Publications from ODSW Social Insights: Letters by DSW (Vol 2) | Página 65

Working with Various Client Groups
practical challenges. Furthermore, having the relevant knowledge and skills
to understand and intervene where mental health issues and low income
problems co-exist are also important for effective and safe practice with
individuals and families. This is especially so given what is known about the
relationships between low income, domestic violence and child safeguarding
risks.

Unspoken dilemma
Working with cases with mental health issues is often fraught with dilemmas,
from the gatekeeping of intensive and limited resources to the determining
of roles and responsibilities among professionals, agencies, families and
the community. As social service practitioners, we often work to balance
the protection of human rights, the promotion of self-determination and
the enabling of people to make change. The challenge then is to take
action while balancing competing views and rights. As practitioners, we
should strive to do so from a humanising perspective, one that hopes for
improvement and always aims for the least restriction and interference in
liberty that is possible in any given circumstance.

One Common Goal in multi-agency work
When working across agencies, it is helpful to have a shared goal in order
to better support the high risk cases or to address mental health issues as
there is often a long tail to such partnerships. One such goal may be to
build professional relationships that can empower people as individuals in
their families and in the community. Another goal may be to work through
conflict and support people in managing their own risks. Other goals may
be to help the individual or family to access practical support and services
and to prevent the escalation of risks or to reduce harm and meet basic
needs. Setting a realistic goal and communicating it to partners who are
supporting the individual or family is central to having clear outcomes.

Value of social perspective
Social service practitioners bring with them a distinctive social perspective
when dealing with cases with mental health issues. They can help to
recognize social antecedents and determinants of mental distress that may
have occurred through the course of the client’s life. These include trauma,
loss and abuse, and experiences in childhood and adolescence.

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