Click here to load reader
Upload
hannah-reidy
View
231
Download
1
Tags:
Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
Latest version of the Practice Guidance
Citation preview
1
Connecting
People
Intervention
Practice Guidance
Version 4.0
2
Contents
3 Introduction
6 The model
10 Case studies
13 The agency
19 The practice
25 The individual
31 The worker
37 Conclusion
38 Additional resources
3
Welcome to the Connecting
People Intervention
Practice Guidance!
Introduction
This manual has been developed in re-
sponse to a need to have practice guidance
on effective ways to connect vulnerable
people to others in their local community.
Connecting people has been identified as
one of five ways to wellbeing.4
There is evi-
dence that having good social connections is
important for your well being and helping
you to get on and get ahead with your life.
However, there is little guidance
available for health and social care workers
about a complete process that will help iso-
lated people connect more effectively with others.
This guidance is aimed at both teams and individual practitioners. Whole teams
need to be able to support the ways of working described here to facilitate individ-
ual practice. However, each team member needs to be familiar with the interven-
tion model so that their practice can be shaped accordingly.
The practice guidance provides the what - explaining how the intervention works.
The training that accompanies this manual provides the how for workers who will
be using this intervention to help the individuals that they work with as effectively
as possible. Training will include familiarisation with the model, development of
necessary skills to implement it, and ongoing support from the research team be-
hind the intervention as well as other agencies using the model.
1. Lin, N. & Erickson, B. (Eds.) (2008) Social capital. An international research program, Oxford, Oxford University Press.
2. Holt-Lunstad, J., Smith, T. B. & Layton, J. B. (2010) Social relationships and mortality risk: A meta-analytic review. PLoS Medicine, 7 (7), e1000316.
3. Webber, M., Huxley, P. & Harris, T. (2011) Social capital and the course of depression: Six-month prospective cohort study. Journal of Affective Disorders,
129, 149-157.
4 Five ways to wellbeing: http://neweconomics.org/projects/five-ways-well-being
Social connections are
good for you! Research has found that
social networks help you to
find work1, live longer
2 and
to improve your mental
health3 and quality of life
3.
4
About the Connecting People Intervention
The Connecting People Intervention is the result of a two-year study of practice5 in
six health and social care agencies (see box below). In this study we explored how
workers help to connect people with others, either directly or indirectly. We found
that connections were primar-
ily made with others within
the same agency, but there
were some examples of
good practice in connecting
people beyond the agency
they were involved in.
The aim of the Connecting
People Intervention is to
help workers in supporting
service recipients to
connect with people beyond
health or social care agencies.
These may be neighbours or people living locally. They may be people interested in
the same hobby, sport or leisure pursuit. They may even be family or friends with
whom the individual has lost contact....there are many possibilities.
Based on ideas from social capital theory (see box on the next page), the Connecting
People Intervention aims to enhance the diversity of individuals social networks. It
is not prescriptive about the size or quality of networks. It is up to individuals to de-
cide how many people they want or need to be in contact with. However, it aims to
ensure that people know others outside of health and social care services in addition
to those within them. Sometimes
workers may need to act on behalf
of their clients to them to move for-
wards.
These new links and the resulting
increase in social capital are
achieved through a dynamic series
of processes involving both the
worker and the individual. The Con-
necting People Intervention model is
not a traditional linear process of a worker doing something for or with the individ-
ual and an outcome occurring as a result of this.
5 Connecting People study page: http://connectingpeoplestudy.net/
Research was conducted in these agencies. Extracts from interviews, field notes and reflections are
included in the guide to add perspective to the model.
BlueSCI, Trafford
Hestia, London, and Kingston RISE, Kingston
SHARP, Lambeth
Start Again Project, Birmingham
STEP, Somerset
W. Kent EIS, Kent
A big thank you to all of those who took part!
5
The Connecting People Intervention
model has been developed from our
study of existing good practice. We
have taken the best bits from several
organisations and combined them with
principles such as co-production (see
box). Many of its elements will there-
fore be familiar to many people. Its
distinctive approach comes in drawing
together all these different compo-
nents of practice into one place to cre-
ate a unique and dynamic model that is
grounded in lived experience. The language has been kept simple and friendly
throughout this Practice Guidance, in order to ensure that it remains accessible and
engaging to as wide a cross-section of people as possible.
We hope that the intervention will benefit individuals accessing services, but that it
will also help workers with their practice, and agencies with a more cost-effective
way of working.
How the Intervention Works
Due to the dynamic nature of the intervention, there is no set method to achieving
success. The following pages show each stage of the process, but these can be
modified to suit the needs and time available of the worker-individual partnership.
Similarly, the intervention does not specify exactly what the individual and worker
should do within this process as it is up to them to co-produce the activities. We do
however anticipate that new social connections may be made at any point in this
process.
We do not wish to encourage the individual to become dependent on the worker.
At the core of the intervention is the trusting, equal relationship that is built up to
form the base for the individual to achieve their own independence. The individual
is just as responsible as the worker for the success of the intervention process. In
turn the worker needs to be sure to really learn from the individual to ascertain
what exactly they want to get out of the process.
Over the page is a diagram of how the intervention works for your reference.
A more comprehensive version can be found on the A3 pullout included with this
Practice Guidance.
Social Capital: Social capital refers to the potential bene-
fits which accrue from social relationships
between people .
Co-production: Both service users and service providers
develop and provide the service together.
Social participation: Leaving the house to engage with a social
activity with other people
6
Enhanced
social
network
knowledge
Worker
PartnershipEquality
Agency
Developing
skills,
relationships
and resources
with this
individual and
for the future
Shared
processes
Potential
Barriers
The Model You could annotate this page with any groups, local organisations or other elements specific
to your agency and make the model more relevant to your own practice
7
Enhanced
social
network
Individual
PartnershipEquality
Agency
Shared
processes
Developing
ideas, goals,
and
confidence
and working
to attain and
expand on
these
Potential
Barriers
You could annotate this page with any groups, local organisations or other elements specific
8
The model explained
The aim of the Connecting People Intervention is to rotate the green and blue
wheels seen in the model. These represent cycles of discovery for both the worker
and individual, which result in the
development of new social con-
nections and social networks.
At the heart of the intervention
process is the equal, positive part-
nership between the individual
and the worker. The symmetry of
the model demonstrates this im-
portant aspect of the intervention,
and every effort should be made
to maintain as much equality and
balance as possible, despite barri-
ers such as social workers being
responsible for the funding of
their clients.
The worker and the individual start by having a conversation as to exactly how they
want this relationship to work. They then map out the individuals existing social
network. They may do this by ranking the people in the individuals life in concen-
tric circles extending outwards from the individual and those closest to them in the
inner circle (see image). Then, both worker and individual discuss and write down
their own strengths or assets. These may be their interests; things which they/other
people think they are good at; or their unique qualities. They will draw on these as-
sets throughout the process of the Connecting People Intervention. Finally, the
worker supports the individual to explore their life goals and to discuss what they
would like to achieve. In individuals with higher support needs, these processes
may need to be led quite actively by the workerfor example through trial and re-
action, or respectful guessing.
The individual needs to be encouraged to think beyond what the service could pro-
vide and to consider new opportunities which they had previously not thought pos-
sible. Together, the worker and individual select a goal, or a series of goals, to work
towards.
The processes of mapping social networks, exploring assets, and talking about goals
aid the formation of the relationship and the task of bringing the individual to the
point where they are ready to move forward.
