Social Work - Theses
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ItemIdentifying the key factors shaping the construction of a social work identity in mental health( 2018)A social work identity is ‘difficult to grasp’. Relevant professional literature is scarce, though some authors have recently acknowledged that ‘Social work identity is a contested concept.’ (Mackay & Zufferey, 2015). The notion of a distinctive and unique social work identity is not well recognised or articulated by experienced practitioners, nor does it appear to be adequately emphasised in social work education and training programs. These considerations have significant implications for the profession as a whole. They become especially critical in mental health settings in which adherence to their profession’s well-established values, theories and practice standards may bring social workers into conflict with views, norms, and practices mandated by the prevailing biomedical status quo. There is limited research on social work identity in mental health settings and even less pertaining to students’ efforts to construct a professional identity in such paradigmatically unfamiliar environments. The primary objective of this research was to examine how students understand, experience, and articulate their developing professional identity and to identify specific factors influencing the ‘identity work’ of social work students immersed in mental health settings. Students from one Victorian university undertaking placements within mental health were invited to participate. The project utilised a qualitative methodology with focus groups held prior to placement and individual interviews towards the completion of participants’ 70-day (500 hour) placements. Inductive and deductive methods were used to identify key themes in the resulting data. The thesis presents findings from interviews with students at the end of 70-day placements in mental health settings. Key findings relate to what participants bring to the placement, what they observe, and what they do during the placement. Responses to specific questions about identity were considered. As participants rarely commented on their experience of supervision, reflective processes were also investigated. As services providing mental health care and treatment are paradigmatically unfamiliar to social work students, interviews were analysed for evidence of resistance to the dominant biomedical discourse. These themes were synthesised in an effort to identify key factors contributing to the construction of a social work identity in mental health settings. When asked to talk about their developing professional identity in relatively unstructured interviews students struggled to relate to the concept of a ‘social work identity’ and were unable to articulate what it might be or involve. Students were more at ease describing specific roles they had performed during their placement. However, analysis of their reflections on what they brought to placement, what they observed, and what they did during placement provided rich descriptions of a range of the factors which contributed to and influenced their developing social work identity. Interviewing students on mental health placement highlighted some of the difficulties they and others have relating to the concept of a social work identity. Further research will be required to gain greater insight into factors influencing social work identity development in these unfamiliar settings.
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ItemSocial work in secure forensic mental health inpatient services: towards cultural competence( 2011)International migration has moved to the forefront of the global agenda and has become a challenge for governments around the world. According to the Department of Immigration and Citizenship [DIAC] (2007), Australia has become “one of the most culturally diverse societies of the 21st century” with more than six million migrants having arrived since 1945 (p.1). This is despite Australia’s history of racist immigration and indigenous policy, and continued social disadvantage and discrimination experienced by many indigenous and CALD (Culturally & Linguistically Diverse) Australians. Secure forensic mental health inpatient services, like many services, are not meeting the needs of the indigenous and CALD population. This paper will use a critical literature review, from a critical theory and social constructionist perspective, to answer three fundamental questions: What are the problems for indigenous and CALD patients in secure forensic mental health inpatient services? What factors contribute to, and sustain, these problems? What can social workers do about these problems? While cross-cultural forensic mental health research is scarce and often methodologically flawed, key themes emerge. Secure forensic mental health inpatient services are influenced by a complex, socially constructed tangle of institutions, policies and practices. The ‘caring’ mental health system and the ‘custodial’ criminal justice system often have conflicting goals and expectations. Furthermore, public and media perceptions of danger frame the policy context. This leaves patients commonly experiencing discrimination, disempowerment and social exclusion. However, patients from indigenous and CALD populations are further marginalised and have reduced ‘social quality’ (social inclusion, socio-economic security, social cohesion and empowerment) (Huxley & Thornicroft, 2003). The literature attributes this to factors including: discriminatory and reactive government policies, an ethnocentric mental health system that relies on culturally invalid classification systems, and culturally incompetent clinicians and organisations. Social workers have been implicit in these systemic failures through their lack of contribution to the literature and their lack of influence in forensic mental health. This is despite the compatibility of the social work person-in-environment perspective, and its focus on social justice and social quality, with good cross-cultural practice. Frequent references to ‘unexplored’ socio-cultural and environmental factors in the literature, and a mental health policy shift in Victoria towards social inclusion and community development, provide a timely opportunity for social work to assert itself. In this paper, my purpose is to demonstrate how social workers can affect structural change on a professional ecosystem that impedes culturally competent practice. Through this conceptual framework, I have developed Culturally Competent Guidelines for Social Workers in Secure Forensic Mental Health Inpatient Services. These guidelines aim to provide social workers with tools that might empower them to become more culturally competent clinicians, and in the process, enable them to strive for social justice by improving social quality and cultural competence at all levels.