Social Services For People Research Articles

S154 - Health Justice Coordination for Increased Access to Health and Social Services for People With Drug Use Disorders in Contact With the Criminal Justice System

S154 - Health Justice Coordination for Increased Access to Health and Social Services for People With Drug Use Disorders in Contact With the Criminal Justice System

Qualitative Study on Knowledge of Non-Pharmacological Interventions as Management Strategies for Hypertension Among Middle-Aged Adults in Rural Areas of Anambra State

Recent World Health Organization records show that hypertension is more common in Africa than in other parts of the world, and remains a major common risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, stroke, renal diseases, and death. However, little is known about hypertension management strategies among people in rural areas. Therefore, this phenomenological study aimed to investigate knowledge of hypertension management strategies among middle-aged adults in rural areas of Anambra state. Focus group discussions were used to collect data from 40 middle-aged adults (20 males and 20 females). The data were analysed thematically. Results showed that the participants were all aware of hypertension but lacked in-depth knowledge of disease management strategies. Most of the participants did not believe that engaging in regular physical exercise/activity, and other factors like reduction in salt and alcohol intake could help in controlling high blood pressure. Social workers who are also social service providers are needed to raise awareness among middle-aged people in rural areas about hypertension management strategies. This can be done through the provision of social services like education, health services, and transport services, as this will go a long way in helping rural dwellers gain more knowledge of hypertension management strategies. With the provision of health services, the rural population will not only know management strategies for hypertension but will also be able to check their blood pressure regularly, while transport services will make it possible for the rural population who do not have health centres in their community and means of transporting themselves to the neighbouring community for treatment to do so. Future research should focus on the importance of welfare/home visits as an avenue for awareness creation on hypertension management strategies, as this will be an avenue for the provision of better social services for people in rural areas and an improvement in social service research.

Effects of the Connections program on return-to-custody, mortality and treatment uptake among people with a history of opioid use: Retrospective cohort study in an Australian prison system.

Connections is a voluntary health program that facilitates access to opioid agonist treatment (OAT) and social services for people with opioid use exiting prison. This study aimed to measure the effectiveness of Connections in reducing recidivism and improving health outcomes for people with a history of opioid use on leaving prison. Retrospective cohort study with quasi-random allocation to the program. Public adult prisons in New South Wales, Australia, 2008-2015. Adults released from custody with a history of opioid use. Of 5549 eligible releasees, 3973 were allocated to Connections and 1576 to treatment-as-usual. Outcomes were return-to-custody, all-cause mortality, and OAT participation. Regression analyses on an intention-to-treat basis, and adjusting for baseline propensity scores, comparing patients allocated to Connections versus treatment-as-usual showed no difference in rates of return-to-custody within 2 years (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.01; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.92 -1.12). Patients allocated to the Connections program were more likely to access OAT (odds ratio [OR]: 1.21; 95% CI: 1.06-1.39) and had lower mortality within 28 days of release (0.25% vs. 0.66%; HR: 0.38; 95% CI: 0.14-1.03). Differences in mortality did not persist beyond 28 days. Subgroup analyses showed that allocation to Connections was associated with higher risk of return-to-custody within 28 days for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander (Indigenous) and female releasees. The Connections program for people with opioid use exiting prison did not reduce the likelihood of return-to-custody but did facilitate opioid agonist treatment participation on release from prison.

A voice of experience: Positive and negative experiences of mental health from a service user's/lived experience perspective.

