Search results for ‘Subject term:"mental health problems"’ Sort:
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Assisting those with mental health problems into employment
- Author:
- INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN SOCIAL SERVICES
- Publisher:
- Institute for Research and Innovation in Social Services
- Publication year:
- 2010
- Pagination:
- 6p.
- Place of publication:
- Glasgow
One of a series of briefings providing practice-oriented summaries of published evidence, this Insight focuses on helping those with mental health problems into employment. The briefing provides an overview of the current policy context in Scotland and barriers to employment, before summarising recent research evidence. Models and approaches discussed include vocational training, supported employment, and one specific form of supported employment, Individual Placement and Support (ISP). Recommendations for practice are then highlighted.
Blue remembered skills: mental health awareness training for police officers
- Authors:
- CUMMINGS Ian, JONES Stuart
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Adult Protection, 12(3), August 2010, pp.14-19.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Police officers can have a key role to play in situations where individuals are experiencing some sort of crisis relating to their mental health. Despite the fact that this is a very important facet of day to day police work, it is an area that is neglected in police training. The Bradley Report has raised a number of important questions regarding the treatment of individuals who are experiencing mental health problems and find themselves in the criminal justice system. One of the key recommendations is that professional staff working across criminal justice organisations should receive increased training in this area. This paper outlines two approaches to the training of police officers in the mental health field. The first is a joint working initiative between Hywel NHS Trust and Dyfed Powys Police. In this training, all student officers receive 2 days training in first aid in mental health, and spend 4 days at the acute psychiatric unit where they become personally involved in the care of individuals who are experiencing acute distress. The second approach comprised a classroom-based training course directed at custody sergeants. The article goes on to consider the most effective models of training for police officers.
First aid for the mind
- Author:
- DUNNING Jeremy
- Journal article citation:
- Community Care, 25.2.10, 2010, p.28.
- Publisher:
- Reed Business Information
Mental health first aid courses are being promoted across the UK to equip the public to provide immediate help to people in distress. The 12-hour courses, first developed in Australia, aim to equip lay people to intervene early when a problem is detected.
Leading from the front: putting the people back into people management
- Author:
- LOCKETT Helen
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Leadership in Public Services, 6(3), September 2010, pp.48-52.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Mental health conditions, such as depression or anxiety, are common in the working population. This article suggests that every organisation should have a comprehensive strategy that promotes mental health, provides effective return to work support and proactively responds to mental ill health in the workplace at an early stage. The article describes the scale of the issue and draws on leadership research to explore how this could be used in the workplace to build a culture able to respond to and manage mental health effectively at work. It outlines how the Centre for Mental Health has addressed some of these issues by working with the Australian charity, beyondblue: the national depression initiative. The Centre has made beyondblue's highly successful National Workplace Programme available in the UK in order to build management competencies so that managers have the skills and knowledge to act.
How to support peer support: evaluating the first steps in a healthcare community
- Authors:
- LEY Ann, ROBERTS Glenn, WILLIS Dawn
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Public Mental Health, 9(1), March 2010, pp.16-25.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
The value of peer support for people with mental health issues is increasingly recognised. This study evaluates a training programme introducing intentional peer support (IPS) to those using mental health services. IPS is distinguished from other peer support by its four essential features: connection, worldview, mutuality, and moving towards. This paper explores participants' initial understandings of peer support, assesses the impact of the course in terms of subsequent peer support activities and gathers reflections about what helped and hindered putting IPS into practice. Thirty people who attended a five-day residential course in Devon were invited to two refresher/follow-up workshops. An independent assessor collected data at the start and end of the residential phase, at two months and at five months. Findings are included for 26 people who provided data on at least two occasions. The course was enthusiastically received and successfully conveyed the fundamentals of IPS. The proportions of people involved in general peer support at the start and end of the evaluation remained similar; at five months 15 people reported involvement in IPS and one had set up a group. Being connected to an existing group or network and maintaining connection with course participants was most helpful in putting IPS into practice. Hindrances included isolation and lack of opportunity. The authors conclude that ongoing support is essential to encourage the post-course development and practice of IPS.
Evaluation of the Scottish Recovery Network
- Authors:
- GRIESBACH Dawn, et al
- Publisher:
- Scotland. Scottish Government Social Research
- Publication year:
- 2010
- Pagination:
- 4p.
