Social Worker - Mental Health

Also known as:

Social Worker, Psychiatric
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Social Worker

Introduction

With further training, social workers can specialise in caring for people who have been diagnosed with mental health problems, enabling them to be treated within the community. They give advice and practical support, and may arrange support services for their clients.

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Work Activities

Social workers who specialise in helping those with mental health problems give advice and practical support, and may arrange support for their clients such as day centres, home care assistants, supported accommodation and self-help schemes.

Social workers assess their clients to find out what their needs are and to consider factors such as the client's social background. For example, they may discover that social factors like unemployment, financial worries or inadequate housing have contributed to the client's mental ill health. The social worker may be able to give practical support and advice to help the client deal with this type of problem. For example, they may plan support services like counselling and advice, or help the client with a housing or benefit problem.

Social workers who specialise in helping those with mental health problems are usually based in psychiatric hospitals, working with people who have acute mental health problems.

Social workers can get further training to become mental health officers (MHOs). The role of an MHO is to try to make sure people with mental health problems can be treated and supported in the community. They may also give support and guidance to the patient's family.

Under the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003, MHOs have the power to arrange the compulsory admission of patients to hospital. This is a last resort, taken by the MHO if they consider a person to be a risk to themselves or others.

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Personal Qualities and Skills

A mental health officer must be sympathetic towards people with mental health problems and have a very strong understanding of mental health issues.

Social workers need strong communication and interpersonal skills to build trusting relationships with patients and their families. They must also have good negotiating skills, to arrange or purchase support services and to put forward their case for how much care the client needs. To do this, they must know the local area and be aware of available resources.

They must be able to work well with colleagues and other professionals.

This work can be emotionally demanding. Some clients may exhibit mood swings, and a range of emotions, which makes their behaviour unpredictable. There might be verbal or physical aggression. The MHO must be prepared for this, and be able to defuse difficult situations firmly, and with tact and kindness.

They must be able to work under pressure to meet deadlines.

MHOs in Scotland have the legal power to compulsorily admit people to hospital. They must be prepared to make this difficult decision if a person is a risk to themselves or others.

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Pay and Opportunities

Pay rates for social workers vary.

The pay rates given below are approximate.

Social workers in Scotland earn in the range of £28,000 - £35,000 a year. Practice team leaders earn between £35,000 - £43,000 a year.

Most social workers work a 37-hour week, Monday to Friday. However, early starts, late finishes and work on a rota basis with other team members to cover nights and weekends, may be required.

Social workers specialising in mental health work in a range of settings including psychiatric hospitals, day centres, supported housing and out in the community with field social work teams.

Mental health officers must take their turn on a rota system to be on call for out of hours duty on evenings and weekends.

Local authorities as well as some voluntary and charitable organisation employ mental health social workers. Sometimes the work is project based, lasting perhaps a year or two.

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Adult Opportunities

It is illegal for any organisation to set age limits for entry to employment, education or training, unless they can show there is a real need to have these limits.

In order to qualify as a social worker, it is necessary to have completed an Honours degree in social work or to have taken a degree in another suitable subject followed by a two-year postgraduate course.

For most social work courses, entrants are required to have 6-12 months' relevant experience. This may be paid or voluntary. Organisations such as CSV (Community Service Volunteers) provide relevant volunteering placements in social care.

The Open University offers a BA (Honours) Social Work (Scotland) degree by open and work-based learning. The programme is only available to staff who are working in social care agencies in Scotland and are sponsored by their employer.

If you have a non-graduate qualification in social work, you can study part time for an Honours degree while working in a social care job. You should get time off for practice placements. This route is much less common as your employer has to sponsor you, providing you with suitable placements and funding.

Some local authorities offer training schemes leading to a social work qualification. Contact the social work departments in the local authority areas you are interested in for information.

• 22% of social workers work part-time.
• 35% have flexible hours.
• 7% of employees work on a temporary basis.

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