Gambling Risks: Exploring Social Work Practitioners’ Experiences of Clients Presenting with Risks of Gambling-Related Harm

Abstract

Gambling is increasingly seen as a public health rather than an individual problem. Opportunities to gamble have grown in England in the last decade since the liberalisation of the gambling industry. This exploratory study investigated the experiences of 21 practitioners about gambling among adults with social care needs. Practitioners were interviewed about their understanding of the risks to their clients arising from their own or others’ gambling participation, how they support clients in such circumstances and their views of how practice could be developed to better support clients experiencing gambling-related harm. Analysis revealed themes covering: (1) concerns about the pervasiveness and appeal of gambling; (2) lack of knowledge of the complexities surrounding gambling and gambling-related harm; (3) uncertainties about how to support adults with care and support needs at risk of gambling-related harm; (4) desire for professional development activities. This study highlights practitioners’ concern about gambling-related harm and their wish for guidance about good practice in this area.