Social Care Agencies Research Articles

Home Safety for Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder: Local Authority Occupational Therapy Intervention

Introduction: Health and social care agencies are encouraged to provide child-centred services that respond to needs that change over time. There is evidence that occupational therapists are concerned about how to respond to issues of harmful behaviour in the home environment whilst promoting child development. This study explored occupational therapists' experiences regarding harmful behaviour and the safety of children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Method: Seven community occupational therapists, employed by a local authority and working in social care, participated in two focus groups. Findings: An inductive thematic analysis identified five broad themes. These were: ‘assessment is complex’, ‘child development and the home environment’, ‘importance of family-centred services’, ‘the need for additional services’, and ‘management of the disabled facilities grant’. Conclusion: Local authority occupational therapists prioritize supporting families to keep children safe. It is necessary to adapt the home to reduce hazards and for alternative interventions to be made available to address behavioural and sensory needs. Services such as sensory integration are lacking, and where they are available access is difficult. It is common for disabled facilities grants to fund adaptations; however, management of grants could be improved to meet the needs of these children and their families.

RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY STUDY ON THE ASSESSMENT SCALE OF ATTITUDES TOWARDS PRINCIPLES ABOUT DIE WITH DIGNITY

Even though Turkey has relatively young population, elderly population is increasing. It’s a fact that inevitably death rate also will increase. In 1992, it was accepted that patients who have incurable diseases have right to die with dignity by World Health Organization and European Medical Associations. In 1999, principles about die with dignity were identified by Debate of the Age Health and Care Study Group in The Future of Health and Care of Older People. It was suggested that 12 principles about die with dignity should have accepted by medical care services and social care agencies and organizations. In this manner, there is a need to assess people’s attitudes toward die with dignity with a valid and reliable assessment instrument. In order to meet this need, this study conducted with 114 female and 80 male, totally 194 social work students aged 18-25 aims to identify the validity and reliability of Assessment Scale of Attitudes towards Principles about Die With Dignity. As a result of this study, it’s identified that the scale is unidimensional and it is valid and reliable instrument.

Negotiating place and gendered violence in Canada's largest open drug scene

BackgroundVancouver's Downtown Eastside is home to Canada's largest street-based drug scene and only supervised injection facility (Insite). High levels of violence among men and women have been documented in this neighbourhood. This study was undertaken to explore the role of violence in shaping the socio-spatial relations of women and ‘marginal men’ (i.e., those occupying subordinate positions within the drug scene) in the Downtown Eastside, including access to Insite. MethodsSemi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 23 people who inject drugs (PWID) recruited through the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users, a local drug user organization. Interviews included a mapping exercise. Interview transcripts and maps were analyzed thematically, with an emphasis on how gendered violence shaped participants’ spatial practices. ResultsHegemonic forms of masculinity operating within the Downtown Eastside framed the everyday violence experienced by women and marginal men. This violence shaped the spatial practices of women and marginal men, in that they avoided drug scene milieus where they had experienced violence or that they perceived to be dangerous. Some men linked their spatial restrictions to the perceived ‘dope quality’ of neighbourhood drug dealers to maintain claims to dominant masculinities while enacting spatial strategies to promote safety. Environmental supports provided by health and social care agencies were critical in enabling women and marginal men to negotiate place and survival within the context of drug scene violence. Access to Insite did not motivate participants to enter into “dangerous” drug scene milieus but they did venture into these areas if necessary to obtain drugs or generate income. ConclusionGendered violence is critical in restricting the geographies of men and marginal men within the street-based drug scene. There is a need to scale up existing environmental interventions, including supervised injection services, to minimize violence and potential drug-related risks among these highly-vulnerable PWID.

013 Co-ordinated and Cost-effective Health and Social Care at the End of Life - The Responsibility of Hospices

Any future model of end of life care delivery in the UK needs increased and more effective partnership working between health and social care agencies. The 2008 Department of Health’s...