WHAT IS KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT?: People with mental health problems are often left behind, forgotten and excludedLittle is known or written from a service user perspective about experiences of psychiatry, mental health nursing, Mental Health Tribunals and alternative approaches (such as counselling, peer support, psychological and recovery approaches, cognitive behavioural therapy-CBT and creative/art/music/drama/horticultural/dance therapies). WHAT THE PAPER ADDS TO EXISTING KNOWLEDGE?: This paper aims to remedy this gap in knowledgeIt focuses on positive and negative experiences of psychiatry, Mental Health Tribunals and alternative treatments from a service user's perspective. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE?: The paper makes several recommendations. In brief, (1) psychiatrists need to listen more attentively rather than being focused on signs of psychosis; (2) de-escalation techniques (for example, talking calmly with the patient) should be used by nurses before physical restraint; (3) psychiatry should be less biomedical. Nurses and social care professionals deserve better training, time for and practice in alternative and more therapeutic forms of care; (4) carers need to be more involved; (5) there need to be better, more democratic, more open processes of law; (6) voluntary work and supported employment schemes should be run by health and social services for people who want to work and want to have a vocational life. This paper aims to describe the lived experience of mental illness, coercive treatment by psychiatry and mental health nursing, and the problematic case and bias of Mental Health Tribunals. It then looks at more positive experiences of alternative approaches and makes recommendations for improving mental health services and people's experiences of them.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on harm reduction services in Catalonia: the experience of people who use drugs and harm reduction professionals

BackgroundHarm reduction services and professionals have had to reorganise and adapt to COVID-19 prevention measures while still ensuring health and social services for people who use drugs (PUD).ObjectiveTo assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on PUD and on the professionals who provide harm reduction services.MethodsA qualitative, exploratory, multicentre design was used. Two focus groups were held with harm reduction professionals, and 40 individual semi-structured interviews were undertaken with PUD in various harm reduction services in Catalonia. Interviews and focus group discussions were transcribed and analysed using thematic content analysis.ResultsHarm reduction services adapted to the pandemic situation by employing methods such as reducing opening hours and closing drop in areas, along with health protection measures such as access control, which in turn led to stress among both professionals and service users. Despite the changes implemented, PUD continued to have access to sterile drug use equipment and methadone treatment. In addition, those who were not in treatment were able to access it rapidly. Regarding their emotional state, the PUD reported that it was worse during the pandemic than before the lockdown, with women affected to a greater extent than men. The harm reduction professionals reported difficulties in managing service users’ compliance with the security measures at the beginning of the lockdown and having had to focus primarily on providing food and shelter for the PUD.ConclusionsIt is important to keep PUD in mind and maintain a harm reduction perspective when implementing confinement measures in situations such as those experienced during the COVID pandemic. Guaranteeing that PUD have their basic needs such as food, hygiene and shelter covered is key.

Integrated Health and Social Services for People With Chronic Mental Health Problems: People Are More Important Than Processes. Insights From a Multiple Case Study in Swedish Psychiatry.

Three mental health organizations, one merged with, one formally cooperating with, and one without formal links to social services were analyzed through the experience of staff, patients and relatives in order to elucidate what approaches best promoted service coordination. Seventeen staff and eight patients or relatives, recruited from the three organizations, participated in semi-structured interviews, guided by pre-selected categories derived from previous research about coordination and care processes. Directed content analysis was used to identify and categorize meaning units. Both staff and patients raised the same concerns. Organized collaboration between psychiatric care and social services addressed only some of patients' challenges. More important was patient access to financial and social assistance. The organizational arrangements were not referred to, whereas case management was seen as crucial. In many instances relatives have to act as case managers. Service integration in mental health has to include, in addition to social services, other authorities like social insurance and employment agencies. A case manager knowledgeable about all welfare services is best positioned to promote that “extended integration”. Relatives often have to take this responsibility to support this fragile group of patients. This observed importance of case management is supported by previous research in mental health and primary care. The role of relatives should be acknowledged and supported by those services.

Spatial Analysis of the Availability of Health and Social Services for People with Special Needs

Abstract The health care system should offer and provide a variety of services without undue delay. Due to numerous technical, financial and human resource constraints, not all services can be offered both without restrictions and in equal measure in places of different sizes of residence. As a result of qualitative and quantitative research, a map of accessibility to social and health services was drawn up, taking into consideration the division of the country into voivodeships with different population. Spatial analysis showed great diversity in terms of service availability. Voivodships with the highest accessibility of health and social services are Dolnośląskie, Opolskie and Świętokrzyskie, while the worst situation is in Wielkopolskie. Moreover, the article identifies the main problems that people with limited functionality encounter when using health and social services.

