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International Journal of Environmental... May 2018This article looks at the place of social recovery in mental health and social care services, alongside personal recovery. Despite its conceptual and practice centrality... (Review)
Review
This article looks at the place of social recovery in mental health and social care services, alongside personal recovery. Despite its conceptual and practice centrality to the new meaning of recovery, social recovery has remained a relatively neglected dimension. This article attempts to provide an updated critical commentary based on findings from fifty nine studies, including a variety of research methodologies and methods. Definitions of social recovery within the new meaning of recovery are looked at. This is followed by outlining the development and significance of this dimension as reflected in the key areas of shared decision making, co-production and active citizenship, re-entering employment after experiencing mental ill health, being in employment, poverty and coping with poverty, the economic and the scientific cases for social recovery. The article highlights the connections between service users' experiencing mental health and social care systems, and the implications of ideologies and policies reflecting positions on social recovery. The complexity of social recovery is indicated in each of these areas; the related conceptual and methodological frameworks developed to research this dimension, and key achievements and barriers concerning everyday practice application of social recovery. The summary indicates potential future development perspectives of this dimension.
Topics: Adaptation, Psychological; Employment; Humans; Mental Health; Mental Health Services; Poverty; Social Participation; Social Work
PubMed: 29789511
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph15061052 -
American Journal of Public Health Dec 2017To critically analyze social work's role in Medicaid reform.
OBJECTIVES
To critically analyze social work's role in Medicaid reform.
METHODS
We conducted semistructured interviews with 46 stakeholders from 10 US states that use a range of Medicaid reform approaches. We identified participants using snowball and purposive sampling. We gathered data in 2016 and analyzed them using qualitative methods.
RESULTS
Multiple themes emerged: (1) social work participates in Medicaid reform through clinical practice, including care coordination and case management; (2) there is a gap between social work's practice-level and systems-level involvement in Medicaid innovations; (3) factors hindering social work's involvement in systems-level practice include lack of visibility, insufficient clarity on social work's role and impact, and too few resources within professional organizations; and (4) social workers need more training in health transformation payment models and policy.
CONCLUSIONS
Social workers have unique skills that are valuable to building health systems that promote population health and reduce health inequities. Although there is considerable opportunity for social work to increase its role in Medicaid reform, there is little social work involvement at the systems level.
Topics: Female; Health Care Reform; Humans; Male; Medicaid; Professional Role; Qualitative Research; Quality of Health Care; Social Work; Social Workers; United States
PubMed: 29236537
DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2017.304002 -
Social Science & Medicine (1982) Feb 2019Since the late 1990s social enterprises have been increasingly utilised as a means of delivering of health and social care services. However, there is little evidence on...
Since the late 1990s social enterprises have been increasingly utilised as a means of delivering of health and social care services. However, there is little evidence on if, and how, provision by social enterprise might achieve positive health outcomes, particularly in comparison to other modes of delivery. In this paper, we draw upon the multiple perspectives offered by stakeholders involved in a rural social enterprise initiative based in Scotland, UK, and in a nearby comparator public sector organisation. Both types of organisation aim to increase the physical activity levels of people with chronic health conditions. In order to gain perspectives on the range of mechanisms and outcomes involved in different types of organisation providing similar interventions, realist evaluation of data gathered from in-depth semi-structured interviews (n = 68) was undertaken. Interviews were carried out with beneficiaries, service providers and external stakeholders and Context-Mechanism-Outcome (CMO) configurations developed to support our explanations for how, and in what ways, social enterprise might impact differently on health. Our findings highlight that the social enterprise is differentiated from the publicly-run service in two distinct ways: firstly, the social enterprise was better able to flexibly deliver a bespoke programme designed around the needs of service users; and secondly, their role as a community 'boundary spanner' helped facilitate strong ties and feelings of connectedness between beneficiaries, organisational staff and community stakeholders. However, these advantages were significantly compromised when funding was constrained. Our findings serve as an important basis for future research to better understand the means by which social enterprises might deliver health outcomes, particularly in comparison with public sector providers.