Social Network Mapping
9
However, before the wheels can start to spin, the worker and individual both need
to be prepared to work together, to engage in new situations, and to meet new peo-
ple. The shared development of objectives and activities is depicted at the centre of
the model because it represents the co-produced activities.
The way that the green and blue wheels overlap further illustrates this partnership.
They are interlocked to represent the fluidity of the process and the uncertainty
about when, or if, new social connections are made, as well as the interdependence
that worker and individual share in order to continue moving forward.
The individuals journey (represented by the blue circle on the right) is the focus of
the intervention process. In achieving his or her goals, the individual is, for example,
exposed to new ideas; introduced to new people and activities; and supported to
develop skills, interests and social confidence.
The green circle on the left represents the workers journey, and is of equal impor-
tance to that of the individual. Along the way, the worker may develop self aware-
ness and self confidence, along with the desired end product of an improvement in
their knowledge of social networks available to the individuals that they work with.
The worker also needs to look out for barriers which may prevent the individuals
blue wheel from rotating. These work in the opposite direction to the intervention
cycle and can pose considerable challenges for some individuals. These barriers will
present the worker with a number of challenges, and helping the individual to over-
come them is likely to be the most time-consuming element of their work. They
may also need to provide extra support and reassessment for the individual. Addi-
tionally, they may face barriers themselves which could need to be faced in order to
develop their own networks, and form an effective partnership.
The worker-individual partnership described here takes place in the context of a
supportive agency, which is shown at the bottom of the model to illustrate its cru-
cial, underpinning nature. An agency needs to encourage their workers to form new
ideas and ways of doing things, and share the principles of the Connecting People
intervention. A positive physical environment is also important, as well as good
methods of sharing knowledge that prevent reliance on a particular staff member
for information.
If all of these processes occur to some extent, the model shows the outputs of
social network development for the individual, and social network knowledge de-
velopment for the worker. This as has already been emphasised can occur at
any time during the process, and will do so to different extents in each situation.
The intervention aims to create new links for the individual beyond any health or
social care services which they may be receiving, and is seen as successful if this oc-
curs at any level.
10
When I first met Greg he was very nervous as he perceived our service to be the judges of whether or not he could keep his
Personal Budget. It was important to make him feel at ease straight away by being friendly, having a bit of banter with him about the
football (Im a United fan and theyd just won against City), and above all being very open about the process. I could tell he was a man
who got confused by the paperwork (dont we all!) so whereas with some clients I go through the forms bit by bit, with Greg we just
spoke and I filled things in after our session.
I get a lot of clients through the door as the nature of our service means we see a lot of people once every few months, so I always keep
a record for myself of what we spoke about
To work effectively I have to have really strong knowledge of all of the available services out there and constantly be looking
for new ideas of where someone could go, where they could try out. Here at our base we have a big table full of leaflets, fliers, and all
sorts of information about different schemes in the area, which helps with inspiration if you are a bit stuck.
With Greg it was relatively easy as he was keen to become more active so a gym referral was the obvious choice. Then beyond that I
remembered a local running club that I had heard good things about so after chatting with them about being supportive of Greg, put
him in touch with them too. Because I dont see him very often we try and set clear goals each time that he can then manage with the
help of other people. This last session, we decided that he should go for a commitment goal as Greg has had problems attending some-
thing regularly due to his depression. We spoke with the gym and Greg decided to attend a regular kick-boxing class there, committing
to attend every week. Greg also wanted a tangible target, so I investigated and with the help of the running club found a 5km run that
Greg is going to enter in three months time.
Greg has good insight into his condition and knows that exercise and keeping busy helps stop his low mood, whereas sitting in
the resource centre does not help. It is all about having solid goals to keep him moving forwards in the direction that he wants to go.
When Deloris first came to the service she had recently lost her husband. She was coping reasonably well but several months af-
ter the loss her sadness had not improved and seemed to be getting worse. At the time that I met Deloris she was clinically depressed but
seeking change in her life. Deloris has two daughters who live in London and Birmingham with their families. They visit on occasion and
have expressed concern over Deloris situation but are unfortunately unable to be involved on a daily or weekly basis.
Through our initial assessment and building a relationship of trust, I could tell that her depression stemmed very much from her
loneliness and isolation. At aged 72 and living in a rural area, her husband and the couple friends they had together were her main source
of social contact for many years. Although mobility was not an issue, she has deteriorating sight and is therefore unable to drive. When
Hugh passed she found it difficult to leave the house and connect with others.
Because she was motivated to recover from the depression we initially worked on exploring her interests (past and present) and setting
achievable goals for getting out of the house and connecting with others.
Many of the other service users I work with have mobility issues, making it increasingly difficult to leave home and get connected
to others. Aside from her inability to drive, she is still able to get out of the house. She can walk to the local shop but the buses to larger
towns only run once per day.
Together we decided to look for activities in the area that Deloris could get to on the bus, and set goals initially to leave the house twice
per week. I was able to take her to some activities but wanted to be sure these were opportunities to meet new people so that she could
continue getting involved without me.
When Jack first approached us, he wasnt doing much and was outwardly angry and frustrated. He was bullied at school and had
no friends and said it was because he was different. He had no self-esteem and was even alienating his family. We needed to put Jack at
ease straight away because he was visibly upset about the state of his life, we thought the best way to tackle Jacks issues was to identify
some opportunities for him to develop his own networks. At first we tried to build a relationship by simply talking to Jack openly. We
wanted to find out what he enjoyed doing and discovered that football was a passion for Jack. Someone I knew was already part of the
local football team, so I utilised this contact and this person became a buddy for Jack and took him along to a football session. This proved
to be a meaningful place for Jack to be and his confidence grew, not only that but others started to see the assets in Jack. He has made
friends and has discovered he is a good leader and teacher so has been looking into becoming a coach. This success has led to Jack seeking
out more opportunities to become involved in the local community, and a new idea that Jack identified was going to a reading group. To
begin with, we werent sure what reading groups were available that Jack would be able to get to easily, so we contacted the library who
knew of one that had just started a couple of months before. At first the leader of group seemed reluctant about Jack attending and
seemed to have incorrect perceptions of what he would be like, however after talking with them and agreeing to go with Jack to the first
session, the leader agreed and when they had spent some time with Jack, their attitude changed completely and they could see the great
potential in Jack and were inspired by him. Attending this group enables Jack to be included in a totally different environment to the foot-
ball club and we can see that it is turning out to be marvellous for his mental capacity and has led to all sorts of people realizing that he
isnt different at all!
Case Studies Here are some case studies showing the model in action across a range of client groups and services. Each is seen from both the
11
I was really not looking forward to meeting Vish because I had heard from friends in the mental health system that as soon as you
stop getting a full time care coordinator, your support and your benefits start to stop too. Vish was nice though, he had some similar in-
terests to me and I didnt feel as scared about what this meeting meant after a few minutes in the room with him. He was really reassur-
ing about it all and didnt sit behind a desk with loads of official documents and stuff, it just felt like we were having a chat about what I
liked to do and what I wanted to be doing in the future. He reassured me that I wouldnt have my Personal Budget stopped as long as I
needed it, and that if it did happen it would be because I was doing other things that didnt require one any more. I had never thought of
it that way before.