МОЖЛИВОСТІ ВПРОВАДЖЕННЯ СОЦІАЛЬНОЇ ПОСЛУГИ ІНКЛЮЗИВНОГО ТУРИЗМУ В УКРАЇНІ

According to current trends, the category of people with disabilities is constantly growing, due to the aging population, the spread of disease and deteriorating living conditions. To minimize the negative consequences, it is necessary to pay attention to the socio-cultural and social life of these people. All this is achieved by raising the cultural standard of living, expanding horizons, changing social habits. In more developed countries, attention has long been paid to this problem. Along with physical recovery, the spiritual coexists closely. First of all, the emphasis is on creating a safe and accessible infrastructure and implementing social adaptation programs for people with disabilities. All this can be combined in the means of tourism, including inclusive, aimed at people with disabilities. One of the most important needs of this category of tourists is the safety of tourist travel. This can be explained as well as the safe and accessible location of tourist attractions. And providing a sense of security of the person with a disability. That is, the so-called support in obtaining inclusive tourism services. Although our country has a number of obstacles in the development of a culture of inclusive tourism and the provision of these services. However, there are already many achievements and experiences in the implementation of inclusive tourism and appropriate conditions for people with inclusion, especially people with disabilities, are being actively created and improved. The article highlights the features of the development of inclusive tourism as a social service for people with disabilities. But as a means of social and psychological rehabilitation that helps to return to a full life, establish new social connections, broaden the horizons, acquire new skills and resocialize in society. Social services for the possibility of introducing inclusive tourism in them are analyzed. The relevance of the social service of inclusive tourism for people with disabilities is theoretically substantiated. A content analysis of the experience of implementing inclusive tourism in Ukraine was carried out and the best practices were highlighted. The real state of implementation of inclusive tourism as a means of rehabilitation and social services for people with disabilities is revealed.

The struggle over the character of social services: conceptualising hybridity and power

ABSTRACT Extensive critical literature has pointed to the corrosive effects of managerialism and New Public Management (NPM) on social services and demonstrated how its local versions dominate policymaking. Challenging such critical views, another stream of thought has emerged, emphasising the way in which policymaking could take a hybrid shape, reflecting the mutual contribution of NPM and critical professionalism to the shaping of social services. However, the hybrid proposition lacks a nuanced formulation of the power relations between these contesting standpoints. Here, we offer to add this missing aspect by investigating senior public service managers’ encounter with the critical professional standpoint. Based on the analysis of 16 interviews with senior administrators shaping Israeli social services for people living in poverty, we identify the operation of three modes of power exertion, namely, conditional funding, suspicion, and rejection to articulate the integration of power dynamics into the conceptualisation of hybridity.

The Elusive Search for Rights-Centred Public Health Approaches to Drug Policy: A Comment

While it is common for United Nations member states in international meetings to espouse ‘public health approaches’ to drug policy, actual policies appear not to have caught up with this rhetoric. There is a lingering over-emphasis in narcotic drug policies on policing and incarceration at the expense of urgently needed investment in health and social services for people who use drugs. These policies have lethal consequences in the transmission of potentially fatal infections and preventable overdose deaths, and they impede progress in social and economic development. The experience of a number of countries, mostly in the European Union, highlights that bringing public health evidence into the center of drug policy decision-making can have broad social, economic and public health benefits.

