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Volunteer work with vulnerable persons in the community: a qualitative study of social inclusion
- Authors:
- KRUITHOF Kasper, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Social Work, 21(4), 2021, pp.696-712.
- Publisher:
- Sage
Summary: Performing work is regarded as a key factor in the social inclusion of vulnerable persons. However, such social inclusion appears to be problematic in both mainstream and segregated settings. We aimed to examine whether volunteer work in integrated settings could be a suitable alternative. In a case study, we interviewed 13 vulnerable persons who were enabled—through a “Quarter Making” intervention—to perform volunteer work in a community setting. Data were analyzed using concepts from social epidemiology and social sciences. Findings: Participation in the community gave respondents structure, and made them feel useful, meaningful, and proud, as well as a useful interconnected part of society. Interpersonal relationships provided them with superficial but meaningful contacts in the community, and helped them to transcend their social group, and—sometimes—build friendships. These experiences of improved social inclusion resulted in respondents reporting better mental health and wellbeing, and speaking in terms of feeling more normal and—sometimes—in terms of recovery. Applications: To improve the social inclusion of vulnerable persons, performing volunteer work in integrated settings could be a suitable alternative for mainstream work or work in segregated settings. Interventions aimed at matching vulnerable persons to integrated settings, like Quarter Making, should preferably find a balance between creating bridging capital, to allow vulnerable persons to connect to “the normal world,” and offering bonding capital, to give them a safe place where they can “learn and relearn” to deal with the demands of modern society. (Edited publisher abstract)
“Always trying to walk a bit of a tightrope”: the role of social care staff in supporting adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to develop and maintain loving relationships
- Authors:
- BATES Claire, et al
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 48(4), 2020, pp.261-268.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Background: People with intellectual and developmental disabilities face challenges in developing and maintaining intimate relationships, frequently requiring support from staff. Method: Focus groups were conducted with 26 social care staff members to explore the support they provided to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to find a potential partner and/or develop an existing relationship. Results: Staff reported that many people with intellectual and developmental disabilities wanted to be in a relationship and that they did what they could to facilitate this, sometimes providing substantial support. Some staff had to address complex issues relating to sexuality, often with no training and with a lack of clear organisational policies. Conclusion: The need for external inspection and regulatory bodies to prioritise relationship support is emphasised. (Edited publisher abstract)
Victims with mild intellectual disabilities in the criminal justice system
- Authors:
- SPAAN Nienke A., KAAL Hendrien L.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Social Work, 19(1), 2019, pp.60-82.
- Publisher:
- Sage
Summary: People with mild intellectual disabilities are more vulnerable to become victims of crime. Victims with intellectual disabilities can face attitudinal, procedural and practical barriers within the justice system. This exploratory study looked at obstacles encountered by victims of crime with mild intellectual disabilities in effectuating their rights, their vulnerability to secondary victimization and ways to support them. In 2014, 35 respondents from across the Dutch justice system and 10 respondents with mild intellectual disabilities-expertise were interviewed. Inductive and deductive content analysis was carried out. Resonance of findings was checked in an expert meeting. Findings: Three major problems were identified: (1) victims’ incomprehension about the process and the proceedings; (2) victims’ difficulty meeting system requirements and expectations; and (3) impact of prejudices concerning mild intellectual disabilities. A system adequately set up to deal with victims with mild intellectual disabilities could ease these difficulties. However, additional problems were identified, namely: (1) limited recognition of mild intellectual disabilities; (2) insufficient knowledge and understanding of consequences of mild intellectual disabilities; (3) issues related to accessing and accepting support; (4) communication unsuited for victims’ reading and comprehension-level. These problems influence the ability of victims with mild intellectual disabilities to effectuate their rights and increases risk of secondary victimization. Applications: Besides the importance of these findings for policymakers, results are of importance for all those working with victims or with people with mild intellectual disabilities. Individually tailored forms of support are required to overcome the identified problems. Awareness of the barriers that victims with mild intellectual disabilities may encounter will aid providing adequate support for victims with mild intellectual disabilities to exercise their rights and protect against secondary victimization. (Publisher abstract)
The role of the Court of Protection in safeguarding
- Authors:
- KEENE Alex Ruck, STRICKLIN-COUTINHO Kelly, GILFILLAN Henry
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Adult Protection, 17(6), 2015, pp.380-390.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to outline how questions relating to capacity arise in the context of safeguarding, and when applications to the Court of Protection are required in relation to those who may lack capacity. It also seeks to provide guidance as to how applications to the Court of Protection should be made so as to ensure that they are determined effectively and in a proportionate fashion. Design/methodology/approach: The paper draws on the practical experience of practising barristers appearing before the Court of Protection, and on the experience of a social worker who is an MCA/DOLS lead at a London local authority. The paper proceeds by way of a review of the relevant statutory provisions, an overview of the Court of Protection and then to a practical analysis of when and how applications to the Court need to be made. Findings: When to go to the Court of Protection in the safeguarding context is poorly understood, and there has not been proper recognition of the fact that proceedings for “adult care orders” have a strong forensic analogy with applications for care orders in relation to children. It is only by recognising these forensic similarities that local authorities can properly make use of the Court of Protection in the discharge of their obligations to vulnerable adults in their area. Practical implications: The paper should lead to a recognition that there is a specialist “adult protection court” within the Court of Protection, and that applications for adult care orders to that court require specific and careful preparation and presentation. It will therefore lead to better use of the Court of Protection in the safeguarding context and – ultimately – a better balance between empowerment and protection of vulnerable adults who may lack capacity. Originality/value: The paper is original in combining both legal and social work expertise to reach practical conclusions as to why such poor use has been made of the Court of Protection in safeguarding context. Its value lies in the deployment of that expertise to suggest how better use can be made in the future. (Publisher abstract)
Identifying the extent of challenging behaviour in adult learning disability services
- Authors:
- HAYDEN Carol, STEVENS Martin
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Social Work, 34(6), September 2004, pp.811-829.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
This article presents one part of the findings of an ongoing study that set out to investigate and explain the extent of challenging behaviour in twenty-one social service run day and residential services in one large county authority in England. This part of the study reports on staff perceptions of problematic behaviour from service users. It uses staff reports of levels of problematic behaviour as indicative of potentially challenging behaviour. The study uses an adapted version of an established instrument, the BPI (Behaviour Problems Inventory), as a survey tool completed by staff for all service users in a one-month period (January 2000). The findings of this exercise are based on 1,390 service users, near to a census at the time of the survey. The study shows ‘non-compliance’ to be the most problematic and prevalent behaviour from the point of view of staff. Overall the research illustrates a split between the majority of service users who present staff with problematic behaviour in a relatively minor to moderate way and a small group of individuals (less than 2 per cent) who present much more extreme behaviour. Brief reference is made to other data collected in the study when it helps in the interpretation of the behaviour patterns identified by the BPI.