Topics: Delivery of Health Care; Health Behavior; Health Status; Humans; Interviews as Topic; Mental Health; Program Evaluation; Qualitative Research; Quality of Life; Scotland; Self Concept; Social Participation; Social Work
PubMed: 30641285
DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2019.01.007 -
Harm Reduction Journal Oct 2023Social work with people who use drugs (PWUD) has traditionally focused on abstinence and rehabilitation. In recent years, harm reduction has gained an increasingly more...
BACKGROUND
Social work with people who use drugs (PWUD) has traditionally focused on abstinence and rehabilitation. In recent years, harm reduction has gained an increasingly more important role in social work with PWUD, and social workers are key professionals in many harm reduction services. This study investigates how social workers in harm reduction services for PWUD in Sweden understand the concept of harm reduction and how it relates to goals of rehabilitation, and how they assess and deal with dilemmas and challenges in everyday work.
METHODS
The study is based on interviews with 22 social workers in harm reduction services for PWUD in the Scania region of Sweden. A thematic analysis in three steps was used in coding and processing the data.
RESULTS
The social workers pointed to similar values between social work and harm reduction and argued for combining the two fields to improve services for PWUD. Three overarching principles for Harm Reduction Social Work (HRSW) were developed based on the social workers accounts: (1) Harm reduction is a prerequisite for rather than a counterpoint to rehabilitation and recovery, (2) motivational work must be non-mandatory and based on the client's goals, (3) a holistic perspective is crucial for Harm Reduction Social Work. Challenges in doing HRSW concerned restrictive laws, policies, and guidelines, resistance from managers, difficulties in setting boundaries between client autonomy and life-saving interventions, and the risk of normalizing high-risk behaviors.
CONCLUSIONS
We use the concept of Harm Reduction Social Work to show how social work with PWUD can have a primary focus on reducing harm and risks, while at the same time it involves a holistic perspective that facilitates motivation and change. The suggested principles of HRSW can provide guidance in practical social work with vulnerable PWUD. Social workers can have important roles in most harm reduction settings and may act to enable recovery.
Topics: Humans; Harm Reduction; Social Workers; Sweden; Qualitative Research; Social Work
PubMed: 37833801
DOI: 10.1186/s12954-023-00884-w -
International Journal of Environmental... Jan 2020Little is known about working conditions of social workers providing help in homeless and refugee aid. Therefore, the present study examined their work-related demands,...
Little is known about working conditions of social workers providing help in homeless and refugee aid. Therefore, the present study examined their work-related demands, job and personal resources as well as workplace violence, domain-specific demands, and gender-related differences. Job demands and resources were analyzed with regard to their association with job stress and job satisfaction. Two hundred and fifty-three social workers (69.2% female, 30.8% male) from four federal states in Germany (Berlin, Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein, and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania) took part in the cross-sectional quantitative online survey that included validated scales and exploratory items especially developed for the target group. Multiple regression analysis showed that resilience as a personal resource was a significant negative predictor of perceived job stress. Emotional demands were positively related with perceived job stress. Meaning of work and social support were strongly associated with job satisfaction. Language and bureaucratic barriers as well as being affected by clients' experiences were the domain-specific demands named most often. The study offers insights into the work-related demands and resources and their respective impact on perceived job stress and job satisfaction experienced by social workers in refugee and homeless aid. In order to ensure health and safety for this occupational group, health promotion measures focusing on structural aspects are recommended.
Topics: Adult; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Germany; Ill-Housed Persons; Humans; Job Satisfaction; Male; Middle Aged; Occupational Stress; Refugee Camps; Refugees; Social Support; Social Work; Young Adult
PubMed: 31963446
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17020601 -
American Journal of Public Health Dec 2017Social work is a core health profession with origins deeply connected to the development of contemporary public health in the United States. Today, many of the nation's...
