Suchergebnisse

• Summary: The civil and political conflict in Northern Ireland over a 30-year period, known as the Troubles, has resulted in over 3600 deaths and some 40,000 injured. The present study investigates the needs of people affected by the Troubles and what contribution social work is making to help meet those needs. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with key representatives of 45 groups providing services to victims of the Troubles. Proposals are made for the development of specialist social work services for individuals suffering conflict-related trauma. • Findings: The results show that the psychological experience of the Troubles is characterized by the theme of a vulnerability to depression and anxiety arising from the internalization of negative feelings and the theme of loss — a sudden and violent bereavement and a grieving which has had to be denied and postponed. Victims suffered ill-health caused by long-term, attritional stress and the employment of coping mechanisms which in themselves placed individual health at risk. The Troubles caused adverse social effects including an individual experience of anomie, a community fragmentation and disintegration and a social culture of suspicion and segregation. • Applications : The prime recommendation of the study is that social work services provided for victims of the Troubles must be community based, offer safety and trust, recognize the right to campaign on human rights issues and offer a range of therapeutic responses.

Cover -- Half Title -- Title -- Copyright -- Contents -- Tables -- List of contributors -- Acknowledgements -- Foreword -- 1 Introduction -- 2 A history of mental health social work in Northern Ireland -- 3 Mental health policy in Northern Ireland -- 4 Mental health policy in the Republic of Ireland: backwards into the future -- 5 Mental health social work and the law in Northern Ireland -- 6 Mental health social work and the law in the Republic of Ireland -- 7 Community care and the social inclusion of individuals with psychiatric disabilities in Northern Ireland -- 8 Deinstitutionalisation in the Republic of Ireland: a case for re-definition? -- 9 Mental health social work and addictions in Northern Ireland -- 10 Mental health social work and addictions in the Republic of Ireland -- 11 Mental health social work with older people in Northern Ireland -- 12 Mental health social work with older people in the Republic of Ireland

The potential impact of cumulative inequality upon loneliness in later life is under-researched. This study applies Ferraro and Shippee's axioms of cumulative inequality to the narratives of two Northern Irish older women, who completed semi-structured diary entries over a 16-week period, recording and reflecting on their social lives and their personal histories. The two women were subsequently interviewed on the basis of what they had recorded. These stories reveal how the life trajectories of these two individuals are influenced by the different experiential impact of bonding and bridging social capital. Despite similar life experiences, significant and substantial differences emerged in the women's stories, relating to work life, social class, the restrictions of a caring role, and physical and mental health. These two narratives not only provide evidence of the impact of cumulative inequality on loneliness but also highlight the lifetime impact of socio-economic status and access to capital affecting older women's vulnerability to loneliness.

AbstractThe legislative framework of social work practice has consistently highlighted the need to work in partnership with parents, with far‐reaching implications for families. However, the importance of engaging fathers in social work practice is an issue that has received limited attention within academic debate and research. A research study undertaken across six family centres, investigated paternal involvement in family centre social work in Northern Ireland. The study involved 46 semi‐structured interviews with social workers, fathers and mothers. This paper presents the views of 22 social workers on the barriers to paternal involvement in family centre interventions. A range of factors were identified which served to inhibit or promote engagement of fathers. There were substantially more deterrents than promoters, a clear indicator of the problematic nature of paternal involvement. The findings highlight that both attitudes and practices of social workers influence the engagement of fathers. Recommendations drawn from the findings are presented for the development of father – inclusive social work practices and research.