Role of the Mental Health Social Worker - Literature review Example

Role of the Mental Health Social Worker According to Allen (2014), social work is the vital to provide and maintain the services related to the mental health within a society. Social workers correspondingly, play a significant role in providing the best services to the people diagnosed with mental health problem. Social workers can influence people to raise their confidence through their positive work as well as their best quality services (Gray & Schubert, 2010). It is to be mentioned in this context that refinement in the degree of expertise and skills come from rigorous training. It is in this context that social workers are also trained to enhance their efficiency in performing assigned job roles. Therefore, they have the ability to manage the complex as well as challenging situations or risks for the society and for the individual. As addressed by Allen (2014), in the recent trends, social work can transform the lives of people along with mental health condition in a society, which again indicates their significance in the current era. Social work can improve the quality of mental health conditions through the motivation and dedication of social workers, as social workers are trained in this work and have the capability to do the work effectively. It is to be mentioned in this context that mental health is mainly a practice for the social work. Social work provides mental health services by the people who are engaged in local authorities to make sure that their responsibilities towards the people of mental health problems are met. He also states that social work brings a social perspective towards mental health to improve it (Bailey & Liyanage, 2012). Social work also plays a vital role to ensure human rights in a uniform manner for those suffering from and those and also safeguard people from social harm. Social workers also can maintain a complex situation by taking the leadership role in preventing the mental health problem among adult patients (Allen, 2014). Social and Medical Model Social and medical model is a framework that depicts the procedure based on which integration of the patients and their well-being are encouraged in the future. It provides the information to the patients and the service users related to the steps for the improvement of health in future. The model is required to provide a new approach to the service users to increase their awareness and understanding level about the mental health problem. This model also helps them for the recovery as well as the treatment of the mental health problem (Beresford, 2002). Accordingly, it can be critically analysed that the model has become a paramount factor in order address the distress of the service user in the healthcare sector. In this regard, Beresford, P. et. al. (2010), highlighted that medical model of mental illness at times labels a stigma, which is a significant barrier for the service user. At times, it is critically referred that the existing medical model with regard to mental illness can be determined as negative in terms of its effects. Even through it is further critically reviewed that professionals regard it as a vital and omnipotent model owing to the fact that it facilitates users in preparing their attitudes along with understanding. A few of the users have been critically determined to reject the model owing to having a lack of evidence or belief towards its capability to successfully provide required care. According to Martin (2004), social workers, to be effective, also need requisite information related to mental health problem in the society, besides having long experiences in the field. Therefore, the governmental authorities approved an inspection regarding social work contribution towards mental health services. Martin (2004) also addresses that through the inspection it became apparent that there is a variation in the arrangement of managers (Clifton & Thorley, 2014). This variation could be the result of a lack of presentation of the social workers in the management of mental health services. Other causes to such variation might have been the dissatisfaction persistent among the social workers with their current remunerations or wages compared to the other professions who were involved in mental health services (Martin, 2004). Following these perceptions, the inspection department focused much on increasing the job satisfaction of social workers to improve their degree of contribution to mental health services. Martin (2004) also addresses that the inspection department have been organizing the “good practice seminar” thorough which they intended to provide innovative and best quality practices to the social workers regarding mental health services (Shah & Mountain, 2007). Through the practice, social workers can also recover the lives of the people along with the mental health conditions prevalent among the common people in the society. Social workers are also involved in both types of mental services, such as in hospitals and in developing community mental health teams. Therefore, in recent trends, social workers play a most significant role in the various areas to improve mental health condition by providing them best quality services (Martin, 2004). Alternatively, according to Harnois & Gabriel (2002), mental health problems have increased and are considered as the problem of disease as well as disability worldwide. The mental health problem in the organization is one of the most vital problems because it not only affects the productivity of individual even the entire productivity of the organization. Therefore, social workers have to increase their contribution towards the mental health services for the development of mental health problem in the organization or in the workplace (Huxley et. al., 2005). Harnois & Gabriel (2002) also addresses that job stress is a major reason for mental health problems, which can affect the performance of employees in the organization. Therefore, the roles of social workers are concentrated to provide information related to health education, so that they can increase their awareness about factors that can affect their health and well-being (Harnois & Gabriel, 2002). Another responsibility of social workers towards the mental health problem is to deliver information related to the action program through which, people could prevent their mental health problems. Social workers also prove highly effective in building consciousness regarding the mental health programs. Social workers also co-ordinate with the different types of mental health programmes to provide the best and high quality services to people suffering from mental health problems (Huxley et. al., 2005). Social workers also act as the agent of community education for mental health services. Contextually, it is important that social workers must take training programs to obtain sufficient knowledge about mental health services so that they can deliver high quality services related to the mental health problem (Harnois & Gabriel, 2002). The Changing Role of the Approved Social Worker to the Approved Mental Health Professional According to the College of Social Work (2014), the role of approved healthcare professionals was introduced by the Mental Health Act 2007, in order to change the roles of approved social workers in a more versatile manner. Social workers, are in this regard, considered to often maintain a dominant profession in the delivery of the roles and responsibilities of approved mental health professionals and play a key leadership role in the delivery of duties as well as practices along with quality assurance. The roles of the approved mental health professionals are unique because they play the roles related to the dimension of legal duties and counterbalance these roles to the medical perspectives (Bamford, 2013). Approved mental health Professional also has capabilities related to improvement as well as quality assurance of the mental health services, which can be found associated with the principle roles and responsibilities of social workers on a larger realm (The College of Social Work, 2014). One of the major roles of approved mental health professionals is to act as the mechanism, through which, the local authorities can introduce a system for the improvement of quality assurance, leadership practice and professional accountability among others. The changing role of approved social workers, to the approved mental health professionals can be to develop and improved within the community of approved mental health professionals to promote the sharing of good practices of the mental health services (Cesare & King, 2014). Alternatively, according to Johnson (2008), code of practice is essential because it provides guidance to the approved mental health professionals regarding their duties under the Act. Approved mental health professional play a key role towards improving the communication system to provide with adequate information and ensure care for the patients. They also use simple language so that they can easily communicate with the patient related to their health problem, partially sufficing their social care duties (Bogg, 2014). It is also noteworthy in this context that under the Mental Health Act, approved mental health professionals also suggest those patients to take initiatives and actions that would reduce the mental health problem and improve the well-being of their health (Johnson, 2008). They also provide quality assurance services to the patients and prefer to always remain connected with the patient through communication system to suggest them related to the health problem, making use of their training program (Ray et. al., 2008). Approved mental health professionals suggest that patients may nominate mental health advocates who should be independent. Based on the opinion of approved mental health professionals, the involvement of relatives and friends of patients can be beneficial for the care as well as the treatment of patients. Contextually, approved mental health professionals always ensure the well-being of the patients by delivering accurate information about mental health problem (Johnson, 2008). On the other hand, according to Gaag (2013), approved mental health professionals work on several functions under the Mental Health Act 1983. Under the Mental Health Act, the functions of approved mental health professionals are associated with the decisions, which are prepared about mental disorders of individuals along with their compulsory admission to the hospital. Approved social workers and approved mental health professionals are thus argued to be connected with each other for the mental health services (Carpenter et. al., 2003). According to Carpenter et. al. (2003), the person who has completed an approved training tenure and has been appointed to act as an approved mental health professional by the local social service authority, may also perform the roles of an approved social worker (Gaag, 2013). It is this that treated equivalent of an approved social worker, approved mental health professionals have the better impacts on the efficiencies of approved social workers, as these professionals play an important role in the decision making process in terms of mental health problem experienced by individuals or their families as well as relatives. Approved mental health professionals also have the responsibilities to co-ordinate with the assessment and the implementation of processes related to mental health assistance. Therefore, they can make a decision at the time of admission under the Mental Health Act 1983 (Beresford, 2002). The mental health nurses also have to access the approved mental health professional training successfully to perform the functions of these professionals after taking approval from the local service authority. Approved mental health professionals can also play the role of autonomous social service providers (Gaag, 2013). The Contributions of Social Workers to a Community Mental Health Team According to Mental Health Commission (2006), there are several contributions of social workers to community mental health, fundamentally owing to the fact that social workers play the significant role to prevent the mental health problem. Social workers can therefore, widen the scope for several opportunities for the community mental health team, in terms of education services and strategic plan contributing towards the recovery of the mental health problem (McCrae et. al., 2004). Hence, it can be argued that social workers play a key role in developing the treatment process through which, they can improve the lives of people along with ensuring their well-being of health. Social workers also bring good plan along with the good communication system to reduce mental problem. Social workers also bring multidisciplinary teams to a community mental health team to provide them benefits such as support and educational skills, continuous of mental health care and the ability or power to take the initiative for mental care among others (Mental Health Commission, 2006). According to the Mental Health Commission, multidisciplinary team provides active care for the people who have long-term mental health problems. Multidisciplinary team also provides requisite support to the patient in 24 hours along with the best treatment at the time of a complex situation. Social workers also play a key role to introduce cost effective services to a community mental health team (Mental Health Commission, 2006). Social workers also enhance knowledge sharing system and the practices to deliver new skills to the mental health team. Social workers also bring leadership skills so that mental health team can apply their own strategies to prevent the problem and control the issues effectively. Social workers also help the community mental health team to improve their awareness related to the provisions of treatment (Care Services Improvement Partnership, 2007). On the other hand, according to Schultz et. al. (n.d.), the professionals of mental health have to play their role as the multidisciplinary social worker, to prevent their mental health problem. Social workers are often regarded as the key participants to deliver effective as well as efficient treatment for the community mental health teams besides playing the roles of a multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary teams for the treatment of mental health problem. These three teams have their own provisions for delivering required cares and services to the patients. These teams maintain good collaboration with each other in the complex situation too, which is the benefit for the community mental health team (Ghaemi, 2014; Schultz et. al., n.d.). Social workers also bring potential ways to improve the lives of the patients for the community mental health team. They also provide innovative idea to the mental health team to increase their satisfaction by reducing the issues related to community and offer several health care methods for the well-being of the people of society, contributing to its overall welfare (Acker, 2011). Social workers are also observed to develop the communication system for the community mental health team, to increase collaboration throughout the preventive care framework. They also bring the availability of resources as well as opportunities to a community mental health team to reduce the burden or problem of mental health and to enhance the value of the life of the community mental health team (Beresford et. al., 2010; Schultz et. al., n.d.). Alternatively, according to Silsby (2008), social workers bring knowledge about the mental health services to the community mental health team and likewise, contribute to the same. They also bring the theories of group work and the information about relationship among the issues of mental health and welfare of families (Carpenter, 2002). Social workers also deliver information about the illness of mental health along with social justice because encouraging the principles effective in these domains. It refers to the fact that social workers provide equal justice for everyone in terms of services related to medical problems such as mental health services (Silsby, 2008). Social workers also introduce consultation with the individuals along with the community groups to solve the problems of injustice within the community, which might also relate to the mental health issue. They also help the community in the action strategies so that mental health team can implement required action strategy for generating better outcomes (Nathan & Webber, 2008). According to Silsby (2008), social workers play a key role to improve awareness regarding the community mental health, when concerning political as well as legal processes so that the community team can follow different procedures of social actions. They also provide a clear understanding of service system and the knowledge skills of social works to the community mental health team for improvements in dealing with the issue (Silsby, 2008; Evans et. al., 2006). Benefits or Negative Impacts for Service-Users According to Dooher & Rye (2013), mental health services, especially the pattern through which the service is delivered, may impose both positive as well as negative impacts for service users. As often noted, the issue of the mental health problem can be reduced through certain strategic plans taken by the people of the community (Beresford, 2004). People can also prevent their mental health problem thorough their own care. In this regard, people have to obtain knowledge about social actions for the recovery of the problem as well as to generate positive experiences of care (Dooher & Rye, 2013). According to Dooher & Rye (2013), safe as well as supported housing is the essential element of good mental health and it is a positive along with long-term solution for the recovery of mental health problem (McCrae et. al., 2005). On a positive noted, the involvement of service users in the service design and the delivery process of mental health care, can increase self-efficiency and can also raise consciousness about the various perspectives to the issue. There should also be better communication as well as relationship with the social workers and the health professionals that would help enhancing benefits to the mental health care service users. Service users also get influenced by accessing the greater information about the recovery of mental health problem with the help of social workers, which can be termed as a benefit for the group (Dooher & Rye, 2013; Kader, 2006). Alternatively, according to Kinderman & Tai (2009), The National Service Framework has set out standards for the promotion of mental health, providing both primary as well as secondary cares for the prevention of mental health problem. Stating precisely, the participation or contribution of social workers may impose both positive as well as negative effects related to the mental health care. Social workers can be referred as those professionals who make attempts to provide relevant information as well as knowledge to the service users, motivating them to function independently as to how they can take the initiatives to prevent their mental health problem, which can be termed as a positive effect for the service users (Wills, 2012; (Kinderman & Tai, 2009). Other positive effects can be in terms that service user can make their own decision regarding the treatment with the help of social workers and therefore work independently even after taking assistance from the social workers. Social workers also help the service users to improve their experiences regarding the mental health problem, as they can select their own advocate from their family members or relatives who can guide them for their better and faster recovery. Social workers also work in partnership and maintain good collaboration with the service users and other participants of the chain to obtain the best solution of the mental health services, which is also one of the positive effects for the service users. Social workers also provide the healthy workplace along with learning environment, which can be helpful for the good health of service users (Jones, 2010; Kinderman & Tai, 2009). On the other hand, according to Iiiingworth & Cheivanayagam (2007), to maintain good health within the community, the contributions of health professionals and social workers are essential for the services users. Social workers and health professionals provide quality assurance services to the patients or service users. According to the inspection department, improper development in the infrastructure of service deliverance, such as inadequate transparency in the wage system of the social workers, absence of a chain of command might delay the service delivery process and thus, cause a negative effect on the service users (Gregor, 2010; Thompson, 2008). However, the service sector has been improving in terms of infrastructural growth that has in turn offered a significant scope to enhance service quality in the stated domain (Webber, 2012; Iiiingworth & Cheivanayagam, 2007). References Allen, R., 2014. The Role of the Social Worker in Adult Mental Health Services. The College of Social Work, pp. 1-39. Acker, M. G., 2011. Burnout among Mental Health Care Providers. Journal of Social Work, Vol. 12, No. 5, pp. 475-490. Bailey, D. & Liyanage, L., 2012. The Role of the Mental Health Social Worker: Political Pawns in the Reconfiguration of Adult Health and Social Care. 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