Understanding care, welfare and community: a reader
- Editors:
- BYTHEWAY Bill, et al
- Publisher:
- Routledge
- Publication year:
- 2002
- Pagination:
- 374p.,bibliogs.
- Place of publication:
- London
Care, welfare and community are three key concepts in contemporary social policy. This reader covers a wide range of topics associated with them and relevant to the delivery of care and support to adults. Groups covered include people with mental health problems, homeless people, older people, people with learning difficulties and people with impairments. The focus throughout is on how policies and practice can be developed appropriately and sensitively through an understanding of current issues.
The nature of gambling-related harms for adults at risk: a review
- Authors:
- BRAMLEY Stephanie, NORRIE Caroline, MANTHORPE Jill
- Publisher:
- King's College London. Social Care Workforce Research Unit
- Publication year:
- 2017
- Pagination:
- 64
- Place of publication:
- London
This scoping review looks at the prevalence of gambling-related harm affecting people described as adults at risk, including people with dementia, people with mental health problems, people with learning disabilities and other cognitive impairments. The review includes literature on the risks from regulated gambling; the risk of harm from scams and fake lotteries; and where gambling is cited as explanation among perpetrators for causing neglect or abuse to vulnerable adults. The first section sets the context for the review, and looks at the prevalence of problem gambling, defining gambling related harm and the challenges of protecting vulnerable people from harm while allowing gambling to take place in local communities. The second section presents the review methodology and key findings. The review focuses on four areas to examine extent to which gambling is a safeguarding issue for those working in social care and for local authority adult services: the evidence of gambling participation among adults at risk; the impact of gambling participation for adults at risk; evidence that perpetrators of abuse against adults at risk are committing these acts or crimes to fund gambling addictions; and how social work and adult safeguarding teams manage gambling related harm. (Edited publisher abstract)
Working with women with a learning disability experiencing domestic abuse: how social workers can negotiate competing definitions of risk
- Authors:
- DIXON Jeremy, ROBB Megan
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Social Work, 46(3), 2016, pp.773-788.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Women with a learning disability who experience domestic abuse receive intervention from both social services and the police. Responses from these services have increasingly become focused on notions of risk. This article uses governmentality theory to examine how risk is understood and managed by both services through a focus on policy and practice. The article examines how policy directs social workers to promote positive risk taking whilst assessing and managing risk for those deemed vulnerable or lacking mental capacity to self-protect. It is argued that, whilst social work decision making around risk has primarily been based on the judgement of individual workers, the police have increasingly adopted assessments utilising calculative measures. In addition, the article explores the extent to which these women are treated as autonomous agents responsible for managing their own risk. It is argued that social workers and the police should adopt a common screening process to highlight groups of women who may be at risk of abuse. In addition, social workers should draw on their interpersonal skills to enable women with a learning disability to recognise and make informed choices about abuse. (Publisher abstract)
Social work practice with adults
- Authors:
- GALPIN Diane, BATES Natalie
- Publisher:
- Learning Matters
- Publication year:
- 2009
- Pagination:
- 124p., bibliog.
- Place of publication:
- Exeter
Based on the direct experience of social work practitioners, this book has the specific aim of providing a critical and analytical exploration of contemporary issues in social work with adults. Each chapter is written by an expert in the field and they cover; personalisation: from consumer rights to human rights, working with older people: managing risk and promoting interdependence, the rising profile of informal care: modernisation and the future of carers’ services, assessment and practice in learning disability services, direct payments and older people: developing a framework for practice, transformation: a future for social work practice? The book forms part of a series of texts written to support social workers studying for post qualifying awards. All are practical in their approach and link directly to the national occupational standards and the General Social Care Council requirements for Post Qualifying Social Work education. This book is also expected to be a useful resource for those completing the Consolidation and Preparation for Specialist Practice (CPSP) programmes.
Social work practice and intellectual disability
- Authors:
- BIGBY Christine, FRAWLEY Patsie
- Publisher:
- Palgrave Macmillan
- Publication year:
- 2010
- Pagination:
- 238p., bibliog.
- Place of publication:
- Basingstoke
Provides an understanding of the knowledge, values and skills required for effective practice in the field of learning disability and the opportunity for multidisciplinary collaboration for social change. The book focuses on adults with learning disabilities and their families. Topics include: the changing definitions of learning disability; theory and practice of working with adults with learning disabilities and their families; assessment, planning, monitoring and review; social inclusion and participation. Includes numerous case studies and discussion points.