Well-Being: From Concept to Practice?

Abstract

Well-being' has become a high-profile and contested issue, for both policy and practice, since its introduction as an integral part of the Care Act (2014). A dynamic and fluid concept, the researchers were interested in how qualified social workers conceptualise concept of well-being. This small-scale qualitative study, arising from a partnership between a university and a local authority within England, explored how social workers, in one adult social work service, conceptualized 'well-being' in relation to service users who both did have the mental capacity, and also those who lacked capacity, to make informed decisions in relation to their care and support needs. The researchers adopted an interpretivist, qualitative approach to the research and used thematic analysis of the rich data arising from individual and group discussions. Interesting differences emerged that, we propose, related to the practitioners' dominant 'cognitive style' or over-arching approach to considering how individuals, with and without capacity, defined their own well-being, becoming more risk-averse when considering the well-being (as defined within the Care Act 2014) of an individual who lacked capacity. Whilst local authorities have a duty under the Care Act to promote an individual's well-being, firmly locating the well-being principle at the heart of adult social work assessments, it is important to remember that this is a concept that is mainly self-defined. However, the ways in which practitioners conceptualise well-being influence both how they approach an assessment, and indeed how they seek to build relationships with the person being assessed. Bringing the different cognitive styles to practitioners' attention, we believe, provides an opportunity to challenge their own and their colleagues' biases, whether systemic or individual, and free them to embrace the fluidity of experience and well-being, for all individuals seeking to access services.

The Influence of Mindfulness and Social Connectedness in Strengthening Job Embeddedness through Sustainable Well-Being as a Mediator Variable at Industrial Estate Area - Bekasi Regency

“…From the theoretical framework above, these three types of resources, it can also be conceptualized that human sustainable welfare comes from these three types of resources (financial, social, and mental) that are received and enjoyed and then shared back into the environment and this research focuses on the first three stages where resource factors such as the presence of psychological/mental resources (Awareness), affect sustainable welfare, which in turn impacts job embedded (see also Lelkes et al, 2021) . Figure 3.…”

“…This can happen because well-being is conceptualized in a limited and hedonistic way through subjective concepts of wellbeing. Based on these two issues, the researchers conceptualized sustainable well-being(see also Lelkes et al, 2021;Tuzovic & Kabadayi, 2021).…”

“…On the other hand, as a social human being, good interaction and relationships with the environment and people around him are needed. A person's concern as a social creature will make it easier for him to achieve a prosperous life so that this can increase work commitment for everyone, especially employees to their work institutions (see also Lelkes et al, 2021).…”

Conceptual Dissonance in Peacebuilding Research: Lessons from a Somali Diaspora

“…Political concepts such as "diplomacy" (Hart and Siniver 2020), the "responsibility to protect" (Odgaard 2020), and "moral panic" (David et al 2011) illustrate how the meaning of concepts can vary between cultures, differ across contexts, and change over time. These distinct understandings of concepts can exist among researchers, practitioners, and the communities in which they work (Lelkes, Bouch, and Holmstrom 2021). Scholars working within the interpretivist methodology tradition explicitly recognize these moments of dissonance between the everyday usage of concepts by a community of interest and academic specialists (Schaffer 2016), which can create notable research challenges.…”