Contributor : Barnaby Pace
A recently published column by Hooyman (2010) of a similar title, and the current Membership extension discussion document (2010) released by New Zealand’s Social Work Body, offered themselves as a catalyst for this article. The profession of support work in New Zealand finds itself at a crossroad: the road of potential registration under social work or to continue down the non-registered path it is currently on. In discussions with social workers, support workers and employers I am aware that this is not an easy choice to make as both roads are not clear. The purpose of this paper is to briefly explore this opportunity and consider the potential benefits, not only for healthcare professionals but for the consumers of these services.
Support Worker’s Role
Over the past few years there has been much discussion regarding the role and position of support workers within the larger healthcare arena. A British study undertaken in 1997 investigated the role of support worker within community mental health services (Murray, Shepherd, Onyett, & Muijen, 1997). Murray et al. reported support workers activities in three categories, practical tasks, social and emotional support, and mental and physical health. Caird (2001) conducted a review of the literature surrounding paradigms to support people with mental health in an attempt to get a sense of community support work in New Zealand, but it was not until Cowan’s 2008 work that the support worker role was clearly articulated. In 2009 Pace described the role as someone who “works with their clients, providing the human connection in support of them and to be a partner in recovery … encouraging their client to find their own answers” (Pace, 2009, p. 18).
How Support Workers can assist Professionals
During the 2007 New Zealand College of Mental Health Nursing conference a paper was presented entitled ‘How Paraprofessional can help you: The role and value of support workers in mental health services’ (Pace, 2007). The presentation articulated the findings of study conducted with over two focus groups comprising of 12 mental health support workers with a mean employment time of 4 years and 4 months. The findings were delivered through the identification of three distinct themes: 1. Networking and contacts, 2. Sharing of resources and information, and 3. Sharing of experiences; each of which was discussed in turn. (more…)
