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Prevention in integrated children's services: the impact of Sure Start on referrals to social services and child protection registrations
- Authors:
- CARPENTER John, BROWN Sharon, GRIFFIN Michaela
- Journal article citation:
- Child Abuse Review, 16(1), January 2007, pp.17-31.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Every Child Matters, the English government's plans for integrated children's services, proposed that preventative approaches such as those developed through Sure Start should be able to reduce the numbers of children requiring more intensive support from children's social services and, by implication, the numbers of children on the child protection register. This study examined the impact of Sure Start local programmes (SSLPs) on four local authorities with social services responsibilities in the northeast of England. The researchers analysed routinely collected statistical data concerning over 10,000 referrals of children under four years and over 1,600 child protection registrations (CPRs) in an eight-year period before and after the introduction of 19 SSLPs. They also analysed interviews with 36 key informants in eight case study SSLP areas. Contrary to expectations, the quantitative data revealed no discernable short-term effect on the numbers of referrals, or on CPRs. Interview data showed broad agreement on the potential impact of preventative work undertaken by SSLPs and many respondents believed that it was too early to draw conclusions. Alternatively, the universal approach to prevention within the Sure Start areas and the attempts to provide non-stigmatising and non-intrusive community-based services may be ineffective in reducing the need for intensive support for at risk families. The findings are discussed in relation to targeted prevention programmes and government policy intentions.
Working in multidisciplinary Community Mental Health Teams: the impact on social workers and health professionals of Integrated mental health care
- Authors:
- CARPENTER John, et al
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Social Work, 33(8), December 2003, pp.1081-1103.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
This study investigated the relationships between the organization of community mental health services and professional and team identification, team functioning and the psychological well-being and job satisfaction of staff working in multidisciplinary community mental health teams (CMHTs). Staff in four districts in the North of England completed anonymous questionnaires on two occasions, twelve months apart. There were systematic differences in team functioning, favouring teams in districts where mental health and social care services were integrated. However, service organization had no evident impact on professional or team identification or on outcomes for staff in terms of stress or job satisfaction. There were differences between social workers (n = 31) and health service professionals (n = 82) indicating that social workers had poorer perceptions of team functioning and experienced higher levels of role conflict. Controlling for other factors including the study districts, role conflict was a significant predictor of stress and of job dissatisfaction, while role clarity promoted job satisfaction. We conclude that support and supervision aimed at ensuring a social work contribution to multidisciplinary working should be provided in the course of establishing CMHTs and integrated health and social care services.