Social work is a core health profession with origins deeply connected to the development of contemporary public health in the United States. Today, many of the nation's 600 000 social workers practice broadly in public health and in other health settings, drawing on a century of experience in combining clinical, intermediate, and population approaches for greater health impact. Yet, the historic significance of this long-standing interdisciplinary collaboration-and its current implications-remains underexplored in the present era. This article builds on primary and contemporary sources to trace the historic arc of social work in public health, providing examples of successful collaborations. The scope and practices of public health social work practice are explored, and we articulate a rationale for an expanded place for social work in the public health enterprise.
Topics: Community Health Services; History, 20th Century; History, 21st Century; Humans; Public Health; Social Work; Social Work Department, Hospital; United States
PubMed: 29236533
DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2017.304005 -
Social Work in Public Health 2013Social workers and other behavioral health professionals are likely to encounter individuals with substance use disorders in a variety of practice settings outside of... (Review)
Review
Social workers and other behavioral health professionals are likely to encounter individuals with substance use disorders in a variety of practice settings outside of specialty treatment. 12-Step mutual support programs represent readily available, no cost community-based resources for such individuals; however, practitioners are often unfamiliar with such programs. The present article provides a brief overview of 12-Step programs, the positive substance use and psychosocial outcomes associated with active 12-Step involvement, and approaches ranging from ones that can be utilized by social workers in any practice setting to those developed for specialty treatment programs to facilitate engagement in 12-Step meetings and recovery activities. The goal is to familiarize social workers with 12-Step approaches so that they are better able to make informed referrals that match clients to mutual support groups that best meet the individual's needs and maximize the likelihood of engagement and positive outcomes.
Topics: Evidence-Based Practice; Humans; Practice Guidelines as Topic; Program Evaluation; Psychotherapy, Group; Self-Help Groups; Social Support; Social Work; Substance-Related Disorders
PubMed: 23731422
DOI: 10.1080/19371918.2013.774663 -
American Journal of Public Health Dec 2013
Topics: Chronic Disease; Health Services Accessibility; Ill-Housed Persons; Humans; Mental Health; Public Health; Risk Factors; Social Work; United States; United States Department of Veterans Affairs
PubMed: 24148037
DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2013.301730 -
Journal of Social Work in End-of-life &... 2014
Topics: Chronic Disease; Hospice Care; Humans; Palliative Care; Social Work; Terminal Care
PubMed: 24628137
DOI: 10.1080/15524256.2014.878117 -
Social Work Apr 2010Psychiatric advance directives (PADs) are legal documents that allow individuals to express their wishes for future psychiatric care and to authorize a legally appointed... (Review)
Review
Psychiatric advance directives (PADs) are legal documents that allow individuals to express their wishes for future psychiatric care and to authorize a legally appointed proxy to make decisions on their behalf during incapacitating crises. PADs are viewed as an alternative to the coercive interventions that sometimes accompany mental health crises for people with mental illness. Insofar as coercive interventions can abridge clients' autonomy and self-determination--values supported by the NASW Code of Ethics--social workers have a vested interest in finding ways to reduce coercion and increase autonomy and self-determination in their practice. However, PADs are also viewed as having the potential to positively affect a variety of other clinical outcomes, including, but not limited to, treatment engagement, treatment satisfaction, and working alliance. This article reviews the clinical and legal history of PADs and empirical evidence for their implementation and effectiveness. Despite what should be an inherent interest in PADs and the fact that laws authorizing PADs have proliferated in the past decade, there is little theoretical or empirical research on PADS in the social work literature.
Topics: Advance Directives; Coercion; Decision Making; Humans; Informed Consent; Mental Competency; Mental Disorders; Mental Health Services; Patient Rights; Psychiatry; Social Work; United States
PubMed: 20408357
DOI: 10.1093/sw/55.2.157