It was weird because even though I sort of knew that I wanted to do more exercise, Vish helped me work out what exactly I could
be doing and put it into small bites of tasks. I had been sitting in a mental health resource centre not really doing much up until recently
when my Personal Budget was up for review, and I think that had maybe made things worse. I had been quite worried about just going to
the gym as I feel pretty unhealthy compared to how I used to be before I got ill, so when Vish told me that he knew the people at the gym,
and that the staff there were really supportive I felt a lot better.
He also told me about the local running club and put me in touch with them. Ive been going once a week to that since our session, and
feeling a lot fitter. Its really nice to go somewhere where the point of the activity is just to run its not some medical thing where every-
one talks about their illness and stuff.
After we spoke about the running club, we decided no time like the present so spent the remainder of the time visiting the local
gym and getting the induction form filled in. I know that Vish only has a bit of time with me so it felt good that he could come and do
that. I am not seeing him again until our next session which is a few months, but the goals that we have set are keeping me busy I have
a 5km run quite soon which I am trying to get a PB in! He wants to know how I do so I will email him after it.
All in all, Vish has provided me with all the support he can, and has linked me in with people that can help me get back on track
and that have the time to spend with me, and all doing activities that I am actually interested in.
From the beginning I really enjoyed my time with Kay. She came round to see me every week or so and wed have a cuppa and start
chatting. I never felt like she was just testing me, or asking too many questions. You know how some support workers are, they seem to be
ticking boxes rather than getting to know a person. I never felt that way with Kay. She was friendly and never pretended to have lived
through my experience. She let me share details about my life and I felt that she understood, without necessarily having lived it herself.
We started talking about my hobbies and interests and sometimes I dont feel like I have many at all. But she helped me to think
back about what Hugh and I used to do together. He was a farmer and was quite involved with the union of farmers in the county. When
they met together, I would go and see the wives, but hadnt been since he passed away. I wasnt so sure that I could go back to this group
without Hugh. Kay suggested we go together. Her brother is also a farmer in the area and we decided to go to the meeting together for a
few times so that she could introduce me to a few people.
Well the first time I was really nervous. I hadnt been out to see people much recently and I didnt know how others would react to
my being there. Also, I worried that people wouldnt be the right age. Sometimes I feel that I have nothing in common with people from
the younger generation but those in my age group have many more health problems than I do. Its all they talk about sometimes! But at
the first meeting I recognised a few people and was happy to have Kay there with me. It took a few meetings before I felt ready to go on
my own but Ive met one woman who lost her husband too and were now able to go to the meetings together. Next week were planning
to go to the travelling cinema that comes to the area once per week. Im still seeing Kay regularly but with meeting new people I feel less
anxious about leaving the house.
I was so annoyed when my family said they didnt know how to be around me anymore, and I should go see someone. I thought
they wanted to get rid of me so was really scared when I first went to meet Eric but when he explained that I could meet with him whenever
I wanted to I felt much more relaxed. I felt I could speak with him really easily because he was so relaxed and friendly, that first meeting all
we did was chat about what I liked doing! Looking back I just think how lucky I was to get the chance to meet him, and all the other people
who worked there! I love my buddy! He helped me so much when I was feeling like I had nothing to live for. He found out that I like to play
football every day and have found that Im even good enough to teach other people. I took a football book to my book group and everyone
loved it! I feel so excited to be sharing my love for football with lots of different people. It feels good to be able to know more about some-
thing than other people! Im reading a book about a farm now which is totally new to me but Im actually enjoying it, my friend from the
reading group told me to read it, Im glad I listened to her! My Dad says I have grown up a lot and Ive started to feel a lot closer to my fam-
ily lately. I love waking up in the morning and getting excited for what the day might bring.
Worker and individual, NHS assessment team, mental health
Worker and individual, community NHS team, older adult mental health
Worker and individual, third sector resource centre, learning disabilities
Here are some case studies showing the model in action across a range of client groups and services. Each is seen from both the worker and the individual perspective
12
In short
The agency in which this practice occurs needs to be supportive to the out-ward-facing nature of the intervention and embedded in its local community
to ensure that connections can be facilitated. (see page 13)
The intervention process itself begins with a discussion about the in-dividuals strengths, assets and interests. S/he is supported to develop his or
her own goals which the worker will support them to achieve. (see page 19)
The individual needs to be supported to overcome barriers which they may face in the process of achieving their goals. Workers may need some assis-
tance from their teams with this. (see page 25)
The worker needs to be open to expanding their network of contacts which may be needed to be drawn upon to assist the individual. (see page 31)
How to use this manual
This manual does not provide step-by-step guidance on how to help people to
make new social connections. As we have discovered in the Connecting People
Study, there is no one way to do this. How this process will work will vary from
individual to individual. Instead, this manual provides a framework for practice
which should assist workers to adapt flexibly to the strengths, needs and de-
sires of the individuals they are working with. For more practical suggestions
on how to use the model, we will be running training sessions for workers
alongside this manual.
Feedback We are seeking feedback on this guidance and wish to ensure that it is fit for
purpose. If there are aspects which you wish to discuss with us, please let us
know. Our contact details can be found at the back of this guide, along with
links to useful resources and more.
We hope that you find this manual useful to your work.
13
The agency The influence of the agency is depicted in orange on the diagram. As you
can see, it underpins the entire intervention, and is an integral factor in both
the shared processes of the model as well as providing support for the
worker and for the individual.
Without a supportive agency, it is unlikely that the processes depicted will
occur. There are a number of features characteristic of a supportive agency,
including modelling of good practice, skill sharing, community engagement
and good local knowledge. These aspects create the security necessary to
allow the workers within it to do their jobs well, and the individuals access-
ing their service to feel confident enough to make progress.
An organisation also needs to know its limitations and its barriers, and the
can do attitude of its workers needs to be echoed to try and overcome any
issues. Workers need to know that they can use their initiative and try new
things whilst being supported by their agency, in order for ideas to prosper.
In addition to this, the agency can provide a physical environment which fa-
cilitates social connections and can provide useful connections with commu-
nity resources which individual workers may not have. Shared knowledge of
the local and wider communities and a thorough understanding of the in-
tervention model held by the agency can prevent interventions failing when
workers leave. Comprehensive handover procedures in this event are also
necessary, as individuals may have built up a strong relationship with their
worker rather than with the agency as a whole. These factors can also help
to reduce reliance on individual workers who may be the only ones to hold
connections within the local community.
The environment in which the agency works is also keysupport from other
local organisations, and funding bodies is very helpful when an agency is try-
ing to complete this sort of work. If there is competition between organisa-
tions due to funding or another issue, jealous or unhelpful attitudes may ap-
pear that can impact negatively on the agencys work.
14
Enhanced
social
network
knowledge
Potential
Barriers
Worker
PartnershipEquality
Developing
skills,
relationships
and resources
with this
individual and
for the future
Modelling of good practice Skill sharing
Physical environmentCommunity resources
Help accessing the service
Agency
These three factors are key to assist the worker and the individual to
start moving forward with the intervention:
The Agency: explained
Physical Environment
This will obviously vary according
to facilities available.
However, it needs to be as inclu-
sive as possible. Creating a non
statutory ethos is key to engaging
individuals who do not identify
well with typical NHS settings.
For example, no sharps cupboards,
dont lock equipment away, en-
courage service users to assume
front line positions e.g. answering
phone, working on a reception.
