scholarly journals Social work practice implications of upcoming mental health reforms

2021 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Genevieve Smith ◽  
Joanna Appleby
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Health Agency ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
System Reform ◽  
District Health ◽  
The Impact

The Labour-led Government has recently announced new healthcare reforms in Aotearoa New Zealand. The four changes are:The current 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) across the country will be replaced by one national organisation, Health New Zealand.A new Māori Health Authority will have the power to commission health services, monitor the state of Māori health and develop policyNew Public Health Agency will be createdStrengthened Ministry of Health will monitor performance and advise governmentAs a teaser before the announcement, the country was informed that the reforms would be about equity and access. We, thewriters, are both Pākehā mental health social workers and we were eagerly awaiting news of the reforms. We have reflected on the current problems facing the mental health sector, speculated on how these may be addressed through system reform, and discussed our hopes for a better system.Based on our experience working within and alongside different DHB mental health services in the country we identified four major sector problems. These are the increasing demand and severity of presenting problems, the associated shifting goalposts of accessibility to manage demand, service variability between regions and issues of staff workload, and training and retention. As social workers, we have seen the impact of these issues upon multi-stressed families seeking support and we hope for reforms to address these equity issues.

scholarly journals SOCIAL WORKERS’ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD OF POPULATION’ MENTAL HEALTH PRESERVATION IN THE XXI CENTURY

2021 ◽  
Vol 74 (11) ◽  
pp. 2823-2828
Author(s):  
Liliia Y. Klos ◽  
Mariana V. Shkoliar ◽  
Sofiya G. Stavkova ◽  
Olena P. Kokhanova
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approach ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Impact

The aim: Social work is focused on overcoming inequality and social isolation of individuals and communities due to health conditions. Therefore, substantiating the activities of social workers to preserve mental health of citizens is an important component of the new strategy for the development of the profession in the XXI century. Materials and methods: The methodological basis of the study is a holistic approach to the interpretation of individual health in the unity of physical, mental, social, and spiritual components; ecosystemic approach assumes the impact of the environment on the social functioning of the individual; interdisciplinary approach identifies ways of dealing withmental health challengein the global context; social inclusion approach provides a basis for the practice of experts of the social spherein the XXI century. Conclusions: The article substantiates the need for social workers to maintain the mental health of the population under the negative impact of global factors within their own countries and internationally. The evolution analysis of the international experience of transformations of social work practice in the area of mental health preservation is carried out. Preserving the mental health of citizens under the negative effects of globalization processes depends on the concerted actions of states, international organizations, civil society, communities, and individuals themselves. This encourages social workers to work at regional and international levels with institutions interested in fair policies and practices in social and health services.

The Call of the Faithful: The Integration of Spiritual and Social Work Practice in the Time of COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 379-392
Author(s):  
Shirley Newton-Guest ◽  
Claudia Sofia Moreno ◽  
Marla Coyoy ◽  
Roxanna Najmi ◽  
Tonia Martin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Interpersonal Violence ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
The Public ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Unaccompanied Children ◽  
The Impact

This has been a season of change worldwide. It has become virtually impossible to ignore distressing news about the state of our world. COVID-19 has changed the way we live, work, how we think, and even how we grieve. Every day, Americans are bombarded with reports of rising death tolls, massive unemployment, economic turmoil, and dismal foreseeable predictions. This health crisis has put an enormous amount of pressure on the global community, and this is especially true for our clients who are new immigrants. This pressure has manifested in mental health challenges. Social workers have reported that for many clients the uncertainty and pressure are becoming too much to handle. Typically, clients are experiencing anxiety, depression, substance use disorder, and in some cases interpersonal violence (Brodhead, 2020; Endale et al. 2020; Saltzman et al.,2020). Now imagine the impact on unaccompanied minors arriving at our borders. Prior to the pandemic, the unaccompanied children were dealing with three crises simultaneously: 1) parental and home country separation; 2) trauma from a harsh journey; and 3) language barrier and cultural shock. These issues alone are overwhelming and cause powerful emotions such as anxiety in these children. So how can these emotions be managed, coupled with the dangers of COVID-19? How can social workers provide comfort and support when they may be experiencing the same emotions? This article brings this hidden reality into the public view and enrich the existing social work body of knowledge by demonstrating the restorative power of faith, spirituality, and self-care.      

scholarly journals Social work with offenders

Social Work ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 173-190
Author(s):  
Terry Bamford
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Child Care ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Children And Families ◽  
Monitoring And Surveillance ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Preparatory Work

It is often assumed that child care legislation is a response to scandals and inquiries from the 1948 Children Act to the Children Act 2004. This chapter looks in detail at the preparatory work preceding legislation and demonstrates that the impact of scandals has been greater on securing parliamentary time than it has in shaping legislation. The impact has been greatest on social work practice. Attention and activity have been skewed away from direct work to provide assistance and help towards risk assessment and risk management. There has been a consequent emphasis on the monitoring and surveillance of families and individuals. This shift is true in mental health as well as child care. It is timely to consider whether this shift in practice has made children and families safer.

