Empowering the supporters: enhancing the role of unqualified support workers in a housing scheme for people with mental health problems |
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Authors: | Philip Kemp |
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Affiliation: | 1. South Bank University , London , United Kingdom kemppj@sbu.ac.uk |
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Abstract: | The research reported in this study is a practitioner action research study that is primarily concerned with the activities of unqualified support workers in an accommodation scheme for people who have experienced enduring mental health problems. A central focus became the relationship between the support workers and professional staff within the wider mental health service. Parallel with a ‘practice gap’ identified in their relationship with professional staff was a ‘supervision gap’ in terms of their relationship with myself as their manager. One means of exploring this relationship was the use of ‘critical scenarios’. A series of ‘connections’ or practice support linkages were put in place that aimed to bridge this gap and at the same time enhance the role of the support workers. |
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Keywords: | reflective and collaborative knowledge production organizational development management consultancy academic R& D unit training and educational institute |
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