Policy Press
Observations from the front line
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Andy Brammer
Abstract
Is there a future for mental health social work as a distinct profession that promotes a dynamic social model of understanding mental health that is able to advocate on behalf of service users from an anti-oppressive perspective and challenges the social injustice that surrounds the world of mental health service users? The observations I wish to make are drawn from my own practice as a mental health social worker, from my teaching of post-qualified social workers and from listening to other practitioners at various events over the past couple of years organised by Unison or organisations such as the Social Work Action Network (SWAN). I started by attempting to write this as an academic piece, but found it difficult to find the research to support my experiences. I have chosen to write this from a grounded theory perspective.
I recently attended a picket line for the Remploy workers who were striking against the closure of their factory. The steward informed me that they had been told by the government that Remploy was “not fit for purpose” and was not the “21st-century model for employing disabled people”. This has striking familiarity with the justifications we often hear for changing the structure of our services, and for the contracting of services outside the public sector. I think it particularly true for practitioners in the statutory sector that we are made to feel that we are a self-interested conservative block to the introduction of more dynamic and responsive consumer models of service provision. Anyone who has worked in social work for even a short period of time will probably be familiar with the terms ‘reorganisation’, ‘reconfiguration’ or ‘re-engineering’.
Abstract
Is there a future for mental health social work as a distinct profession that promotes a dynamic social model of understanding mental health that is able to advocate on behalf of service users from an anti-oppressive perspective and challenges the social injustice that surrounds the world of mental health service users? The observations I wish to make are drawn from my own practice as a mental health social worker, from my teaching of post-qualified social workers and from listening to other practitioners at various events over the past couple of years organised by Unison or organisations such as the Social Work Action Network (SWAN). I started by attempting to write this as an academic piece, but found it difficult to find the research to support my experiences. I have chosen to write this from a grounded theory perspective.
I recently attended a picket line for the Remploy workers who were striking against the closure of their factory. The steward informed me that they had been told by the government that Remploy was “not fit for purpose” and was not the “21st-century model for employing disabled people”. This has striking familiarity with the justifications we often hear for changing the structure of our services, and for the contracting of services outside the public sector. I think it particularly true for practitioners in the statutory sector that we are made to feel that we are a self-interested conservative block to the introduction of more dynamic and responsive consumer models of service provision. Anyone who has worked in social work for even a short period of time will probably be familiar with the terms ‘reorganisation’, ‘reconfiguration’ or ‘re-engineering’.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents v
- Notes on contributors vii
- Series editors’ introduction ix
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Lead essay
- Social work and mental health 1
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Responses
- Letting madness breathe? Critical challenges facing mental health social work today 29
- Agents of change? Social work for well-being and mental health 39
- Connecting psychological stress and colonialism 49
- ‘Diagnosis human’: markets, targets and medicalisation in community mental health services 57
- The problem with recovery 63
- A student social worker’s perspective 71
- Observations from the front line 77
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Concluding remarks
- Some concluding thoughts 83
- References 87
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents v
- Notes on contributors vii
- Series editors’ introduction ix
-
Lead essay
- Social work and mental health 1
-
Responses
- Letting madness breathe? Critical challenges facing mental health social work today 29
- Agents of change? Social work for well-being and mental health 39
- Connecting psychological stress and colonialism 49
- ‘Diagnosis human’: markets, targets and medicalisation in community mental health services 57
- The problem with recovery 63
- A student social worker’s perspective 71
- Observations from the front line 77
-
Concluding remarks
- Some concluding thoughts 83
- References 87