Administrative Documents in Child and Youth Welfare and Social Services for People with Disabilities. Comparison of Categorisation Work

Mit der Kinder- und Jugendhilfe (SGB VIII) sowie der Eingliederungshilfe (n. SGB XII) haben sich zwei getrennte institutionelle Bereiche herausgebildet, die Hilfebedarfe mit unterschiedlichen Kategorien und in verschiedenen Verfahren verwalten. Um einen Fall behordlich bearbeitbar zu machen, mussen Kategorisierungen angewandt werden, die individuelle Lebenskonstellationen beschreiben, Bedarfe begrunden und den Fall organisational prozessierbar machen. Soziale Konstellationen werden im Fallbearbeitungsprozess in Bezug auf Verwaltungslogiken transformiert und entsprechend in Verwaltungsdokumenten dokumentiert. Fallbezogene Kategorisierungen schlagen sich in Antragsformularen nieder, die durch dokumentarische Relevanzsetzungen Fallinformationen zur organisationalen Bearbeitung praparieren und Einblicke in organisational gepragte Kategorisierungsarbeit ermoglichen. Dieser Beitrag basiert auf Analysen des Forschungsprojektes „Kategorisierungsarbeit in Hilfen fur Kinder und Jugendliche“, welches Kategorisierungsarbeit in Jugendamts- und Sozialamtsakten als Teil behordlicher Kommunikation untersucht. Anhand von Antragsformularen wird hier Kategorisierungsarbeit als organisationale Vollzugswirklichkeit im Zusammenhang mit Hilfen zur Erziehung und Eingliederungshilfe (n. SGB XII) aus dem Material heraus rekonstruiert. Dabei wird deutlich, dass im Bereich der Hilfen zur Erziehung n. SGB VIII zur Verwaltbarmachung von Fallen Bearbeitungsmodi des Jugendamts als sozialpadagogische Institution und Sozialburokratie kumulieren. Die offenen und flexiblen Verfahren der Hilfeplanung prozessieren Falle durch kategoriale Bezugnahmen auf Problematisierungen und auf Involvierungen der Adressat*innen-Perspektiven. In den Sozialamtsakten dominiert eine sozialburokratisch ausgerichtete Verwaltungslogik die Verfahren. Die stark standardisierten Verfahren dienen der Uberprufung des Anspruchs auf die jeweils beantragte Leistung, wobei der Bezug auf den individuellen Rechtsanspruch als organisationale Kategorisierungsarbeit die Fallprozessierung pragt.

Рrospects for introducing inclusive rehabilitation and social tourism in Ukraine

The article highlights the theoretical and methodological foundations of inclusive tourism development; substantiates theoretical aspects of the origin and use of the new concept of “inclusive rehabilitation and social tourism”; analyzes the modern world and Ukrainian experience in the development and implementation of inclusive tourism in the tourism sector of Ukraine. The article presents a study of the evolution and futureintroduction of inclusive tourism in the rehabilitation system of Ukraine, taking into account the peculiarities of the regulatory framework, political and economic problems in the country, and, as a result, the social standard of living of Ukraine. We provide a classification of groups of inclusive tourists according to the types of inclusion and the possibilities of providing rehabilitation services: social group (Chernobyl veterans, pensioners, pregnant women, large families, and others); the group people with disabilities (various groups of disabilities and nosologies), people with “war syndrome” (Afghan War veterans, military from zones of the ATO, displaced people, people with psychological trauma, children of war, war veterans, and others). The priority directions of rehabilitation care professionals were determined depending on the inclusive profile and nosology: therapeutic and recreational, cultural-cognitive, family-youth, professional-labour, non-Olympic physical culture and sports. The components for each segment of rehabilitation and social services for people with inclusion due to tourist activities are identified. A conceptually new theoretical and methodological block model of an”accessible” inclusive environment for rehabilitation of people of various inclusive groups and nosologies is presented. The connection between the main elements of this model of inclusive rehabilitation tourism is established. In order to fully understand the level of the need for the introduction of inclusive tourism in Ukrainian society, not only is a thorough scientific and methodological base needed, but also practical testing of the results.

