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The social needs of frail or isolated older people are sometimes aided by referrals to day centres in the United Kingdom. Since the late 1940s, day centres have had a role to play promoting socialisation in later life. Additionally, attendance at day centres is often open ended, with participants only leaving due to moving to a nursing home or dying. In this study, the views of those attending time-limited day centre programmes in seven day centres in Northern Ireland have been sought in relation to their thoughts about the service as well as how they feel when it ends. Seventeen participants completed diaries for the programme duration and/or engaged in an interview process. Participants reflected on the social and educational benefits of attending but also recognised impositions in the centres that impinged upon individual choices and also the length of time they could remain. This study reveals that, in order to maintain socialisation, time-limited programmes must have clear follow-on strategies for participants. Additionally, respondents’ experiences reflect that a paternalistic model of care delivery remains in place that, whilst restrictive, reveals that access to the service is more specialised and not universal. Nevertheless, should day centres wish to remain relevant, it is important that service users are fully consulted about their desires and choices within the setting.

The potential impact of cumulative inequality upon loneliness in later life is under-researched. This study applies Ferraro and Shippee’s axioms of cumulative inequality to the narratives of two Northern Irish older women, who completed semi-structured diary entries over a 16-week period, recording and reflecting on their social lives and their personal histories. The two women were subsequently interviewed on the basis of what they had recorded. These stories reveal how the life trajectories of these two individuals are influenced by the different experiential impact of bonding and bridging social capital. Despite similar life experiences, significant and substantial differences emerged in the women’s stories, relating to work life, social class, the restrictions of a caring role, and physical and mental health. These two narratives not only provide evidence of the impact of cumulative inequality on loneliness but also highlight the lifetime impact of socio-economic status and access to capital affecting older women’s vulnerability to loneliness.

Introduction, Roger Manktelow and Jim Campbell a history of mental health social work in Northern Ireland, Stanley Herron mental health policy in Northern Ireland, Pauline Prior mental health policy in the Republic of Ireland, Fred Powell mental health social work and the law in Northern Ireland, Jim Campbell mental health social work and the law in the Republic of Ireland, Paul Guckian community care and the social inclusion of individuals with psychiatric disabilities in Northern Ireland, Roger Manktelow deinstitutionalization in the Republic of Ireland - a case for redefinition?, Maire Leane and Lydia Sapouna mental health social work and addictions in Northern Ireland, Barbara Ward mental health social work and addictions in the Republic of Ireland, Shane Butler mental health social work with older people in Northern Ireland, Faith Gibson mental health social work with older people in the Republic of Ireland, Janet Convery.

Self-injury is an increasingly common phenomenon among clinical and non-clinical populations. Health care providers generally recommend behavioural interventions that address coping skills for people who self-injure despite a lack of a consistent evidence base about their effectiveness. There is limited understanding about experiences of counselling for self-injury from the perspectives of clients.To understand clients' experiences of counselling for self-injury.Ten interviews were conducted, audio-recorded and transcribed. Data were analysed using Grounded Theory (GT).One central category, "Developing a healing reconnection with self and others" and four categories: (i) Building trust; (ii) seeing beyond the cutting; (iii) human contact and (iv) integrating experiences.Overcoming self-injury is possible within the context of a trusting and accepting therapeutic relationship. Participants perceived counselling to be helpful when counsellors were willing to work with underlying issues rather than focus primarily on the cessation of self-injury. Counsellors and mental health practitioners must look beyond the behaviour to meet with the person and facilitate the development of a therapeutic relationship, which promotes a healing reconnection with self and others.

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between online friend networks and the mental well-being (MWB) of adolescent males.Design/methodology/approach– The study used a mixed methods approach: first, questionnaire involving a validated MWB scale and questions regarding online friendship to 14-15 year old males (n=521); and second, focus group interviews (n=8) of between six and eight members three months later.Findings– Positive and negative associations were recorded between online friends and well-being. A positive relationship (p< 0.05) was found between the number of online friends and well-being scores. However, higher numbers of online friends were also associated with increases in negative online experiences namely, receiving embarrassing posts online or risky activities such as, chatting frequently with strangers. Online friends may influence perceptions of social support, status and belonging, each of which may contribute positively or negatively to well-being. However, by increasing these perceptions, online friends may cause additional distress when their presence does not provide tangible support during a crisis period.Originality/value– Online friends provide the context to which young males explore and negotiate the online world. To date, little mixed methods research has focused exclusively on the MWB of online friends. Policy makers could do well to consider the growing prominence of online social networking and produce targeted programmes to educate young people on the benefits and pitfalls of building large online “friend” networks.