Radical Hope

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michal Krumer-Nevo
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Service Users ◽  
Critical Social Work ◽  
Close Relationship ◽  
The Rich ◽  
The Impact

This book describes the new Poverty-Aware Paradigm (PAP), which was developed in Israel through intense involvement with the field of social work in various initiatives. The paradigm was adopted in 2014 by the Israeli Ministry of Welfare and Social Services as a leading paradigm for social workers in social services departments. The book draws from the rich experience of the implementation of the PAP in practice and connects examples of practice to theoretical ideas from radical/critical social work, critical poverty knowledge, and psychoanalysis. The PAP addresses poverty as a violation of human rights and emphasizes people’s ongoing efforts to resist poverty. In order to recognize these sometimes minor acts of resistance and advance their impact, social workers should establish close relationship with service users and stand by them. The book proposes combining relationship-based practice and rights-based practice as a means of bridging the gap between the emotional and material needs of service users. In addition to introducing the main concepts of the PAP, the book also contributes to the debate between conservative and cultural theories of poverty and structural theories, emphasizing the impact of a critical framework on this debate. The book consists of four parts. The first, “Transformation”, addresses the transformational nature of the paradigm. The second, “Recognition”, is based on current psychoanalytic developments and “translates” them into social work practice in order to deepen our understanding of relationship-based practice. The third, “Rights”, describes rights-based practice. The fourth, “Solidarity”, presents various ways in which solidarity might shape social workers’ practice. The book seeks to reaffirm social work’s core commitment to combating poverty and furthering social justice and to offer a solid theoretical conceptualization that is also eminently practical.

Managing Risk in the Pro-Empowerment Era of Mental Health Care: A Cross-Cultural Study of Social Work Perspectives in Hong Kong and Sydney

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jialiang Cui ◽  
Limin Mao ◽  
Christy E Newman ◽  
Chi Kin Kwan ◽  
Kari Lancaster
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Risk Management ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Cultural Influences ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Assessment Guidelines

Abstract Risk management and empowerment have become key features of social work practice. Despite their increasing salience, relatively little is known about the perspectives of mental health social workers regarding how they navigate competing risk management approaches in modern practice that supports empowerment. The socio-cultural influences on risk management have also received insufficient attention in social work research. Focusing on these issues, this paper explored the perspectives of social workers in two geographically and culturally distinctive settings (i.e., Hong Kong and Sydney). Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with frontline social workers and were analysed using thematic analysis. Similar views were expressed by participants in both settings regarding assessment of clients’ readiness for risk-taking. Differences were identified in their practices of negotiating the perspectives of other key stakeholders and can be attributed to the influences of distinctive cultural and socio-political contexts. These insights may contribute to the development of more systematic, localised and practice-based risk assessment guidelines for mental health practitioners working towards the empowerment of clients.

Cultural Competency in Mental-Health Services

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Sung Hong ◽  
Wynne Sandra Korr
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Cultural Competency ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Cultural Knowledge ◽  
Salient Factor ◽  
Helping Process

Since the 1980s, cultural competency has increasingly been recognized as a salient factor in the helping process, which requires social-work professionals to effectively integrate cultural knowledge and sensitivity with skills. This entry chronicles the history of mental-health services and the development of cultural competency in social-work practice, followed by a discussion of mental-health services utilization and barriers to services among racial/ethnic minorities. Directions for enhancing cultural competency in mental-health services are also highlighted.

Some reflections on social workers’ perspectives on mental health services in two cities - Sydney, Australia and Budapest, Hungary

2007 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 145-155 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zita Weber ◽  
Zsolt Bugarszki
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Theoretical Orientation ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Political Narratives ◽  
Travail Social ◽  
Two Cities ◽  
Sydney Australia

English This article reflects on the ways in which historical and political narratives have shaped social work practice in mental health in two cities, Sydney, Australia and Budapest, Hungary. A small sample of social workers was interviewed in the two cities and their perspectives highlighted many similarities in theoretical orientation to their practice. French Cette thèse s'arrête sur les façons dont les récits historiques et politiques ont façonnéla pratique du travail social dans deux villes, Sydney en Australie et Budapest en Hongrie. Un échantillon restreint de travailleurs sociaux ont étéinterviewés dans les deux villes et leurs perspectives ont mis en lumière un grand nombre de similitudes en ce qui a trait à l'orientation théorique de leur pratique. Spanish Se reflexiona sobre la manera en que narrativas históricas y políticas han dado forma a la práctica de trabajo social en Sydney (Australia) y Budapest (Hungría). Se entrevistóa una pequeña muestra de trabajadores sociales en las dos ciudades. Sus perspectivas muestran muchas semejanzas en la orientación teórica de su práctica.

scholarly journals Utilising a scholarship program as a workforce strategy for the community-managed mental health sector

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 360-376 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma Foreman ◽  
Sara McMillan ◽  
Amanda Wheeler
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Workforce Development ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Mental Health Program ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
University Experiences ◽  
Scholarship Program ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The community-managed mental health sector needs to meet growing workforce demands. Yet, limited research has explored professional development opportunities and effective recruitment and retention strategies to support sector growth. One strategy is the use of a scholarship program to increase skills and training, via a University qualification. The purpose of this paper is to explore the progress of 19 mental health scholarship students and the impact of the scholarship on career intentions. Design/methodology/approach A mixed-methods approach comprising scholarship applications, questionnaires and semi-structured interviews was used to explore the students’ university experiences between February 2013 and January 2015. Course convenors of the Mental Health Program were interviewed. Data were collected across three time-points over 24 months, with each collection informing the next research phase. Data analysis involved thematic analysis and descriptive statistics. Findings Deeper knowledge, recognition of experience, new career pathways and improved work practice were benefits. Managing time and study, and work-life balance were the greatest challenges. Completing students displayed a range of internal attributes and accessed external supports. At the time of the study, the scholarships maintained student motivation and intention to work in the sector. Originality/value This research provides a deeper understanding of the demographics of the sector’s workforce. Insight into the attributes of completing students was obtained. The benefits realized and the challenges faced by the scholarship recipients will inform ongoing workforce development programs for the community-managed mental health sector.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document