Publications from ODSW Social Insights: Letters by DSW (Vol 2) | Page 64

Working with Various Client Groups

Dear Social Service Practitioners,
As practitioners we play a key role in managing risks and complexities that
occur in the lives of our clients who are often those who have profound
health and social needs, and are usually the most socially excluded and
at risk of harm. Crisis situations are often the galvanising point when the
complexities or risk, especially in cases with mental health issues, calls for
emergency services to be activated. It is in such moments of crisis that
practitioners are called in to support these people. While this is often the
sad reality, it is necessary to work towards greater integration of health and
social care with a focus on prevention and wellbeing in order to reduce the
demand for more intensive services.

Early Intervention and Prevention
When working with individuals with severe mental health issues, we all
acknowledge the need for multi-disciplinary and multi-agency work. The
work often involves professionals from the health, social care, housing,
employment and other settings. This, however, is resource intensive and is
a drain on agencies who are already trying to cope with a diverse range of
cases and unsustainable demands.
This reinforces the urgency in identifying and facilitating access to services
which meet people’s needs at an early stage. As with most social problems,
the system should aim for the following: pr evention, early intervention,
building resilience, reducing and delaying dependency, and helping to stem
avoidable demand on care and health services. In doing so, the risk of crises
and more costly demands on acute health services are reduced.
Contrary to what is intuitive, which is to do more to protect an individual,
the goal of prevention and help should be to maximise the strengths and
capacities of people who would otherwise be highly dependent. As in other
fields, some traditional approaches to social care and mental health have
fostered dependency.
Good early intervention acknowledges the practitioner’s role in working
alongside the individuals as a resource and collaborator and in minimising
the discrimination, alienation and stigma that people with mental health
problems often face. A practical aspect of the practitioner’s role is to work
alongside service users, carers and communities to promote avenues to
employment and self-support. Helping people to keep their accommodation
and work, manage their finances, and deal with debt will continue to be key
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