Caring for a Child with Learning Disabilities Over a Prolonged Period of Time: An Exploratory Survey on the Experiences and Health of Older Parent Carers Living in Scotland

The negative health impacts of prolonged caregiving are widely reported. However, there is a paucity of evidence concerning the impacts of a lifetime of caring on older parents of offspring with learning disabilities. An exploratory postal survey including the Medical Outcome Study (Short Form) 36 version 2 (SF-36v2) was completed by 100 older parent carers. The reported survey is part of a larger mixed method study including in-depth interviews. The majority of respondents (n = 91) reported caring for 50 h or more per week with multiple caregiving duties. While the SF-36v2 reported physical health of older parent carers to be similar to UK norms, their mental health was significantly reduced. These important findings highlight the vulnerability of ageing parents of offspring with learning disabilities. This previously underreported situation warrants further investigation and urgent attention from health and social care agencies and professionals.

Deafblind and Neglected or Deafblindness Neglected? Revisiting the Case of Beverley Lewis

Deafblindness is a particularly complex impairment and deafblind people are considered to be some of the most vulnerable members of society; this includes vulnerability to abuse and harm. This paper explores this unique impairment in the illustrative case of Beverley Lewis, by reviewing archived published and audio material about the life and circumstances of the death of this young woman, including media reports, parliamentary debates and commentaries. Whilst it appears that the implications of Beverley's deafblindness may have been ‘overshadowed’ in media reports and inquiries, the paper suggests that further lessons for practice can be learned from the case by focusing on this condition. Drawing on contemporary research by specialist charitable organisations (Sense and Deafblind UK), the authors identify research highlighting deficiencies in support for many deafblind adults, which have implications for safeguarding policy and practice. It is concluded that attention is needed in three areas: increased awareness amongst social care and health practitioners of the particular vulnerability to abuse of deafblind adults; improved access to specialist assessment and specialist social care support, including one-to-one human support; and improved communication between social care and health agencies, alongside more tangible signs of acceptance of shared responsibility for supporting deafblind adults.

Problem Gambling: A Suitable Case for Social Work?

Problem gambling attracts little attention from health and social care agencies in the UK. Prevalence surveys suggest that 0.6% of the population are problem gamblers and it is suggested that for each of these individuals, 10–17 other people, including children and other family members, are affected. Problem gambling is linked to many individual and social problems including: depression, suicide, significant debt, bankruptcy, family conflict, domestic violence, neglect and maltreatment of children and offending. This makes the issue central to social work territory. Yet, the training of social workers in the UK has consistently neglected issues of addictive behaviour. Whilst some attention has been paid in recent years to substance abuse issues, there has remained a silence in relation to gambling problems. Social workers provide more help for problems relating to addictions than other helping professions. There is good evidence that treatment, and early intervention for gambling problems, including psycho-social and public health approaches, can be very effective. This paper argues that problem gambling should be moved onto the radar of the social work profession, via inclusion on qualifying and post-qualifying training programmes and via research and dissemination of good practice via institutions such as the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE).

How do social workers understand and respond to domestic violence and relate this to organizational policy and practice?

This study explores British social workers’ abilities to recognize incidents of interpersonal violence, how much domestic violence training social workers typically receive, and how awareness of organizational policies and practice experiences impact workers’ attitudes about domestic violence. Based on our findings we suggest that traditional higher education teaching methods of lecture and seminar combined with a service-learning component to course work should be explored. Additionally, local authorities and other health and social care agencies need to take more responsibility for ensuring their employees understand agency policy regarding domestic violence and how to apply it.

Rainbow redemption: mental health takes centre stage

PurposeThis article seeks to share and celebrate the experience of using drama to demystify and destigmatise mental illness.Design/methodology/approachThe article provides a descriptive account of a drama project from the perspectives of participants and the author. The innovative use of drama to promote mental wellbeing, the diverse partnerships that underpinned the production, and the positive impact on performers and audience are outlined.FindingsDrama can be an effective way of increasing mental health awareness. It can also be an enjoyable way of getting across the message that even those who lack mental wellbeing have dreams and can achieve them.Practical implicationsKey to success was good joint working between a range of health, social care and community agencies, as well as local service users. Financial resources for putting on the production provided by the local mental health trust were also crucial.Social implicationsThe drama promoted mental health and thereby potentially helped to reduce stigma and ill‐health. The partnership process involving diverse participants including mental health service providers, service users and people with different ethnic backgrounds was itself beneficial.Originality/valueThe article illustrates that the production was innovative in its broad partnership and use of drama to get its message across to mixed audiences.

