Service users

This article looks at one model of how mental health professionals relate to carers and families.  It then goes on to consider some research on aspects of the family environment, and the impact that mental illness has on how clients and families relate to one another.  Finally it offers suggestions as to how this material might be relevant to our approach to social work in mental health.

The aim of this multimedia learning resource is to provide a broad introduction to the issues affecting minority ethnic carers and service users with an emphasis on achieving cultural competence within individual practice.

This film focuses on the work of Nicola James, a social worker for Surrey County Council. Nicola works with disabled young adults and their carers. She introduces us to Caroline Hunter, who cares for her son, who is autistic and has severe learning disabilities. Nicola’s work with the Hunter family demonstrates how considering the needs of both the service user and the carer can have a positive impact on the whole family.

This film details the requirements on universities teaching the social work degree to involve service user and carers in their courses. It also sets out the benefits that result from students working with service users and carers, with users and carers describing how this leads to improved practice and how students explaining the value of learning about the realities of people's lives. The film will be of interest to social worker educators, students on social work courses, people working more broadly in co-production/participation and service users and carers.

This study uses focus groups of users, carers, and structured staff interviews to explore the physical health needs of mental health services users and the barriers that make it hard for them to seek or gain access to services. Results found that despite the inextricable link between physical well-being and mental health, professionals in both primary and secondary care fail to view users holistically. Professional role ambiguity and poor communications result in access difficulties for users and add to the burden felt by carers.

Care workers are introduced to the concepts of access and application of policies and procedures, the organisation’s aims & values and working in partnership with other workers and the service user. It also considers the responsibilities a care worker has, as set out in the General Social Care Council’s Code of Practice for Social Care Workers. This video will help them answer such questions as: What standard of conduct is expected of me? What tasks and activities will I be expected to carry out? Where do I go for advice, information and support?

A qualitative study involving semi-structured interviews with 31 people with disabilities and 32 carers in the state of Queensland, Australia, found that their experience of supportive service delivery had not improved despite reforms of the service delivery system driven by a version of the quasi-market model. Instead of delivering increased consumer choice and improved efficiency in service delivery, users experienced inadequate service supply, service cutbacks and increased emphasis on cost subsidisation and assessment processes.

The Mental Capacity Act comes into full effect on 1 October 2007. This article aims to provide answers to some of the most frequent voiced questions and misapprehensions from mental health service users, carers, and practitioners about what the Act will mean to them.

In this video representatives from four universities describe the ways in which service users and carers participate in social work degree courses. It looks at the benefits user and carer involvement brings to the courses and how they gain from the experience of participation. The film will be useful for  is relevant to social worker educators, social work students, people working more broadly in co-production/participation and service users and carers.

This title looks at the needs of the service user in a care environment and the care which needs to be provided by an establishment and its staff. A better understanding of the needs of service users will improve the care skills of carers as well as satisfaction in their own work.