Nicky Stanley

Disclosing disability in the context of professional regulation: a qualitative UK study

In the UK, the ‘fitness to practice’ criteria that allow regulatory bodies to use health standards to restrict entry to the human professions have resulted in some disabled people being excluded from this workforce. Disclosure of disability is therefore a risky process for those aiming to practice or train in nursing, social work and teaching. This research, commissioned to inform the Disability Rights Commissions Formal Investigation into fitness standards in the professions, was undertaken in 2006–07 and explored experiences of disability disclosure amongst professionals. Interviews with 60 practitioners and students, most of whom had unseen disabilities, revealed considerable variations in the extent of disclosure. Disclosure was perceived as having the potential to exclude participants from their chosen profession. Two overlapping models of disability disclosure emerged from data analysis. The study concludes that abolishing health standards for the professions would increase disability disclosure and decrease the stigma associated with disability.

The mental health problems of mothers experiencing the child protection system: identifying needs and appropriate responses

This article presents the findings of a small pilot study which examined the needs of 13 mothers with severe mental health problems whose children were involved in the child protection system. The use of the diagnosis of ‘personality disorder’ in relation to this group of women is discussed and the finding that all these women had experience of domestic violence is considered in the context of other research findings. The extent to which child protection social workers and mental health professionals worked together on these cases was explored and only limited evidence of good communication and collaboration was found. The need for effective inter-professional and inter-agency coordination is argued, but differing conceptions of maternal mental health problems and their relationship to childrens needs may make for difficulties in professional communication and decision-making. The article seeks to identify the differing approaches to maternal mental health problems which appear to be developing out of different groups of research studies and argues that practitioners need to be explicit in identifying their perspectives on the associated issues of maternal mental health problems and child protection. Copyright

Thrills and spills : Young people's sexual behaviour and attitudes in seaside and rural areas

Abstract This paper reports on a qualitative study which explored attitudes to sexual risk-taking among young people in rural and seaside areas in England. The research was undertaken in three sites, each comprising a seaside resort and its rural hinterland. Data were collected through group discussions with 341 young people in secondary schools in England and through individual interviews with young people outside school settings, with young parents and with professionals working in the field of sexual health and education. Data analysis adopted a grounded theory approach and incorporated the views of local young peoples advisory groups. Key features of the study which appeared specific to the locales studied were the influence of the seaside entertainment industry on young peoples sexual behaviour and the high visibility experienced by young people in rural areas. Gender was also identified as playing a crucial role in determining perceptions of risk and influencing behaviour. Sexual health services and health promotion strategies need to acknowledge the relevance of factors such as gender and stigma for young people as well as being responsive to the specific features of local contexts.

Children’s Experiences of Domestic Violence: Developing an Integrated Response From Police and Child Protection Services

Police notifications of incidents of domestic violence to child protection services constitute an acknowledgement of the harm that domestic violence inflicts on children. However, these notifications represent a substantial demand on child welfare services and the outcomes for children and victims of domestic violence have been questioned. This paper presents findings from the first UK study to examine these notifications in depth and examines the interface between the police and child protection services in responding to domestic violence incidents. The research reports on police interventions in 251 incidents of domestic violence involving children; the communication of information to child protection services and the subsequent filtering and service response. Social workers found that notifications conveyed little information on children’s experiences of domestic violence. Forty per cent of families notified had had no previous contact with child protection services in that area, but those cases most likely to receive social work assessment or intervention were those where the case was already open. Notifications triggered a new social work intervention in only 5% of cases. The study also identified a range of innovative approaches for improving the co-ordination of police and child protective services in relation to children’s exposure to domestic violence. Arrangements that maximized opportunities for police and social workers to share agency information appeared to offer the best option for achieving informed decisions about the appropriate level of service response to children and families experiencing domestic violence.