Economic Well-being and Ageing: The Need for Financial Education for Social Workers

This paper explores the importance of financial education for social workers who are often working with individuals and families who are financially vulnerable and who frequently have little financial knowledge. This may be particularly relevant in light of the recent global recession and the negative impact this has had for many in terms of increased living costs and decreased income. Older people may be particularly vulnerable to the economic fluctuations caused by the recession, yet they may be disadvantaged further by poor understanding of the impact of finances on well-being from social care agencies, and a paucity of information and advice to enable them to develop improved financial literacy. This may be compounded further by increasingly strict eligibility criteria, which restrict access to services, leading to increasing numbers of older people who need to fund their own care. The objective of this paper is to highlight the need for students and practitioners to develop their own financial literacy skills so as to better enable them to support those that they work with. The discussion considers the usefulness of the ‘asset vulnerability framework’ devised by Moser in assessing the economic well-being of older people and its applicability within social work education and practice.

Applying critical social work in direct practice with families

ABSTRACTThis paper seeks to further discourse concerning the implications of critical social work for direct practice with families and children. It presents and discusses a hypothetical example of how a social worker in a social care agency in Israel can incorporate critical social work notions into an official social work report. The paper begins by presenting key concepts in critical social work, their manifestations in practice and their implications for official social work reports. It then presents a mock report informed by critical social work ideas and discusses its structure and contents. The mock report provides an example of how abstract notions central to critical social work can be actualized. The paper thus offers practitioners the opportunity for a richer discourse on the contribution of critical social work to direct practice with families and children.

Domestic violence: top tips for support worker practice in Wales

This article reports on a placement project carried out in Wales by a graduating Health and Social Care student to identify information for improving key relationship factors when working with women and their children who have been involved in or suffered from domestic violence. The student undertook a review of the literature synthesizing research, policy and guidance to inform health and social care worker practice. Ten key tips were identified, which could be used to improve the relationship between support workers, domestic violence victims and their family members. These key tips helped provide support to them and assisted in an improved response of health and social care agencies.

Findings from a Delphi exercise regarding conflicts of interests, general practitioners and safeguarding children: ‘Listen carefully, judge slowly’

General practitioners (GPs) have to negotiate a range of challenges when they suspect child abuse or neglect. This article details findings from a Delphi exercise that was part of a...

Virtual study trip to integrated care in England

Over the last decade in England, there have been numerous attempts to develop new forms of integrated care working between health and social care agencies that have sought to improve the care experiences for older people and those with complex and chronic care needs. However, despite a significant amount of innovation, the care system remains fragmented. This presentation examines how integrated care has developed in the English NHS, including the provision of some key and current examples such as nurse-led case management, joint health and social care teams, and integrated care organisations. The session discusses whether care integration in England will thrive or perish as new health sector reforms are introduced that focus on choice and competition across a diverse market of care providers.

Integrating telecare for chronic disease management in the community: What needs to be done?

BackgroundTelecare could greatly facilitate chronic disease management in the community, but despite government promotion and positive demonstrations its implementation has been limited. This study aimed to identify factors inhibiting the implementation and integration of telecare systems for chronic disease management in the community.MethodsLarge scale comparative study employing qualitative data collection techniques: semi-structured interviews with key informants, task-groups, and workshops; framework analysis of qualitative data informed by Normalization Process Theory. Drawn from telecare services in community and domestic settings in England and Scotland, 221 participants were included, consisting of health professionals and managers; patients and carers; social care professionals and managers; and service suppliers and manufacturers.ResultsKey barriers to telecare integration were uncertainties about coherent and sustainable service and business models; lack of coordination across social and primary care boundaries, lack of financial or other incentives to include telecare within primary care services; a lack of a sense of continuity with previous service provision and self-care work undertaken by patients; and general uncertainty about the adequacy of telecare systems. These problems led to poor integration of policy and practice.ConclusionTelecare services may offer a cost effective and safe form of care for some people living with chronic illness. Slow and uneven implementation and integration do not stem from problems of adoption. They result from incomplete understanding of the role of telecare systems and subsequent adaption and embeddedness to context, and uncertainties about the best way to develop, coordinate, and sustain services that assist with chronic disease management. Interventions are therefore needed that (i) reduce uncertainty about the ownership of implementation processes and that lock together health and social care agencies; and (ii) ensure user centred rather than biomedical/service-centred models of care.