The recent organisational changes in mental health service delivery with their increasing emphasis on implementing and evaluating recovery-oriented practice have implications for ongoing professional development. This study examined the relationship between work-related self-efficacy, organisational climate in terms of perceived service resilience and the organisational conditions of role conflict and role ambiguity. A survey of members of community and hospital mental health multi-disciplinary teams in a Northern Ireland Health and Social Care integrated Trust was conducted. Sixty-seven of a sample of one hundred and ten mental health staff, including social workers, nurses, occupational therapists and day care workers, in three service settings including hospital, community and day care, completed a thirty eight item questionnaire. The questionnaire contained four scales measuring organisational change, self-efficacy, and role conflict and role ambiguity. Results showed that there were strong negative correlations between organisational climate and role stressors, and a negative correlation of moderate significance between self- efficacy and role ambiguity. The researchers suggest that task-specific, self-efficacy measures could be used routinely with increased reflective practice to promote a reduction in role ambiguity. The continued use of personal and professional recovery-enhancing measures as part of service evaluation is also advocated.

Older people may experience considerable loss when they endure emotional or social loneliness. Emotional loneliness is related to the loss or absence of a confidant while social loneliness describes the discrepancy between the nature of one’s desired and actual social network. In this article, both concepts are examined in relation to new attendees at time-limited day center reablement programs in Northern Ireland. Using group work activities, reablement programs aim to motivate participants to continue to live independently, often in the face of later life losses. Out of a total of 91 initial respondents (range, 61–94), 13 lived with adult children (10 of whom were lone parents). Those living with, or who had daily contact with, adult children had significantly higher levels of emotional loneliness at the start of their program, but not at the end. For this sample, reductions in emotional loneliness in certain cohorts of older adults who attend these programs have been identified. In conclusion, it is proposed that fourth age losses mediate older people’s living arrangement and may create greater vulnerability to emotional loneliness in those living with adult children. In addition, social groups may be effective in helping reduce emotional loneliness.

The legislative framework of social work practice has consistently highlighted the need to work in partnership with parents, with far-reaching implications for families. However, the importance of engaging fathers in social work practice is an issue that has received limited attention within academic debate and research. A research study undertaken across six family centres, investigated paternal involvement in family centre social work in Northern Ireland. The study involved 46 semi-structured interviews with social workers, fathers and mothers. This paper presents the views of 22 social workers on the barriers to paternal involvement in family centre interventions. A range of factors were identified which served to inhibit or promote engagement of fathers. There were substantially more deterrents than promoters, a clear indicator of the problematic nature of paternal involvement. The findings highlight that both attitudes and practices of social workers influence the engagement of fathers. Recommendations drawn from the findings are presented for the development of father – inclusive social work practices and research.

Online help-seeking is an emerging trend within the 21st century. Yet, despite some movement toward developing online services, little is known about how young people locate, access, and receive support online. This study aims to conceptualize the process of online help-seeking among adolescent males. Modified photo-elicitation techniques were employed within eight semi-structured focus group sessions with adolescent males aged 14 to 15 years (n = 56) across seven schools in Northern Ireland. Thematic analyses were conducted within an ontological framework of critical realism and an epistemological framework of contextualism. Informal online help-seeking pathways increased opportunity for social support and reduced stigma but also included loss of control and reduced anonymity. Formal pathways offered increased anonymity but concerns were raised regarding participants' ability to locate and appraise the quality of information online. A conceptual model of online help-seeking has been developed to highlight the key help-seeking pathways taken by adolescent males.

