Risk, Recovery and Capacity: Competing or Complementary Approaches to Mental Health Social Work

Abstract

Mental health social workers have a central role in providing support to people with mental health problems and in the use of coercion aimed at dealing with risk. Mental health services have traditionally focused on monitoring symptoms and ascertaining the risks people may present to themselves and/or others. This well-intentioned but negative focus on deficits has contributed to stigma, discrimination and exclusion experienced by service users.Emerging understandings of risk also suggest that our inability to accurately predict the future makes risk a problematic foundation for compulsory intervention. It is therefore argued that alternative approaches are needed to make issues of power and inequality transparent.This article focuses on two areas of practice: the use of recovery based approaches, which promote supported decision making and inclusion; and the assessment of a person's ability to make decisions, their mental capacity, as a less discriminatory gateway criterion than risk for compulsory intervention.

Legal capacity and the mental health social worker role: an international comparison

“…In this paper we have described how changing legal and policy contexts have created new forms of decision making by mental health social workers and other professionals. It has been argued that the conditions for compulsory admission and treatment under older mental health laws are based on, arguably, mistaken confidence about professionals' abilities to ascertain risk and even what counts as a mental disorder (Davidson et al, 2016a). And despite the evidence that the experience of service users when such laws are being used is generally poor, there seem little doubt that compulsory mental health laws have to remain in place to protect clients' rights, health and care.…”

“…More recently the introduction of laws on capacity has created more complex decision-making processes, in particular at the interface with mental health laws. The authors will draw upon their experiences of comparing the mental health social work role in these contexts, and across jurisdictions (Davidson et al, 2016a;Davidson et al 2016b;Campbell et al, 2006). This paper will examine how mental health social workers may provide support for legal capacity in the context of compulsory powers in the UK, Ireland, Victoria, Australia and Ontario Canada.…”

Social work leadership competencies in health and mental healthcare: a scoping review protocol

“…[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] The changing landscape of healthcare service provision has resulted in a growing need for leadership from social workers in both health and mental healthcare settings. [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14] Formally and informally, social workers practising within interdisciplinary teams display leadership skills when engaging in crisis management, providing critical family support, developing treatment plans, resolving complex decisions to support clients and when collaborating with multiple service providers. [3][4][5][6][7] There exists a breadth of diversity in the nature of social work roles, expectations, and skill sets within the realm of health and mental healthcare across North America.…”

“…[3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] Yet, an overarching commonality between social workers in both health and mental health settings is that they are situated in key positions to bridge medical models of care with behavioural health, recovery-oriented and client-centred approaches to support their clients. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14] These require key leadership competencies to advocate for and prioritise client needs within a service delivery culture…”

Constructing the Elements of the “Recovery in” Model through Positive Assessments during Mental Health Home Visits

“…Although RIM is introduced as a policy and a framework for mental health practice, there is little consensus about what RIM actually means and how it is practiced in community mental health [ 4 , 10 , 24 ]. Therefore, it is important to conduct more research on the elements of RIM.…”