Mental health and addiction services in the criminal justice system: Where do we sit?

Mental health and addiction services in the criminal justice system: Where do we sit?

Violence risk assessment in mental health practice: part 1

In the last 20 years, risk assessment has expanded to mean much more than a simple determination of how dangerous an individual is. In 2009, the concept extends well beyond establishing level of risk. Risk formulations now encapsulate the assessment process more generally, and provide the basis for the identification of treatment needs and the development of supervision and risk reduction plans. Recent legislation in the UK, for example, the Sex Offenders Act (1997), the Crime and Disorder Act (1998) and the Mental Health Act (2007) all emphasize the importance of effective community management of violence risk. Reviewing the recent growth in multi-agency approaches to meet this challenge, the authors consider how health, social care and criminal justice agencies can share information and collaborate effectively. This paper offers some practical guidance on improving techniques designed to minimize forensic risk.

Ghana's Children's Act 560: A Rethink of its Implementation?

AbstractIn 1998 Ghana harmonised its child care legislation to conform to the Convention on the Rights of the Child by enacting the Children's Act 1998, Act 560. Some stakeholders expressed misgivings at its capacity to ensure child protection, but little literature exists on the views of professionals working within the law. This paper presents an investigation of the views of professionals who are mandated to work within the law to ensure the rights of the child to legal protection in Ghana. The findings suggest that there is a gap between legal intent and practice. It is concluded from these findings that for better child protection, the provision of legal rights for children is only an initial step; the administrative framework including better professional training, adequate resources for social care agencies and the establishment of new structures also needs to be reconsidered.

‘It don't make sense to worry too much’: the experience of prostate cancer in African-Caribbean men in the UK

The incidence of prostate cancer among African-Caribbean men in the UK is three times that among men from the majority population. Little attention, however, has been given to the perceptions and experiences of treatment and care of men from these communities with prostate cancer. This qualitative study is the first such investigation, situating men's accounts within the context of their personal history and social environment. Using a community-based, snowball sampling method, 16 first generation African-Caribbean men living in Central England were recruited. Similarities and divergence in men's experience were identified through thematic analysis of interview transcripts. Men's responses to their situation were influenced by aspects of migration and historical context as well as culture. While medical treatment was highly valued, common difficulties were compounded by problems of health professional-patient communication, stereotyping and insensitivity of some staff. Lack of coordination between services and agencies adversely affected the well-being of frail men and widowers. Findings suggest the need for a more proactive approach to giving and eliciting information combined with cultural diversity training. More systematic referral procedures and information exchange between African-Caribbean men with prostate cancer and their general practitioner, hospital, social care and voluntary agencies, churches and community organisations are indicated.

The importance of being efficacious: English health and social care partnerships and service user outcomes

The need for health and social care agencies and their professionals to work in partnership is a central component of contemporary English health and social care policy. Partnership is predicated on the notion that this way of working improves services and outcomes for service users. However, as there is little evidence that partnerships improve service user outcomes, some commentators suggest that this indicates either a failure of the policy or a deficit in terms of implementation. This thesis investigates the link between health and social care partnerships and service user outcomes. Rather than adopting the types of rationalist and instrumental approach which the majority of studies in this field have done, the thesis develops a new conceptual framework for partnership which is interpretive and performative. This framework is developed and tested in four exploratory case study sites and concludes that partnership is not necessarily simply an instrument of improvement in a traditional sense. The power of partnership lies in its cultural and symbolic value. This takes partnership beyond traditional discussions of partnership and governance; rather than representing a particular mode of governance, instead arguing that partnership is an active tool of governance.