Community resources
An agency should aim to link in
with other local resources in order
to help an individual feel less segre-
gated and more grounded when
accessing their servicethis will
increase the likelihood of atten-
dance.
Help accessing the service
The agency can play a key role in en-
couraging an individual to attend a
service:
Creating a welcoming environment
e.g. a caf;
Not forcing paperwork on an individ-
ual as soon as they start attending.
15
Enhanced
social
networkPotential
Barriers
Individual
PartnershipEquality
Developing
ideas, goals,
and
confidence
and working
to attain and
expand on
these
Community engagement Local knowledge
Physical environmentCommunity resources
Help accessing the service
Agency
The underlying ethos of the agency has to support the whole inter-
vention process
Community engagement
Agencies should invite community members and groups
in wherever possible. This reduces the stigma of mental
health services. It is great if they can utilise mainstream
community resources wherever appropriate.
Local knowledge
There should be a database of
local knowledge within the
agency. Although staff will
build up their own connec-
tions the agency should col-
laborate with staff to produce
a record of useful links that
can be passed on to other
workers. Agencies should also
be familiar with relevant facili-
ties in the wider area.
Modelling of Good Practice
It is helpful for an agency to set an example from the top down for all of its staff.
Barriers and boundaries need to be clearly set out within policy to allow staff to feel confi-
dent in sharing and being a real person to the individuals that they work with.
Skill sharing
An agency should not keep its skills
and resources private. Sharing knowl-
edge is really key whether this be a
skilled staff member going and help-
ing other community organisations, or
being happy to share policies and pro-
cedures. By keeping an open mind
and creating a sharing ethos, the
agency is opening up more opportuni-
ties for itself.
16
Enhanced
social
network
knowledge
Potential
Barriers
Worker
PartnershipEquality
Developing
skills,
relationships
and resources
with this
individual and
for the future
Modelling of good practice Skill sharing
Physical environmentCommunity resources
Help accessing the service
Agency
The Agency: case studies
Physical Environment
My first impressions were of a very
light and airy place, the standard of
the art on the walls was amazing,
and no one was sitting at a loose
end. Even those who were at the
computers were conversing whilst
they looked on the internet. The
place had quite a buzz to it.the
caf set up meant that nervous in-
dividuals could just have a cup of
tea without feeling that they had
to engage further...
-field notes, researcher
Community resources
The agency s football groups link
with a local college and the FA. The
chance of being scouted encour-
ages individuals to attend the
groups, play the matches, and en-
gage with the other beneficial ser-
vices offered by the agency.
- reflections, researcher
Help accessing the service
Thats where I learned if people ever
wanted to come here and they didnt
actually want to (travel), Id go and
meet them and come down with them
- extract from interview, volunteer
The whole building has a buzz about it, a
good feeling. I always go away, even if I felt
miserable when I had come, I always go away
feeling good. Because you come here and you
can sit down and realise that your problems
are not that bad and everyone has their own
problems. And everyone who comes here has
problems and thats why they come here but
they dont bring it out here
-extract from interview, service user
17
Enhanced
social
networkPotential
Barriers
Individual
PartnershipEquality
Developing
ideas, goals,
and
confidence
and working
to attain and
expand on
these
Community engagement Local knowledge
Physical environmentCommunity resources
Help accessing the service
Agency
Modelling of Good Practice
Ethos training from the outset means that new starters in the organisation whether these be
staff or volunteers - are aware of how the agency is run and how they fit into this ethos
- reflections, researcher
Skill sharing
The agency sent policies and contacts through to another local
organization, who had lottery funding to set up but are now strug-
gling to sustain the service. They see it as leading from the front,
and passing on knowledge is one way to continue being a success
and your ethos/philosophy being shared
- field notes, researcher
Local knowledgedisplayed at
centre within the 5 ways to
wellbeing framework
we built this metaphor which was its this lovely picture of a table with all
the stuff we deliver on top of it, but underneath it is all the procedures
like you cant see them, in a big chest and its sort of locked up so you
dont see any of it...
-extract from interview, co-director
Skill sharing
There is a culture that everyone wants to learn a little of everyone
elses role. This will allow knowledge to be shared beyond a single
person holding everything (and thus avoid the issue of it all being
dependent on one member of the team).
- field notes, researcher
Community engagement
weve linked up with LOCOG, which is the Lon-
don Organising Committee for the Olympic
Games...they provide volunteering roles within
the Olympics. So weve been able to throw some
of our guys down that route. And then its down
to them really to take it on
- extract from interview with two staff
18
More information taken from the
participating organisations
Interactive website at BlueSCI allows for individuals to keep up to date
The importance of the environment external to the agency is highlighted in this quote
from a Commissioner:
I think weve been more supportive, a lot more supportive and hands on possibly than
other commissioners might be in other areas and I do think thats helpful ...
And commissioners have the overview of how the organisation compares to others:
They represent a belief in dynamism and proactivity in pursuit of outcomes - whether
these be organisational, community wide or for individuals
19
The practice
The practice refers to the active process that occurs within the intervention.
The intervention model is a very dynamic process with lots of potential for
change and modification. It is not simply instructions to follow which will
result in a particular outcome occurring. We have used two interlocking cir-
cles to represent the fluidity of the process and the uncertainty about when,
or if, social network development will occur. There is room for experimenta-
tion within this practiceit is intended just to provide a framework to work
from.
The shared components of the model are represented in purple, and are lo-
cated at the very heart of the model. They consist of:
The partnership: the relationship built between the worker and the individ-
ual is key to the success of the intervention. It must be an equal relationship
where both parties feel able to comment and change as necessary. The
partnership should be discussed openly from the start, and the conversation
conducted on a level playing field. Other factors key to the partnership in-
clude confidence, flexibility, lived experience, openness, hope and trust.
Although there will be differences between partnerships, it is clear that this
needs to be built over time. First impressions are critical and a consistency
needs to be there in order to allow an individual accessing the service to
open up to a staff member in their own time.
Shared development of objectives and activities (represented by the
square in the middle): This is the crucial part of the model as it represents
the co-produced activities. When the worker and individual meet for the
first time in the context of this model, they discuss the life goals of the indi-
vidual and they develop a realistic strategy together to help him or her
achieve this. The activities may be in the context of what the agency pro-
vides or it may be additional to that.
Some underpinning elements of these activities may include network (and
asset) assessment; objective development; inspiration; facilitation; meet-
ing expectations; orientation; sign-posting; skill recognition and feedback.
20
Enhanced
social
network
knowledge
Worker
Agency
Shared
processes
Developing
skills,
relationships
and resources
with this
individual and
for the future
PartnershipEquality
Confidence
Flexibility
Lived experience
Openness
Hope
Trust
Shared
processes
Network assessment
Objective development
Inspiration
Facilitation
Meeting expectations
Orientation/signposting
Skill recognition
Feedback
The partnership:
The Practice: explained
EQUALITY: This is really keythe worker must be on the same level as the individ-
ual. This needs to be achieved through mutual respectjust as impor-
tant from the worker as from the individual. There is no reason that the
worker cannot take on board comments or suggestions from the individ-
ual to aid their own work, or their wider lives. Similarly, workers can use
examples from their own lives to help the individual that they work with,
where appropriate.
Sessions should be conducted at a location and time chosen by the pair.
Flexibility:
The partnership can be very flexible,
and not bound by paperwork. If an
organization feels that they need pa-
perwork to document meetings and
the process, then it works best for this
to be minimal and interactiveboth
worker and individual should play a
part in filling it in.