- Place of publication:
- Edinburgh
The Scottish Recovery Network (SRN) was set up to promote the concept of recovery and to support mental health services in Scotland in adopting recovery-oriented practices. This briefing presents summary findings of an evaluation of the SRN which assess the effectiveness and impact of the SRN (at a national policy level; at a local level; and at the level of service users), and the extent to which the SRN is providing value for money. Methods included interviews and focus groups with key stakeholders and a review of SRN-related evaluation literature. Four local case studies were also undertaken. The findings are discussed in relation to the four main objectives of the SRN: to raise awareness; to promote understanding and develop an evidence base; to build capacity in communities; and to support practice development. Evaluation participants felt that much progress had been made in the area of recovery in Scotland, but was not yet fully embedded into practice. Selected recommendations are also listed.
Using a simulation exercise to develop staff competence in a specialist inpatient service
- Authors:
- HARDY Steve, CHAPLIN Eddie
- Journal article citation:
- Advances in Mental Health and Intellectual Disabilities, 4(4), December 2010, pp.35-39.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
This case report provides a description of a simulation exercise as part of the induction programme for a staff team recruited to a specialist inpatient service for adults with intellectual disabilities and additional mental health problems. The idea of the simulation exercise was to provide a range of clinical scenarios in the physical environment in which the team would actually be working. A list of common needs of patients and other issues was developed to ensure they were included in the simulation. Professional actors were used to play the parts of the patients. The simulation exercise was held over the course of a day, and was separated into 2 shifts. A debriefing session was held immediately after both shifts had been completed, including observations from the facilitators and actors and an overview of the individual observers’ comments. This article describes the rationale for this novel approach, along with details of its planning, implementation and outcomes.
Making the journey to learning and work
- Authors:
- LAW Caroline, EWENS David
- Journal article citation:
- Mental Health and Social Inclusion, 14(2), May 2010, pp.28-34.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
This article describes selected findings from a research study examining the travel experiences (including walking, using public transport, cars, bikes, or taxis) of people experiencing mental health difficulties, specifically in relation to travelling to learning or work in England. It documents the physical, financial and attitudinal travel barriers which might stop the beneficial effects of learning and working to recovery and social inclusion. Using questionnaires (118 returned), four focus groups and some diary research, the authors found travel difficulties can significantly affect engagement with work, learning and social networks. Eighty-seven percent of respondents reported experiencing anxiety, claustrophobia, panic attacks, bullying or harassment and worrying about safety, security or crime. User views called for wider eligibility for concessionary passes, improved information about more frequent public transport, and short-term provision of discrete, private services by learning and employment providers.
Hope and improvements in mental health service providers' recovery attitudes following training
- Authors:
- SALGADO Janaka David, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Mental Health, 19(3), June 2010, pp.243-248.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- London
The author suggests that service providers' attitudes towards recovery for people with severe and persistent mental illness can improve with formal training. This study examined whether attitudinal improvements following formal recovery training vary depending on participants' dispositional hope. One hundred and three mental health workers from government and non-government organisations in eastern Australia attended formal recovery training and completed measures of recovery knowledge, attitudes, hopefulness and optimism. Findings indicated that training improved providers' recovery knowledge, attitudes, hopefulness and optimism. Providers with both high and low dispositional hope achieved similar gains. Attitudinal improvements following formal recovery training were not dependent on baseline levels of dispositional hope. In conclusion, institutions committed to recovery-oriented care should consider using formal training.
Research in the real world: studying Chicago police department’s crisis intervention team program
- Author:
- WATSON Amy C.
- Journal article citation:
- Research on Social Work Practice, 20(5), September 2010, pp.536-543.
- Publisher:
- Sage
Approximately 10% of all police contacts with the public involve persons with mental illness. Estimates of the prevalence of mental illness in U.S. jails and prisons range from 6% to 16%, suggesting that the police are arresting sizable numbers. Arguably the most widely adopted law enforcement approach to address this issue, the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) model, is a specialised police-based programme designed to improve officers’ ability to safely and effectively respond to mental health crises. The CIT model involves specialised training for officers, collaboration with community providers, a central psychiatric crisis drop off centre, and shifts in organisational policies and procedures. This article discusses the emergence of the CIT model, reviews the emerging literature, and presents a conceptual model of CIT effectiveness. It then describes a study which systematically examined the CIT programme in Chicago. The study involved examining CIT outcomes in four districts by means of: in person interviews with 216 officers; phone follow-up interviews at 1, 3 and 6 months; qualitative interviews with 20 officers; an examination of dispatch records and CIT call forms. The findings from Chicago suggest that CIT is increasing linkage to services and reducing the use of force in encounters with persons with mental illness. Lessons learned are discussed.