Current global concerns regarding the mental well-being (MWB) of young males have called for fresh approaches to social work service delivery. This study investigates the efficacy of adopting more ‘online’ approaches within social work practice by examining the current impact of online help-seeking behaviours on the MWB of adolescent males. A survey questionnaire comprised of validated scales measuring mental well-being and self-efficacy, combined with questions examining online help-seeking attitudes and behaviours was completed by 527 respondents aged 14–16 years within a school environment. The internet was used by 42 per cent of respondents to retrieve health information. In general, respondents appeared knowledgeable regarding the importance of trusted and quality online health information, yet were more likely to use search engines (57 per cent) or social networking sites (48 per cent) to find information rather than a government-sponsored website (23 per cent). Young males who reported speaking to online friends regarding personal problems recorded statistically significantly higher levels of mental well-being (p < 0.02). This may suggest that being able to communicate online how you are feeling is a positive for male mental health. Social work practitioners need to recognise this generational shift in help-seeking, in terms of providing and commissioning interpersonal helping via social media.

Self-harm is a widespread and controversial issue in contemporary society. Statistics are based on reported incidents and therefore do not accurately reveal prevalence, as self-harm is often a hidden behaviour. This highlights the essential need for practitioners and society to work towards reducing the stigma surrounding self-harm. This paper goes some way towards understanding the impact of self-harm on individuals and communities. It begins by exploring terminologies and definitions of self-harm and discusses the importance of sensitivity in language use relating to self-harm. It continues by examining types of self-harm and subsequently presents life experiences that may contribute to the onset of self-harm. The paper elucidates the cultural, historical and religious origins of self-harm, indicating the ways in which self-harm has evolved with us as part of our humanity. Moreover, literature relating to the significance of stigma and attitudes is examined, followed by issues around psychiatric diagnoses pertaining to self-harm. The paper concludes by synthesizing literature relevant to the relationship between self-harm and suicide.

The problems of debt and consumerism are global phenomena. Although credit has become widely available, it is an iniquitous paradox that those most in need (those dependent on low wages or state benefits) pay substantially more for their credit than the better-off. The study focuses on how forces that operate at a global level – consumerism and the international monetary system – impact on small local communities, in this case, a relatively deprived, urban, public housing estate in the City of Derry, Northern Ireland. The community is traditional and cohesive with horizontal bonds of extended kinship-helping networks of reciprocity and interdependence, culturally homogeneous with a strong sense of identity – Catholic, working class and nationalist; and spatially defined – post-conflict segregated and geographically immobile. The community can be characterised as having strong links of shared communitarian values and informal systems of mutual aid, on the one hand, and weak ties into the wider world produc...

The management and delivery of bereavement support services in palliative care settings present practical and ethical challenges. A national survey, conducted in 2007, examined bereavement practice in ten Marie Curie hospices across the UK. This qualitativestudy was undertaken using semi-structured telephone interviews with Bereavement Service Leaders located in each hospice. Although findings revealed that bereavement services were in operation and had been reviewed in response to the National Institute for Clinical Excellence Guidance (2004) and all bereaved families were offered support, there was no standardisation of service delivery across sites. Multidisciplinary team meetings facilitated shared decision making for bereavement follow-up and expanded and clarified documentation completed by nursing staff around the time of the patient’s death. However, there was ambiguity regarding professional ‘duty of care’ and agency responses to bereaved individuals who were suicidal. Questions were raised around clinical effectiveness, reliability and professional accountability. The study highlighted ethical issues centred on documentation, user participation and consent, and found staff training was variable across the ten hospices. The findings have informed the development of a post-bereavement service model that has been subsequently implemented.across Marie Curie Cancer Care.

The 40 substantive rights contained within the United Nations Convention on the Rightsof the Child (UNCRC) 1989, have applied, without discrimination, to all children in theUnited Kingdom since 1992. However, recurrent tragedies starkly highlight the potentialvulnerability of some children when their parents experience mental health difficulties;and many children affected by parental mental illness remain a hidden population, theunique challenges they face going unaddressed. Article 3 of the UNCRC states: ‘‘Allorganisations concerned with children should work towards what is best for each child’’.Social workers occupy a critical position in safeguarding the UN Convention rights ofchildren, particularly in situations where mental illness is having an adverse impact onparenting, and where children are ‘‘in need’’ or ‘‘at risk’’. However, collaboration betweenMental Health and Family & Child Care services can be problematic. Poorly-integratedservice provision constrained by inadequate resources and training, and complicated by alatent dichotomy between the human rights of parents and the Convention rights ofchildren, can contribute to regrettable outcomes for these most vulnerable families. Thisarticle highlights the potential psychological vulnerability of children living in a situationwhere one or both parents experience mental health difficulties. Evidence regarding thescale and impact of parental mental health difficulties is explored, and discussed in thecontext of the UNCRC, and the key findings of recent Child Protection Inspections andThe article draws on relevantliterature (specifically the Western and Eastern Health and Social Services BoardsInquiry into the tragic deaths of Madeleine and Lauren O’Neill in Northern Ireland, andthe preliminary findings of research being carried out by the authors within theUniversity of Ulster) to illustrate and consider the problems associated with effectivesocial work practice with these families. The article concludes by making recommenda-tions to enhance effective, responsive, collaborative social care provision for children infamilies experiencing parental mental health difficulties.