Human Trafficking and Health: A Survey of Male and Female Survivors in England

OBJECTIVES To investigate physical and mental health and experiences of violence among male and female trafficking survivors in a high-income country. METHODS Our data were derived from a cross-sectional survey of 150 men and women in England who were in contact with posttrafficking support services. Interviews took place over 18 months, from June 2013 to December 2014. RESULTS Participants had been trafficked for sexual exploitation (29%), domestic servitude (29.3%), and labor exploitation (40.4%). Sixty-six percent of women reported forced sex during trafficking, including 95% of those trafficked for sexual exploitation and 54% of those trafficked for domestic servitude. Twenty-one percent of men and 24% of women reported ongoing injuries, and 8% of men and 23% of women reported diagnosed sexually transmitted infections. Finally, 78% of women and 40% of men reported high levels of depression, anxiety, or posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. CONCLUSIONS Psychological interventions to support the recovery of this highly vulnerable population are urgently needed.

Reading Mental Health Inquiries Messages for Social Work

Summary: This article examines the findings of a series of mental health inquiry reports published in the UK during the 1990s and identifies implications for social workers operating in the field of mental health. Findings: These inquiry reports have been enormously influential in determining the shape of both services and new legislation. They have also delivered messages concerning practice both in terms of interprofessional communication and coordination and regarding direct work with service users. Applications: It is argued that social workers can use these inquiries to define their role more constructively and to distinguish their precise contribution to the network of mental health services. This may be particularly necessary at a time of major change.• Summary: This article examines the findings of a series of mental health inquiry reports published in the UK during the 1990s and identifies implications for social workers operating in the field of mental health. • Findings: These inquiry reports have been enormously influential in determining the shape of both services and new legislation. They have also delivered messages concerning practice both in terms of interprofessional communication and coordination and regarding direct work with service users. • Applications: It is argued that social workers can use these inquiries to define their role more constructively and to distinguish their precise contribution to the network of mental health services. This may be particularly necessary at a time of major change.

Visibility, Immobility and Stigma: Young People's Use of Sexual Health Services in Rural Areas†

Teenage pregnancy has become a major policy issue, for which young people are often publicly held solely responsible. However, a combination of factors substantially increases the risks of conception faced by young people engaging in early sexual activity. This article reports the main findings of a study of teenage pregnancy in linked seaside and rural areas, focusing on the experiences and perceptions of young people living in rural localities. They identify the issues of immobility, visibility and attitudes of stigma as affecting their ability to access sexual health services. The young people highlighted issues for service and policy development and the behaviour of professionals, both within schools and from sexual health services. Education, social and health services and the voluntary sector have important roles to play in responding to their needs.

Small Acts of Care: Exploring the Potential Impact of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 on Day-to-Day Support

Exploring the five principles of the newly enacted Mental Capacity Act 2005, this article sets these in the context of day-to-day decisions over care and treatment. These areas figure strongly in the lives of people who have problems making decisions, but there is little consideration of them in contrast to major decisions about financial planning, deprivation of liberty, and healthcare and treatment. Social policy has often found it difficult to encroach upon areas covering intimate and family-based care relationships or the private domain of care at home. This legislation touches on this controversial area.

Men’s Talk Men’s Understandings of Violence Against Women and Motivations for Change

This article reports research undertaken to inform a social marketing campaign targeting men’s violence toward women in a city in northern England. Eighty-four men drawn from community groups participated in 15 focus groups. Participants struggled with wider definitions of domestic abuse and resisted depictions of men as wholly responsible for domestic violence. The potential loss of the relationship with children and, to a lesser degree, the relationship with their partner were identified as powerful incentives for changing abusive behavior. Men were particularly affected by the prospect of damage to their own self-image that children’s perceptions of their fathers’ violence conveyed.

Trapped in transition: findings from a UK study of student suicide

ABSTRACT This study of student suicide within UK higher education directs attention to the community context of suicide. A modified psychological autopsy approach was used to explore 20 case studies of student suicide from the period 2000–2005, drawing on the perspectives of family members, friends and university staff. The study identifies features of the higher education community salient for suicide prevention and concludes that the concept of transition is useful in considering the potential interaction across time and place of the risk factors for vulnerable students. These findings can be used to inform suicide prevention strategies in higher education and in other similar settings.