherever conflict occurs, the government will regulate on matters including e‐mail, data theft, piracy, search and seizure, electronic banking, offensive behavior, and other legal liability issues.