Anything above and beyond this
should be completed by the worker
after the session.
Lived experience:
Some service users say that the best
workers are those who have been
through a similar experience to them-
selves. Whilst this is not always feasi-
ble/appropriate, workers can make an
effort to understand aspects of their
clients livesfrom listening to them
talk, to going away and researching a
clients interest to fuel conversation
the next time.
Trust:
This is really important to the individual
a worker will build the trust and re-
spect of their client by ensuring that
they are not late to meetings, and keep-
ing in good contact with them about
arrangements.
21
Enhanced
social
network
Individual
Agency
Shared
processes
Developing
ideas, goals,
and
confidence
and working
to attain and
expand on
these
PartnershipEquality
Confidence
Flexibility
Lived experience
Openness
Hope
Trust
Shared
processes
Network assessment
Objective development
Inspiration
Facilitation
Meeting expectations
Orientation/signposting
Skill recognition
Feedback
The shared processes:
Network Assessment:
This is a shared process. It can be
formalnetwork mapping; e.g.
draw me three circles, list who is in
the inner circle and closest to you,
or less formal e.g. a discussion about
who is important in your life and
why.
Inspiration:
Ideally this will come from the individ-
ualtheir dreams and aspirations. Open
questions could promote ideas and discus-
sion, or tools such as an activity timetable
used to pick something new to try. Moti-
vational interviewing can also be used at
this point to identify how best an individ-
ual can move forward.
Feedback:
This needs to be a two-way street with the worker helping the individual to reflect on how they
are progressing, possibly using written notes to gauge progress. The individual will also be able to
comment on the workers performance. This can be achieved if the relationship is very equal face
to face, but a good structure for making comments, complaints and suggestions is also pretty cru-
cial within the agency. Good questions to ask both yourself and to the individual include am I
asking the right questions?, How will we know this is helpful?, and Is this a helpful conversa-
tion?. This allows constant monitoring of how effective the practice is proving to be.
Skill recognition/orientation/signposting:
All of these require the worker to constantly think outside of the box and see as
many opportunities as possible for their client. They need to use their resources,
networks and experiences to help the individual find the best available new oppor-
tunities. Matching individuals according to a shared interest can work wonders,
although care should be taken when doing this. Individuals need to fill valued roles
within the community rather than remaining outsiders
Facilitation:
Some individuals may just need help determining how they
want to move forward, and they can achieve the rest. How-
ever many who may be more anxious will need help taking the
first step. Aiding with the setting up of meetings or introduc-
tions to a new activity goes a long way to overcome nerves.
the willingness to work flexibly and accompany the client to
new activities until they feel comfortable. Using the stages of
belonging to understand at what level an individual needs a
worker to help with can be a useful tool.
22
Enhanced
social
network
knowledge
Worker
Agency
Shared
processes
Developing
skills,
relationships
and resources
with this
individual and
for the future
PartnershipEquality
Confidence
Flexibility
Lived experience
Openness
Hope
Trust
Shared
processes
Network assessment
Objective development
Inspiration
Facilitation
Meeting expectations
Orientation/signposting
Skill recognition
Feedback
The Practice: case studies
Flexibility
We met initially each week at a
coffee shop or somewhere where it
just felt like we were having a
chatit never felt like we were go-
ing through questions or filling out
forms. After a while we used to
meet less and left oftenthe de-
crease in intervals was always
something I felt comfortable with
though
- extract from interview, individual
Equality
Office staff and admin staff would come and
get involved, so youve got this real mix of peo-
ple. And you had no idea who was a patient,
who was staff, who was a visitor, who was a
volunteer. It was completely about the activity
and engagement
-extract from interview, director of service
Objective Development
They are not coming to be pressured,
what are you going to do with your life,
you know and so what we try and do
with the service is make it very much user
led, so they come along.we dont say
after 4 weeks, you are going to do
this,...we monitor their progress so you
know, after 4 weeks our health advisor
would be having those conversations
with them, and finding out what it is they
are trying to do
-extract from interview, worker
Skill recognition
I think (there is) something around reconceptu-
alising a service user: if you reconceptualise
what your relationship with your service pro-
vider is into one where youre giving something
back, then actually thats a more empowering
position to be in and it values the fact that actu-
ally everyone who comes into our services has
something to give...we now have two staff in the
s.u. involvement team who are service users
too...one were encouraging to do more train-
ing...shes a very very good trainer and
speaker...so we are trying to build her skills
around that. -extract from interview, worker
Feedback
It (support session feedback) was brilliant because it was a summary of your conversa-
tion...it kind of contextualised what youd done and what youd achieved over the last
month: we discussed that you were going to go and see this, you were going to do that,
and you were going to give up smoking, and things like that you know.theres a lot of
things going on in there which you didnt realise but you were going forward all the time
23
Enhanced
social
network
Individual
Agency
Shared
processes
Developing
ideas, goals,
and
confidence
and working
to attain and
expand on
these
PartnershipEquality
Confidence
Flexibility
Lived experience
Openness
Hope
Trust
Shared
processes
Network assessment
Objective development
Inspiration
Facilitation
Meeting expectations
Orientation/signposting
Skill recognition
Feedback
Facilitation
Due to a semi-paralysis down his left-hand
side, he could no longer carry his equipment
and therefore had had to stop fishing. The
agency put him in touch with someone else
who was interested in fishing, who wanted a
companion to do this with. The pair now go
fishing together regularly, and the gentleman
has reported an lift in his mood as a result of
attending the service.
Field notes, researcher
Network Assessment
in that handbook now were asking each man-
ager to build a resourcelike a community re-
source and weve got two blank pages basically
for that with all of the different resources in the
community that people can access
Extract from interview, worker
Equality
Were heavily in control in a sense and then were trying to empower them to take
control at the end of our contact with them, that thats changed and that theyve be-
come in control. Its what were aiming for
- extract from interview, worker
I chip in, tidy up, setting up the flat, you know, putting on the cot linen...
- extract from interview, worker
Openness and objective development
look, were going to establish a partnership here Ill provide as
much guidance as I can, as much support as I can, but the duty
work, you have to do it. Because this is your life. This is not about
me, this is about you. So usually, I use that kind of approachI
always say to them, look, I dont have any kind of clinical train-
ing, so were not going to talk medication, were not going to talk
symptoms, and things like that. What we are going to talk is
what you need, what you want, and where you want to be.
- extract from interview, worker
It (support session feedback) was brilliant because it was a summary of your conversa-
tion...it kind of contextualised what youd done and what youd achieved over the last
month: we discussed that you were going to go and see this, you were going to do that,
and you were going to give up smoking, and things like that you know.theres a lot of
things going on in there which you didnt realise but you were going forward all the time
-extract from interview, individual
24
More information taken from the
participating organisations
The process of empowering the individual is a
tricky one: there is a balance between mollycod-
dling them and risking relapse if a worker pushes
too hard. It is also important to keep the process
moving forward, rather than finding a state where
the individual feels comfortable with their level of
empowerment and sticking there for too long.
If you focus on the process and making sure the
process is empowering, making sure that the values
that we would like to bring into the relationship are
actually brought in and evidenced into the day to
day interactions with people then the outcomes that
we would like i.e. people feeling confident to go out
and do different things meet other people engaging
with the one to one work but also engaging with the
wider activities happen naturally. Because its only
through process that people change, its only
through the moment to moment interaction with
someone that someone can feel better.
