The social worker as case manager for persons with mental disabilities

Barbro Lewin

doi:10.1080/15017410409512655

Abstract

The crown jewel in the modern Swedish disability reform is a special rights law from 1993, the Disability Act. However there is considerable underutilisation of services in accordance with this act, especially among people with mental health problems. This research project was undertaken at a psychiatric clinic in order to activate the social workers of the clinic to motivate their patients to apply for support in accordance with their legal rights under this act. An intervention by nine social workers resulted in applications from one fourth of the patients assessed to be in need of such support according to an earlier follow‐up. The results are discussed from a bureaucratic ethics perspective. The study demonstrates that the social workers have shown understanding of the political intentions of the reform, a will to pursue its implementation, and also an ability to act as case managers for those with mental health disabilities, motivating them to use their legal rights to support.

Highlights

A central starting-point forthis research project wasthe generally accepted fact that the Swedish disability and mental health reforms of the 1990s were not being fully implemented
Opinions of the social workers before the intervention Results from the initial survey showed that 70% of the social workers agreed completely that LSS-measures were suitable for some of their patients, and 30% agreed partially
One social worker did not give an opinion on the statement that it was part of the job to motivate some patients to apply for LSS-support

Summary

Introduction

A central starting-point forthis research project wasthe generally accepted fact that the Swedish disability and mental health reforms of the 1990s were not being fully implemented. The normalisation principle has its roots in Scandinavia in the 1960s, most notably by front figures Bengt Nirje and Niels Erik Bank-Mikkelsen (Nirje, 1992; Bank-Mikkelsen, 1980; Tideman, 2000; Lewin, 1998). Their ideas concerned the intellectually disabled, but have come into use internationally for others, including people with mental health disabilities (cf Ramon, 1996; Markstrom, 2003)

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion