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‘Maybe a maverick, maybe a parent, but definitely not an honorary nurse’: social worker perspectives on the role and nature of social work in mental health care
- Authors:
- TUCKER Laura, WEBBER Martin
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Social Work, 51(2), 2021, pp.545-563.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
In many places in the UK, social work is integral to mental health service delivery. Significant role erosion, however, has left the profession unclear about where it fits within modern mental health services. The 2016 Social Work for Better Mental Health initiative outlines five key mental health roles and has been adopted into national policy in England to combat this uncertainty, but the influence of this has not been explored. This study aimed to develop an understanding of how mental health social workers perceive and explain their role. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with seven social workers based within one English National Health Service mental health trust covering a large geographical area and their responses analysed using Ritchie, Spencer and O’Connor’s Framework thematic model. Findings indicated that social workers only superficially engaged with the aspirational policy roles, instead presenting their own framework for what makes mental health social work distinctive. This was constructed around the context and intentions of practice, rather than around proscribed tasks and responsibilities. This study has significance for individual social workers and for organisations providing and planning mental health services in the UK and beyond, given the influence that practitioner perceptions can have on how they undertake their roles. (Edited publisher abstract)
Never the twain shall meet?
- Author:
- GRIFFITHS Julie
- Journal article citation:
- Community Care, 7.4.11, 2011, pp.16-17.
- Publisher:
- Reed Business Information
The barriers that hinder cooperation and joint working between adult mental health services and child protection services are discussed. Some tips to aid joint working are also provided.
The challenges in providing services to clients with mental illness: managed care, burnout and somatic symptoms among social workers
- Author:
- ACKER Gila M.
- Journal article citation:
- Community Mental Health Journal, 46(6), December 2010, pp.591-600.
- Publisher:
- Springer
This study examined the relationship between social workers’ experiences when interfacing with managed care organizations and burnout. A total of 591 social workers completed questionnaires that included the measures of: self-perceived competence in the context of managed care, professional involvement with clients with severe mental illness, and burnout. Results showed that self-perceived competence in the context of managed care had statistically significant correlations with burnout dimensions. The author discusses the role of social work schools in preparing students for the realistic aspects of mental health work, and recommends a partnership between managed care organizations and professionals for best care giving.
Mental health reform in Ireland: social workers’ perceptions of progress
- Authors:
- BROWNE Frank, SHERA Wes
- Journal article citation:
- Irish Social Worker, Summer 2010, pp.17-21.
- Publisher:
- Irish Association of Social Workers
In Ireland, social workers who practice in the field of adult mental health are a distinct group. They are directly involved in both the successes and failures in the constantly changing environment of mental health policy and services. Yet, with recent efforts to reform mental health care in Ireland using a recovery paradigm, social workers have been the focus of many of the expectations for change. This article, using surveys carried out in 2002 and 2003 as a baseline, presents the results of a recent survey carried out in 2010 of adult mental health social workers to determine what they perceive as improvements in mental health care, and what they identified as areas for further improvement. Seventy-five social workers participated. Key findings indicated a lack of understanding by multidisciplinary teams of the social work role, and disagreement about the role. There was considered to be a lack of funding for personal development, and there was a need to promote service user involvement in service development. Overall, most believed that there was improvement since 2004, but change was slow and limited.
Mental health officers survey, Scotland, 2009-10
- Author:
- SCOTLAND. Scottish Government. Statistician Group
- Publisher:
- Scotland. Scottish Government
- Publication year:
- 2010
- Pagination:
- 22p., tables
- Place of publication:
- Edinburgh
This report presents information about the number of qualified Mental Health Officers (MHO) practising within Scotland as at 31 March 2010, using data collected at local authority level. Practising is defined as using legislation directly in relation to working with clients, or potentially using legislation directly in relation to clients, during the previous 12 months. The report provides statistics on the MHO workforce, including numbers over time, age, gender, and ethnicity, MHOs in specialist and non-specialist mental health teams, and work undertaken by MHOs. Annexes provide the rates per thousand of population for MHOs and social workers for each local authority in Scotland for 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010.
Living in the shadows: a Canadian experience of mental health social work
- Authors:
- O'BRIEN Ann-Marie, CALDERWOOD Kimberly A.
- Journal article citation:
- Social Work in Mental Health, 8(4), July 2010, pp.319-335.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Within the context of a changing mental health system and the challenges facing social workers, the Ontario Association of Social Workers developed an online survey to gather information about mental health social workers. This article describes the background to the survey, its operation and findings, including demographics, work settings and practice issues including roles and services provided. The authors conclude that the survey findings demonstrate that the contribution of social workers to the provision of mental health services in Ontario shares similarities with the reported contributions of social workers elsewhere in the English-speaking world, but that despite the findings significant challenges persist for social workers in Ontario, who are not recognised as regulated health professionals or key players in the field of health care.
The role of social work in mental health services
- Author:
- SOCIAL CARE INSTITUTE FOR EXCELLENCE
- Journal article citation:
- Community Care, 17.7.08, 2008, pp.32-33.
- Publisher:
- Reed Business Information
This article discusses the role of social workers in co-ordinating and delivering services for people with mental health problems.
Watching the experts; findings from an Australian study of expertise in mental health social work
- Authors:
- RYAN Martin, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Social Work, 5(3), December 2005, pp.279-298.
- Publisher:
- Sage
What characterizes the practice of expert mental health social workers? An observational study of social workers in a public mental health network in Melbourne, Australia sought to answer this question and the findings are reported in this article. As part of a larger study of mental health social work expertise, direct observation was done of the work of six practitioners engaged in a range of activities about which they were subsequently interviewed. IIn the first stage based on group interviews, six themes were identified. These were termed: 1) ‘The Knowledge’; 2) ‘A lot of hard grind’; 3) ‘We are here for the clients’; 4) ‘The complicated and the difficult’; 5) ‘The stone in the shoe’; and 6) ‘Going ten rounds with the system’. In this second stage observational study, evidence was found for all of these six themes, plus two additional ones relating to supervision and the emotive content of the work. Development of expertise consists of three elements: 1) a personality predisposition and personal capacity; 2) education; and 3) a conducive workplace environment. The application of the findings lies in developing the conditions for these elements to emerge.
Mapping of education and training for mental health practitioners in the south west
- Authors:
- MUSSELWHITE Charles, et al
- Publisher:
- Bournemouth University. Institute of Health and Community Studies
- Publication year:
- 2005
- Pagination:
- 68p.
- Place of publication:
- Bournemouth
The project included an analysis of recent mental health education and training initiatives. The aim was to to map education and training in the South West against the Capable Practitioner Framework and National Occupational Standards for Mental Health.
Collaborative data mining in an adolescent mental health service: clinicians speak of their experience
- Authors:
- CIRO Dianne, NEMBHARD Michael
- Journal article citation:
- Social Work in Mental Health, 3(3), 2005, pp.305-317.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
As full participants in a collaborative clinical data-mining project intended to promote staff reflection and to improve services, clinicians discovered just how valuable their practice expertise was in maintaining project relevance. In this paper, they describe challenges they faced as non-experienced researchers and writers and how their practice skills enabled them to overcome these challenges. Benefits derived include: enhanced skills (in both practice and research), sensitization to previously overlooked areas of practice, and an increased sense of professionalism.(Copies of this article are available from: Haworth Document Delivery Centre, Haworth Press Inc., 10 Alice Street, Binghamton, NY 13904-1580).