-extract from interview, worker
Matchmakinga good or bad idea?
Workers who find two individuals with similar interests often want to link the pair up. This would re-
sult in an increase in social capital for both. However, company policy often prohibits this due to con-
fidentiality issues and risk levels. A worker should discuss with other staff before making a link.
Youd love to be like a matchmaking agency and be able to go, oh my god, I know this person, but I
mean I think thats kind of, their place to do that. And thats where they gain those skills, getting their
confidence up to have those conversations with people to know its going to be alright.
- extract from interview, worker
I meet them both individually and we do the same things. They want to go to the same town, they
want to go to the same computer game shop. And that gets me thinking, I dont need to do this with
you, you could do this together. But obviously, you know, confidentiality and their own issues...its
very difficult. . potentially, they could be really good friends. But, you cant force people to be
friends and...its a bit of a political mine field - extract from interview, worker
25
The individual
In order for the intervention process to work effectively, there is the pre-
requisite that the individual needs to have some enthusiasm for engaging in
this process and ownership of it. In other words they need to have a wish
to change. A level of enthusiasm can be encouraged/inspired by a skilled
worker, but for the process to work in the long term the individual has to
take responsibility for themselves, and must have a desire to do this.
This is often a major challenge, especially when individuals suffer with high
levels of anxietyin other words there are cases where an individual may
want to change but does not have the confidence to start on the journey. A
worker must be sympathetic and flexible to allow the individual to choose to
start the process and move forward in their own time. A worker also needs
to listen to how large or small a goal the individual wants to setthey may
see a small amount of social networking as sufficient for their wellbeing.
An individuals journey is represented by the blue circle on the right of the
model. This is the focus of the intervention process as it is where the social
network development is expected to occur. We expect it to involve the indi-
vidual being exposed to new ideas; being introduced to new people and
activities; the development of skills and interests; development of social
confidence; and building currency (both personal and social). We have de-
liberately omitted any details about what the individual and worker might
do within this process as it is up to them to co-produce the activities.
We believe that social network development may occur at any point as a
by-product of the process.
Barriers to social network development (represented by the smaller circle
to the right of the model) work in the opposite direction to the intervention
cycle and can pose considerable challenges for some individuals. These may
include stigma; cultural factors; physical health problems; complicated ex-
ternal lives; poor attitudes of self and the organisation providing the con-
text for the intervention; bad social capital; lack of information; or poor
access to services. These barriers present the worker with a number of chal-
lenges, and are likely to be the most time-consuming element of their work.
26
Worker
Agency
Developing
skills,
relationships
and resources
with this
individual and
for the future
PartnershipEquality
Shared
processes
Enhanced
social
network
knowledgePotential
Barriers
The worker and agency must help the individual to help themselves
move forward:
The Individual: explained
Barriers
Stigma: By grounding the service within the wider community, and linking individuals by a common activity
rather than illness, the stigma of a separate mental health service reduces. Self-stigma can also be reduced
by encouraging the individual to attend large-scale organisational events, as there are likely to meet people
that they can relate to. This is seen as a key issue by workers and individuals alike, and is really important to
tackle effectively.
Physical health: Workers need to be sensitive to physical health issues when suggesting activities, and ensure
that they are inclusive to allow the individual to take part fully.
Complicated external lives: Although family etc should be included where appropriate in the process, the
individual should keep ownership of the process and prioritise their journey as something that they will do
for themselves.
Attitude of self/of organisation: Staff working with an individual with a self-limiting attitude should encour-
age them to take very small steps forwards, for example attending just one appointment or making just one
phone-call.
The agency should strive to support people to move on rather than be an overly nurturing, protective place.
The individuals journey
As stated in the introduction to this section, the processes occurring here are unique to each worker-individual
pairing, and need to be flexible and dynamic to the situation.
The crucial idea to keep in mind is that this is not a linear process. Individuals move as part of a cycle. Their
own attitudes and experiences mixed with the impact of the opportunities around them, the workers efforts,
and the agency create a different experience for each person. Some may move around the stages of the cycle
more quickly than others, and some may skip stages. A worker needs to expect the unexpected, as results may
occur earlier or later than were preconceived, and opportunities need to be seized as they come up.
Social network development and the building of social capital is the end goal of the process, but this may occur
as a by-product of any one of the stages on the model. An individual may move through the cycle and build
their social network up but still want more support in which case the cycle could start again with new oppor-
tunities being identified.
Barriers continued:
Bad social capital: If an individuals network is impacting negatively on them they should be encouraged to seek out
alternatives.
Access to service: Workers should accompany individuals where necessary. If a service is geographically governed,
knowledge of similar services nearby is important.
Lack of information: The service must be promoted clearly in a variety of different locations. The inclusion/exclusion
criteria must be evident (e.g. an age restriction or a referral from CMHT needed).
Cultural factors: Individuals from tightly knit cultures may be less likely to access mainstream services and allowances
must be made for these groups.
27
Enhanced
social
network
Agency
PartnershipEquality
Shared
processes
Individual can leave
and re-enter the
intervention at any
point of the cycle
as desired/required
IndividualOwnership
Enthusiasm
Introduction to new people
and activities
Development of
skills and interests
Building currency
Catalysing ideas
Development of
social confidence
Potential
Barriers
Potential
BarriersPhysical
healthAttitude:
self/
organisation
Lack of
information
Access to service
Stigma
Bad social
capital
Diversity
factors
Complicated
external
lives
Freedom to leave and return
The individual should be encouraged
to engage with the intervention proc-
essthrough the positive conse-
quences that they begin to witness,
the reinforcement of the new confi-
dence and experiences that they begin
to experience. However, the individ-
ual should never be forced or con-
tracted to spend a minimum number
of weeks on the intervention. Please
note that the intervention process is
different to attending the service as a
whole. People can still access the ser-
vice without feeling they must con-
tinue with the intervention. They may
re-enter the intervention at a different
stage to where they left it.
Moving on
Where protocol allows, it is best that
an individual never feels that they
cannot re-access the intervention, or
the service within which it occurs.
The best results of people moving
on seem to come from organisations
where individuals see an open door
that they can re-enter as necessary.
This seems to allow people to have
the confidence to try new things,
acting as the back up that they need,
until they no longer think about it.
The stages of the process
A worker needs to be able to gauge at what stage the individual is in the process in order
to judge when and how to move forward.
Generally, increased personal confidence, an increased attitude of ownership towards a
task etc, and a more forward looking attitude are signs that an individual is comfortable at
a stage and that it may be time to move forward. Body language and a change in the sup-
port that they ask for are other hints that can be monitored to determine this.
If an individuals network is impacting negatively on them they should be encouraged to seek out
Workers should accompany individuals where necessary. If a service is geographically governed,
The service must be promoted clearly in a variety of different locations. The inclusion/exclusion
Individuals from tightly knit cultures may be less likely to access mainstream services and allowances
28
Worker
Agency
Developing
skills,
relationships
and resources
with this
individual and
for the future
PartnershipEquality
Shared
processes
Enhanced
social
network
knowledgePotential
Barriers
.
The Individual: case studies
Bad social capital
Because even though Ive got friends to hang around
with, some of them are not very good friends. Some of
them drink, (do) drugs, and even though I drink the odd
time, but, they do drugs and you know, its just sort of
like, theyre wrong ones, do you know what I mean?