Bereavement needs assessment for specialist palliative care services has been highlighted as important by NICE guidance on palliative care for adults with cancer. Identifying and implementing appropriate bereavement measurement tools has remained a challenge. This paper identifies and reviews bereavement measurement tools to determine their suitability for use within bereavement services and hospice settings. Cochrane, MEDLINE, PsycINFO and CINAHL, electronic databases were searched, yielding 486 papers. From fifty-nine full text papers appraised, 10 measurement tools were analysed in detail. Some tools had been tested on specific populations which limited transferability to specialist palliative care settings; some lacked adequate theoretical links and were not effective in discriminating between normal and complicated grief reactions; and some lacked clear evidence of validity or reliability. Based on these criteria, conclusions are drawn about the suitability of particular tools for UK bereavement services and hospice settings where intervention is delivered by both trained professionals and volunteers.

This qualitative research study explores experiences of partners bereaved through cancer, who were resident in an urban area of Northern Ireland and who had been service users of the social work services. Data were collected in 2004 from 10 individuals who participated in semi-structured interviews. Emergent themes were identified using thematic content analysis and findings analysed under four categories: cancer journey; impact of bereavement; process of adjustment and change; and experience of support services. Opportunities to facilitate communication were not always maximised, often resulting in poor bereavement outcomes. Although hospices undertook bereavement risk assessment, participants were unaware of its use and queried its accuracy without service user involvement. The most cited informal support was family and friends, although such help was time-limited. Service user feedback regarding social workers was generally positive; however, there was a lack of knowledge about their role in palliative care. Post-bereavement adjustment was influenced by the quality of social networks, the responsibilities of lone parenthood, and challenges to life values and core beliefs. A framework for palliative care social work has been recommended based on research findings.

• Summary: The civil and political conflict in Northern Ireland over a 30-year period, known as the Troubles, has resulted in over 3600 deaths and some 40,000 injured. The present study investigates the needs of people affected by the Troubles and what contribution social work is making to help meet those needs. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with key representatives of 45 groups providing services to victims of the Troubles. Proposals are made for the development of specialist social work services for individuals suffering conflict-related trauma. • Findings: The results show that the psychological experience of the Troubles is characterized by the theme of a vulnerability to depression and anxiety arising from the internalization of negative feelings and the theme of loss — a sudden and violent bereavement and a grieving which has had to be denied and postponed. Victims suffered ill-health caused by long-term, attritional stress and the employment of coping mechanisms which in themselves placed individual health at risk. The Troubles caused adverse social effects including an individual experience of anomie, a community fragmentation and disintegration and a social culture of suspicion and segregation. • Applications : The prime recommendation of the study is that social work services provided for victims of the Troubles must be community based, offer safety and trust, recognize the right to campaign on human rights issues and offer a range of therapeutic responses.

This article reports on how research activity helped describe and analyse ASW (Approved Social Worker) learning experience as well as acting as a catalyst for change and development in policy and practice in Northern Ireland. The paper contextualizes the study by outlining the legislation, the main features of the ASW role and the approach to ASW training in Northern Ireland, and by reviewing the literature on the efficacy and value of competence‐based learning. While the findings do not provide conclusive evidence that a competence‐based approach is inherently more effective than previous courses, they do indicate that candidates who were trained in this way were moderately more satisfied than those who had participated in non‐competence based programmes. The research also highlights the importance of the interrelationship between training, practice experience and support in developing and sustaining competence. The paper concludes with a review of the recommendations arising from the study and an analys...