Social services as a part of the form of social security for workers in education in Ukraine

Article is devoted to research terms «social services» for employees in the area of education in Ukraine and analyses of different approaches to their interpretation. Detected the importance of reforming this system. Introduced proposals to improve existing laws and the necessity of decentralization «social services» system for employees in the area of education in Ukraine. The Ukranian government should pass the rules to regulate the system of social services for people who work in the field of education in Ukraine.

The care of people living with mental illness in the Hungarian social care system: The process of deinstitutionalization and the phenomenon of stigmatization

Purpose The aim of this study is to present a situation assessment within the framework of a comprehensive study of the social services for people with mental illness in Hungary. After setting the historical background, we describe in detail the current services, their anomalies, and the ongoing implementation of a strategy to deinstitutionalize them. Materials and methods We reviewed the related academic literature and systematically collected and elaborated upon legal documents, decisions, and data from national databases. Results We established that a paradigm shift is taking place in the social care of people with mental disorders in Hungary. The lack of human resources, the paternalistic, institution-centered attitude, the mass supply of social services in dilapidated buildings, and the stigmatization of patients are among the greatest problems. Cooperation between the health and social sectors is inadequate and, in the interests of patients, needs to be improved. Conclusions Hungary needs a complex, integrated, health-and-social-care supply system for people living with mental illness, one that takes into account both personal needs and assistance to recovery. In the continuation of the deinstitutionalization process, emphasis should be placed on social sensitization.

Формування та реалізація моделі державно- приватного партнерства щодо соціально-економічного забезпечення осіб з інвалідністю в Україні

Статтю присвячено дослідженню питань формування та реалізації моделі державно-приватного партнерства щодо соціально-економічного забезпечення осіб з інвалідністю та розглянуто її інструменти.
 Метою статті є дослідження процесів формування та реалізації моделі державно-приватного партнерства щодо соціально-економічного забезпечення осіб з інвалідністю в Україні, їх оцінка та надання пропозицій щодо їх удосконалення.
 Наукова новизна. Запропоновано концептуальну модель державно-приватного партнерства щодо удосконалення системи соціально-економічного забезпечення осіб з інвалідністю. Визначено фактори регулювання якості послуг у системі соціально-економічного забезпечення осіб з інвалідністю, а також роль державно-громадського співробітництва та участь громадських організацій у формуванні й розвитку вітчизняного ринку послуг щодо соціально-економічного забезпечення осіб з інвалідністю.
 Висновки. Визначаючи основні підходи до реформування системи соціально-економічного забезпечення осіб з інвалідністю в Україні, акцентуємо увагу на необхідності запровадження державно-приватного партнерства, що забезпечить надання якісних соціальних послуг особам з інвалідністю та дасть можливість отримувати, за бажанням, відповідну допомогу як у державних закладах, так і в приватних.
 В умовах неспроможності державних, комунальних соціальних закладів виконувати належним чином покладені на них обов’язки – надавати послуги щодо соціально-економічного забезпечення осіб з інвалідністю в достатніх обсягах і відповідної якості, постає питання залучення до цього процесу приватних суб’єктів, які надають такі послуги, зокрема громадських, благодійних, релігійних організацій. Нестача бюджетних коштів, інших ресурсів через часті фінансово-економічні кризи, політичну нестабільність ще більше спонукають державу до партнерства та співробітництва між суспільними секторами, зокрема державним (центральні, місцеві органи влади), неурядовим (громадським сектором) та приватним (бізнесом), тобто розвитку моделі державно-приватного партнерства у досліджуваній сфері.
 Упродовж останніх років, а особливо в реаліях сьогодення, громадські організації в Україні помітно активізували свою участь у формуванні та розвитку вітчизняного ринку послуг щодо соціально-економічного забезпечення осіб з інвалідністю, переконливо демонструючи високу спроможність надавати такі послуги якісно, ефективно та результативно. Громадські організації реалізують цілу низку інноваційних проектів, пов’язаних із наданням соціальних послуг, підвищенням рівня професіоналізму соціальних працівників, інших фахівців, які надають послуги соціально-економічного забезпечення особам з інвалідністю.