And I want to hang around with decent people who
want to get their life in track and not destroy their life.
-extract from interview, individual
Initiating the process
...people come into this sort of situation for the
first time theyre testing it because thats exactly
what I used to do, you put your foot in the door
and take it back out again. Maybe a couple of
months down the line theyll put 2 feet in the door
and try. Youve got to remember a lot of these
people have been shells for years and years and
yearsthey dont trust anybody, its hard to really
sort of like to befriend all at once so youve got to
take a short of gradual you know process cause
you can frighten people away just as easily.
-extract from interview, service user volunteer
Attitude of self/organisation
One part of it is fear cause they tell you ok youre
better now, and you got some idiot telling you youre
better because youve ticked all the boxes and youve
gone through your programme and there are people
still in therapy and they look a lot worse than you
cause you seem to be ok then youre ok.
- extract from interview, service user volunteer
Because sometimes individuals dont want to engage,
thats a decision theyve made, theyre not ready
-extract from interview, worker
Barriers
If someone had difficultyit would be about
sitting down and working through it and what it
was that there were barriers that make it diffi-
cult for them to get to the group. Is there any-
thing that we could put in place that would
make it easier for them to do that? Is there
somebody else that they might want to come
with them? That might make that easier?
Would they perhaps want to come for part of
the groups
-extract from interview, worker
Building currency/social network development
People swap contact details and decide to go out
socially with each other and make contact on
Facebook. But theyve got a shared experience to
start with. And it just develops.
- extract from interview,
Ill say, well I dont know the answer to this but
what we could try is Googling this? so its almost
like, youre sharing, you have social capital... That
whole ability to think and research and connect.
Youre almost modelling it.
- extract from interview, worker
29
Enhanced
social
network
Agency
PartnershipEquality
Shared
processes
Individual can leave
and re-enter the
intervention at any
point of the cycle
as desired/required
IndividualOwnership
Enthusiasm
Introduction to new people
and activities
Development of
skills and interests
Building currency
Catalysing ideas
Development of
social confidence
Potential
Barriers
Potential
BarriersPhysical
healthAttitude:
self/
organisation
Lack of
information
Access to service
Stigma
Bad social
capital
Diversity
factors
Complicated
external
lives
Leave and re-enter the cycle
She doesnt see herself as having
stopped interacting with the ser-
vice altogether, as she still goes
back from time to time and
would like to volunteer in the fu-
ture field notes, researcher
Development of skills and interests
I dont think it matters if youre only doing one thing a
week but the one thing you week youre doing is so fan-
tastic that you can go home, if its an art class and be
painting and doing a lot of stuff on your own
-extract from interview, individual
Development of social confidence
...what we talk about is, not piling lots
and lots of activities into, into your week.
But having regular exposure, so having an
hour a day, go to the gym or even four
hours a week, go to the gym. Just con-
stantly go and then sooner or later, you
become acclimated to the environment
and you become a lot more confident in
that environment and then you can ex-
pand those experiences.
- extract from interview, individual
Exposure to new ideas
Its giving them ideas, new ideas that they might not have thought of before I think really.
So I throw a lot of things out that might not necessarily apply to them. But generally theyll
find something thats interesting and think...
-extract from interview, worker
...well, straight away, they said, are you interested in the activities. And as far as I, I was-
nt interested, I was like, nah, Ill just use the team for the doctors, just to go and talk. But
then later on...I used the services, the activities...Ive been playing football for two years
with them now.
- extract from interview, individual
I see the, the exposure to new ideas as being a joint thing as well because Im constantly
being exposed to new ideas from my clients that make me question quite a few things. Have
I got that? Am I clear in my mind when I think about that? So I do find that working with
people is kind of a thought provoking kind of process. So its not introducing clients to new
ideas. Theyre introducing us to new ideas. And so thats a fifty-fifty kind of split up
- extract from interview, worker
Building currency/social network development
People swap contact details and decide to go out
socially with each other and make contact on
Facebook. But theyve got a shared experience to
extract from interview,
worker
Ill say, well I dont know the answer to this but
what we could try is Googling this? so its almost
like, youre sharing, you have social capital... That
whole ability to think and research and connect.
Youre almost modelling it.
30
More information taken from participating
organisations
Below are some extracts of interviews showing the individuals
perspectives of the process
Yes the organisation did help me to move on, but not in an obvious way, in other words I did not
feel pressurised to stop attending. The idea of going to university to study to degree level was
something I had thought about in the past, but never really thought I would do this. At a group
session I mentioned this but was not going to do anything about it, until (my worker) encouraged
me to do something about it, and I applied to college and was accepted onto an access course.
On the first morning (my worker) met me at the college to reassure me that I was able to take this
route. II went on to complete the course, and was accepted on to a History BA (hons) course, which
I completed earlier this year and gained a 2:1
If it was not for (the organisation) I doubt very much I would have gone into higher education.
Ive come through the hospital and hostel, Ive been through prison. And Im nearly getting my own
place, on my feet. And once I do get that, I want to be looking at education, you know, part time edu-
cation, preferably evenings. Something, Im going to enjoy doing something that I have a future in.
everyones got assets: when youre ill and
particularly when youve got mental health
problems you forget about them and theyve
got to be coaxed out.
Well I find that shes (the worker) quite clever, shes
quite good at analysing and making me think and un-
derstand the way I think about things, like prob-
lems...like going out, she, shes been getting me to
think about what it is that I dont like about it. And she
taught me to understand that even though I dont feel
like doing some of it. If I do, then Ill benefit from it.
31
The worker Just as the individual must be enthusiastic and have the desire to move for-
ward, there are also pre-requisites of the worker in order to ensure that the
intervention is as successful as possible. An empathic worker, who under-
stands the factors that impact on the individual will find the best way to
work around these problems. The worker should hold a can-do attitude and
be driven to see the possibilities in situationsbe this forming new relation-
ships, learning new things or exploiting existing contacts ...they need to be a
natural networker, or to be able to link individuals with others who are.
They should also see the value of an individuals existing networkothers
may know useful things that are invaluable to the individuals progress.
Workers need to think creatively to help an individual to think of new ideas.
If an individual cannot find inspiration, a worker can help them to be in-
spired. This can be aided by the worker letting their personality shine
through in their jobagencies should know workers interests and allow
them to be resourceful people in their own right, rather than simply facilita-
tors to link the individuals accessing the service to other contacts.
The workers journey is as important in the intervention process as the indi-
viduals. This assumes that the worker will need to develop their own social
network knowledge in order to support the individual on their journey.
Workers will need to build relationships; foster trust; identify opportuni-
ties; engage with the local community of the individual; develop their own
networks and resources; adapt to new ideas; and utilise their contacts in
the process of supporting the individual they are working with. At any point,
they may need to provide extra support or reassess their involvement with
the individual, whilst the individual may seek advice from the worker.
Along the way, the worker may also face barriers, including a lack of local
knowledge, poor systems, a lack of resources, and most importantly an un-
helpful attitude. These need to be addressed to allow their own develop-
ment of social network knowledge, as well as an effective partnership with
the individual to be created. The worker should never do something for the
individual, instead they should help them to do it for themselves.