The study investigated the potential for the introduction of a personality measure as a method of selection for social work training. As a first step, a personality test, the NEO-PI-R, was administered to two cohorts of applicants to postgraduate social work training. The personality profile of the group who were selected by interview was compared with the group who were not selected at interview. A significant difference was reported: successful candidates were more open in terms of feelings, actions and values. This result establishes that interviewing is differentiating between candidates in terms of the personality dimension of openness. It would be assumed that openness is a necessary and appropriate quality for trainee social workers to possess. However, given that the nature of social work has now changed substantially, we are no longer certain that openness is a central requirement.

Social work is a complex and diverse activity and new students of the subject require textbooks that do not obfuscate and confuse. As Studies Advisor to new first year undergraduate students in a U...

The delivery of family support services is a key target in the planning of child-care services in the Republic of Ireland. The research study investigates a cross-border partnership project between a Health Board in the South of Ireland and a voluntary agency in the North of Ireland to deliver an 'at home' family support service in rural County Donegal. Samples of users, social workers and managers were interviewed to evaluate the effectiveness of the service. Findings reveal that family support is provided to families with long-term difficulties, including those with children at risk and with a history of admission to care. In the absence of family centre provision, this family support service might be more correctly described as a family preservation service. In a rural context, the effective use of limited resources is constrained by the time and cost of travelling long distances to provide an 'at home' service. Family support intervention is often long term and part of a wider package of domiciliary c...

Roger Manktelow, is a lecturer in social work at the University of Ulster, Magee College, Derry; Phil Hughes is an assistant principal social worker with lead responsibility for mental health train ing in Homefirst and Causeway Trusts, Co Antrim; Frank Britton is an approved social worker and senior social worker in Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh; Jim Campbell is a lecturer in social work at the Queens University Belfast; Bernadette Hamilton is a senior social worker and coordinator of the approved social work training programme in Northern Ireland; George Wilson is now M.S.W. Course Co-ordinator at Queens University Belfast and was an assistant principal social worker and lead trainer in mental health in the Southern Health and Social Services Board at the time of the research.

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of recent social therapeutic interventions to reduce loneliness in older people. \ud Method: To examine this matter, a literature review, using seven databases, was undertaken using search terms relating to the themes of ageing, loneliness and social support. A total of 17 relevant studies relating to loneliness interventions were analysed. \ud Results: Three studies reporting on new technologies and one on a group work intervention identified significant reductions in loneliness.\ud Conclusion: Further research into interventions using new technologies to reduce loneliness in older people is recommended.

This article reports on the first extensive survey of Approved Social Worker (ASW) activity in Northern Ireland. It begins with a review of literature that identifies the complexity of legal and professional functions expected of ASWs, in the context of mental health legislation in the UK. Findings include high levels of perceived competence reported by practitioners, but diversity in the management of the service, and some problems in multi-disciplinary working. The emergency, out-of-hours duty teams in which many ASWs were employed appeared to vary in organization and operation. Service users and carers were generally dissatisfied with the responses to crisis services and appealed for adequately funded community supports. At a time when the review of the Mental Health (England and Wales) Act, 1983, is taking place, the authors suggest that ASWs can still perform an important statutory role, on condition that there is a more consistent approach to training, re-approval and funding of community-based serv...

Purpose – Little research has focused on the quality and availability of interactive online support services retrieved through search engines. The purpose of this paper is twofold; first, to review and assess the availability and accessibility of interactive online support available to individuals in suicidal crisis. Second, to field test a new tool developed specifically to evaluate both the quality of online information and the quality of interactive support. Design/methodology/approach – A collection of six terms relating to suicidal distress were generated and inputted across three major search engines (Google, Yahoo and Ask). Following initial exclusions, the remaining web sites were analysed using the SPAT (Site, Publisher, Audience and Timeliness) tool and recently developed COSAT (Crisis and Online Support Appraisal Tool) tool. Findings – The quality of web sites retrieved was variable, with only 1.9 per cent deemed as high-quality interactive support resources. Google had the greatest precision of searching, but ease of access through search engines was generally limited. No significant difference was found in the quality of web sites located on pages 1 or 2 of search engine results. Overall, community and voluntary sector web sites averaged higher quality and interactive support rating's compared to publicly funded web sites. Research limitations/implications – The newly developed COSAT tool may provide a positive first step towards a standardised measure of online quality and interactive support, although further testing and validation is required with a larger sample size. Originality/value – To the authors knowledge little research has focused on the quality and availability of interactive online support services retrieved through search engines.