Frank Keating

African and Caribbean men and mental health

The mental health needs of African and Caribbean men is an area for public concern. A substantial body of research shows that these groups are disproportionately represented in mental health statistics. For example, the Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection’s (2007) report on a one-day census of mental health inpatient wards in England paints a bleak picture for black and minority ethnic people, in particular those of African and Caribbean background. This disturbing situation persists despite the fact that the needs, issues and concerns of black and minority ethnic people with mental health problems have been pushed to the fore of the policy agenda (Department of Health (DH), 2003; DH, 2005). It has been acknowledged that achieving good A Race Equality Foundation Briefing Paper

An evaluation of group reminiscence arts sessions for people with dementia living in care homes

Dementia has been identified as one of the major challenges in the 21st Century. The detrimental effects of dementia can jeopardise personhood, thus person-centred interventions including reminiscence and arts practice have been recommended as tools to promote social inclusion and improve the quality of life. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of group reminiscence arts sessions for people living with dementia in care homes (residential and nursing homes) using a comparative and time series design to collect data on quality of life. The intervention was conducted in six care homes in London over a period of 24 weeks and compared with six care homes not receiving the intervention (control). Dementia Care Mapping was used as the primary data collection instrument to measure positive behaviours and rate quality of life before, during and after group reminiscence arts sessions. The evaluation team observed the sessions at three-weekly intervals. Statistical modelling found that positive behaviours and quality of life of care home residents participating in group reminiscence arts sessions increased over the 24-week period. Well-being increased sharply during each session and plateaued at 50 minutes with a sustained positive effect after the sessions. On a longer timescale, well-being and quality of life increased slowly and steadily from one session to the next. The findings were statistically significant (p < 0.001). The study concludes that group reminiscence arts sessions can have a positive and sustained impact on the quality of life of people with dementia. However, the evidence on the sustainability of the effect over time remains unknown. More research is needed to assess in much greater depth the association between quality of life and group reminiscence arts sessions.

Dementia: challenges for social work education in Europe

ABSTRACT Dementia has been identified as a global challenge across the spectrum of health and social care (World Health Organisation. (2012) Dementia: A public health priority. Geneva: WHO). This paper will explore the implications of this for social work education and the challenges it poses. There is a lack of this focus on social work with older people and people with dementia (pwd) in social work education. Based on calls for an infusion of content on ageing and dementia in social work curricula, paper proposes that we should adopt a person-centred philosophy alongside gerontological social work competencies to achieve this. The specific aim of this paper, therefore, is to explore how we can use these ideas as teaching tools to engage social work students in the discourse on dementia and to develop appropriate skills to work with pwd, their families and carers.

Policy and social work practice

Social Work and Policy Introduction Discretion in the history and development of social work Social Work Education and Training as a policy issue Prevention and protection: the development of safeguarding in childrens services Children like ours? Policy and practice responses to children looked after Personalisation Mental capacity and social policy Social welfare policy in racialised contexts International social work: understanding social work within social policy systems Domestic Violence: UK and Australian developments Local policy in a global context: regimes of risk in mental health policy and practice - the community treatment orders Concluding thoughts: the interface between social policy and social work

The Film Club: Reflections on the Use of Contemporary Film to Teach Ethics to Social Work Students

The use of film in teaching social work ethics presents a creative contemporary tool for social work educators. This paper reviews some of the evidence of the benefits of film as an approach to helping students explore ethics in social work practice. Insights from a pilot project, known as the Film Club, which looked at the use of film to teach ethics to social work students on an MSc Social Work programme, are presented. The paper comments on how the use of film can be both beneficial and challenging in teaching ethics to social work students.