32
Shared
processes
PartnershipEquality
Agency
Enhanced
social
network
knowledge
WorkerWorker
Empathy
Can-do attitude
Natural networker
Extra Support
Reassessment
Adapting to new ideas
Utilising contacts
Building
relationships
Fostering trust
Developing own networks
and resources
Engaging with local community
Identifying opportunities
Attitudes
Lack of
resources e.g.
time, funding
Poor processes/
bureaucracy
Lack of local
knowledge
Potential
Barriers
Extra support and reassessment
The path to recovery is not a smooth one and individuals may progress substantially before encountering an issue, or
relapsing. To help this, the worker can monitor the individual in a sensitive fashion to allow for extra support where
necessary. This may come in the form of meeting them more frequently, or re
their confidence is built up once again. Conversely, if the individual is leading a relatively independent lifestyle then
calls or text messages can be less intrusive than a structured, regular meeting. Over time as the individual becomes
more integrated with their new social networks, the role of the worker should become less important. Accurate as-
sessment of when and how to drop back and allow the individual to go it alone is crucial.
Building relationships:
Positivity and optimism from the outset is invaluable..
Different workers gave different ideas for engaging indi-
viduals. These included:
Using humour to create a bond and creating an environ-
ment where there was a free reign to take the mick out of
one another;
Sharing some information about yourself to find common
ground;
Sharing your own experiences of mental health;
Simply smiling and using open body language to make the
individual feel as comfortable as possible.
Identifying Opportunities
It is useful to be constantly on the look out for new opportu-
nities in the local area, through both information given out
by their agency and also their own research. They must be
dynamic and use their imagination to think creatively about
finding new opportunities. If they come across something
of interest, they should share with their wider team to allow
this knowledge to be effectively utilized.
Fostering trust
To build trust, the reliability and punctuality are really important at key work sessions.
They could also try to remember or note down key details to ask about the next session,
which encourages feelings of trust within the individual: that the worker really is inter-
ested, and really does care what they think and say.
Trust goes beyond this, however, and takes time to build up with an individual. The way
that a worker acts as an individual gets to know them will be the biggest tool to build (or
to not build) trustindividuals need to know a worker means what they say.
The Worker: explained
Engaging with local community
Creating bonds with the community allows the individual who the
worker is helping to easily pass from mental health specific ser-
vices into the mainstream. If the worker has contacts in the local
area, this transition is aided...for example a college admissions
tutor will be more sympathetic towards a new admission.
Additionally, having these eyes and ears in the local area provides
a more comprehensive knowledge of potential opportunities for
the future.
Knowledge of relevant facilities further afield will help the individ-
ual to branch out more to follow a special interest. It is important
to remember that a swimming pool or cinema is somewhere that
an individual goes with a friend, not to make a friend
Barriers
Of all of these barriers, the attitudeof staff, agencies and other
organisationshas been cited as the hardest to overcome.
Good working relationships within and outside of the organisation
can help this.
Breaking larger barriers into smaller, more manageable problems
with single solutions can also aid workers with overcoming barriers.
33
Shared
processes
Individual
PartnershipEquality
Agency
Developing
ideas, goals,
and
confidence
and working
to attain and
expand on
these
Enhanced
social
networkPotential
Barriers
Extra support and reassessment
The path to recovery is not a smooth one and individuals may progress substantially before encountering an issue, or
relapsing. To help this, the worker can monitor the individual in a sensitive fashion to allow for extra support where
necessary. This may come in the form of meeting them more frequently, or re-attending a group with them until
their confidence is built up once again. Conversely, if the individual is leading a relatively independent lifestyle then
calls or text messages can be less intrusive than a structured, regular meeting. Over time as the individual becomes
more integrated with their new social networks, the role of the worker should become less important. Accurate as-
sessment of when and how to drop back and allow the individual to go it alone is crucial.
Building relationships:
Positivity and optimism from the outset is invaluable..
Different workers gave different ideas for engaging indi-
viduals. These included:
Using humour to create a bond and creating an environ-
ment where there was a free reign to take the mick out of
one another;
Sharing some information about yourself to find common
Sharing your own experiences of mental health;
Simply smiling and using open body language to make the
individual feel as comfortable as possible.
Developing own networks and resources
This can often be a by-product of the research
completed to find opportunities for the individ-
ual. These new opportunities should be recorded
rather than forgotten about, and again shared
with the agency as a whole if appropriate.
If the worker has a particular area of interest
then they may take time to build up knowledge
of this, as it will improve their own skill set and
allow them to potentially be more useful to an
individual in the future.
Adapting to new ideas
A dynamic agency will change frequently and the worker needs
to be enthusiastic about this rather than see it as a hassle.
If the individual changes their ideas, it should be taken as a posi-
tive thing as they are taking ownership of their recovery journey.
If the change feels like a step back then a discussion should be
held about what makes this new idea attractive.
Utilising contacts
A worker must have the confidence, and be supported by their agency, to use the contacts and
resources that they have built up in order to help the individual to progress. A file of numbers
and email addresses built up by the agency will simply go stale and connections will fade if they
are never used.
Workers could consider using their personal contacts if the contact could provide something spe-
cific for an individual. However, company policies and boundaries should be taken into consid-
eration when doing this.
34
Shared
processes
PartnershipEquality
Agency
Enhanced
social
network
knowledge
WorkerWorker
Empathy
Can-do attitude
Natural networker
Extra Support
Reassessment
Adapting to new ideas
Utilising contacts
Building
relationships
Fostering trust
Developing own networks
and resources
Engaging with local community
Identifying opportunities
Attitudes
Lack of
resources e.g.
time, funding
Poor processes/
bureaucracy
Lack of local
knowledge
Potential
Barriers
The Worker: case studies
I try to make the individual laughI cultivate
an atmosphere of humour in my ses-
sions...sometimes people are laughing at me
but they are laughing together at a common
cause, and this makes them bond
- extract from conversation, volunteer
The empathic worker
I think what youre doing is that youre
understanding people, what its like for
people, other people to, in terms of social
interaction, what its like for other people
when they might lack the confidence to
go out and meet other people.
- extract from interview, individual
Building relationships
I will, kind of, smile, encourage them, because
really, it is not that easy, not very easy for any
human being, when you have someone, that
you dont know, before, coming into your life...I
have at the back of my mind, my conversation
is giving them that assurance.
- extract from interview, worker
Identifying Opportunities
I guess if someone wants to work in a gallery, what
about an arts suppliers or what about WH Smith? Or
what about a library, which have links to kind of the arts
and stuff like that. What about theatre?...Its just trying to
think creatively...if someones interested in art, thinking
about all the arts and, those kinds of places. It could be
music shops and it could be the cinema. And then through
talking about these things: oh actually I would quite like
to work there. - extract from interview, worker
Fostering Trust
So for us to make that attachment stronger, we
have to keep to the time...if you promise to do any-
thing for them, be sure you keep to it. If theres any
changes, you inform them immediatelyIf Im going
on annual leave, I will let them know, I will inform
them when Im going, when Im coming back and
any other contact number, office number if they
need to talk to somebody...we put all those plans in
place - extract from interview, worker
35
Shared
processes
Individual
PartnershipEquality
Agency
Developing
ideas, goals,
and
confidence
and working
to attain and
expand on
these
Enhanced
social
networkPotential
Barriers
Extra support/reassessment
(I) try and work out with them exactly what it was that was
stopping getting them from whatever they needed and was it
a very particular thing like, I dont know, they were intimi-
dated by being in that space or felt uncomfortable. And try to
work with them to overcome that hurdle. I think that