An innovative model to coordinate healthcare and social services for people with serious mental illness: A mixed-methods case study of Maryland's Medicaid health home program.

We conducted a case study examining implementation of Maryland's Medicaid health home program, a unique model for integration of behavioral, somatic, and social services for people with serious mental illness (SMI) in the psychiatric rehabilitation program setting. We conducted interviews and surveys with health home leaders (N=72) and front-line staff (N=627) representing 46 of the 48 total health home programs active during the November 2015-December 2016 study period. We measured the structural and service characteristics of the 46 health home programs and leaders' and staff members' perceptions of program implementation. Health home program structure varied across sites: for example, 15% of programs had co-located primary care providers and 76% had onsite supported employment providers. Most leaders and staff viewed the health home program as having strong organizational fit with psychiatric rehabilitation programs' organizational structures and missions, but noted implementation challenges around health IT, population health management, and coordination with external providers. Maryland's psychiatric rehabilitation-based health home is a promising model for integration of behavioral, somatic, and social services for people with SMI but may be strengthened by additional policy and implementation supports, including incentives for external providers to engage in care coordination with health home providers.

Collaborative Care Goes Global

Collaborative Care Goes Global

Russian Practice of Independent Quality Assessment of Social Services for People with Health Disorders and In Difficult Life Situations

The public control system of social services for sick and disabled people is improving in Russia nowadays. It is connected with the formation of public and trusteeship councils under public authorities and social service organizations. They are supposed to regulate and control social services. Emerging studies on the independent assessment of the quality of social services in the regions of Russia must be summarized and comprehended. It is obvious that the public control system in Russia is just beginning to form. Its normative basis includes the number of Russian laws that created the basis of social services for citizens in Russia. On their basis, with the executive bodies and institutions of the social services system in Russia, public and trustees’ councils with the functions of public control are created. The mechanism for implementing this independent assessment is generally defined in Russia today. The criteria for public quality control of social services in Russia are fairly transparent and provide an opportunity to compare the efficiency of single-type social services institutions. The analysis of independent quality assessment of social services in Russia shows that the quality assessment started in 2013 has produced positive results. Nowadays this procedure has been implemented in all regions of the country. In Russia there are still a number of shortcomings in methodological support for the implementing process of independent quality assessment of social services. There are many problems to solve for the heads of social service institutions. The assessment procedure has not been provided. There is no clear definition of the objectives of the entire procedure, no information on the mechanism. So the independent quality assessment system of social services in Russia is still developing.

An Improvement Program as a Way to Intensify Inter-Professional Collaboration in the Community for People with Mental Disabilities: A Follow-Up

The aim of the study was to follow up inter-professional experiences of improvement work one year after a completed CII improvement program aiming at improve health care and social services for people with mental disabilities living in ordinary housing. This study was performed with a qualitative descriptive approach which employed six focus group interviews followed by a thematic analysis. The results revealed four themes; Self-awareness and insights; Behavior and actions in daily practice; Organizational cultures and subcultures; and Organizational practices, using Ken Wilbers' integral theory of four quadrants of realities as a holistic frame in the discussion.

The place of health care in social services for people with disabilities

INTRODUCTION: Increased demand for services for long-term care for the elderly and disabled people is associated with the aging population in Bulgaria. In the methodologies of offering services attention is paid to the quality of social services and nutrition, whereas health care remains in the background. Consumers surveyed say that the quality of health care is at the first place. AIM: To investigate the views of the users of social services and their relatives about the place of health care in meeting their needs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Study of regulatory documents - strategies, laws and methodological guidance related to the provision of social services for the elderly. A survey was prepared for the purpose of the study. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: We need better cooperation and coordination in the delivery of health and social services for the elderly and disabled, as well as an expansion of the circle of professionals providing longterm care for sick elderly people and people with disabilities. Regulation of professional responsibilities, individual specialists having the right to take a personal decision and introduction of missing professional units in our country will lead to better health care.