Role of social care organisations

In this article Michael explores the role of social care organisations by using Maxine as an example. Maxine is presented as a service user in this article and she has needs that can apply to many other individuals in need of support.

Social care organizations fall into four main categories. The first group consists of statutory social care providers. The second group is under voluntary social care providers, thirdly the not for profit organizations and finally the private sector organizations. (http://www.gscc.org.uk/Links/Social+providers/).These These social care organizations are there to dispense relevant support to service users with each body delivering services designed to meet the needs of service users. Maxine’s family needs can be met by the provision of necessary support from these various social care providers. These organizations are best described by what they do and this ranges from advocacy, housing, designing care packages, family support, educational and social skills training.
Local authorities are statutory social care providers. Examples of these are Birmingham County Council, Oxfordshire County Council and Fulham. It is important at this point to emphasize that the social worker works on behalf of the service user to identify service user needs and supports them to establish appropriate social care service linkages. The social worker therefore identifies assistance from statutory bodies, voluntary bodies and at times private social services providers. According to the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) code of ethics, social workers seek to promote the responsiveness of organizations, communities, and other social institutions to the needs of the individual and their social problems. (www.socialworkers.org/pubs/code.asp)
The social worker must identify services that should directly respond to the provision of the client’s needs and protect them from oppressive and damaging circumstances. Social workers can be seen as ‘mediators’ between clients and the state apparatus (Thompson, 2000, p10). Opportunities for the family and Maxine are core to the role of the social worker. It is important to identify what might be in the care plan against the needs that are evident in the family’s situation. The problems that need addressing include the lack of social contacts for Maxine, the need for constant care for her epilepsy, her need for a relationship with the man she has feelings for and the problem of self harm as a result of her frustration. These are the issues that are to be addressed by the care plan that the social worker should formulate.

Coulshed & Orme (1988, p.27) explore that care management can be defined as the tailoring of services to the individual needs and mobilizing of resources .They argue further that the worker’s expertise is not sufficient but can link the one in need to the service providers who have the expertise.Organisations like Mencap from the voluntary sector can offer family support for her educational development element and this could be part of her care need to be include in the care plan. The expert support that this organization has is vital and if Maxine is directed towards this service she would benefit as it directly deals with disabled people.

When undertaking assessments within community care it is apparent that in many cases workers will have to consider family relationships, and the dynamics of these relationships. For example a statutory organization like the Birmingham County council could be called upon to offer respite services for Maxine where she could go for short periods of time.
Maxine’s family could be linked to social care organizations that could provide parent support so that the parents understand their daughter’s biological needs and her rights for self determination as an individual whilst remaining respectful. Family support groups help in the provision of expert support so that the parents do not oppress their daughter and that she needs come first without prejudice. Local authorities hold sex education and relationship sessions which could help Maxine relationship building and maintenance. Bywater and Jones (2007) argue that ‘sexuality should be seen as a priority and reflected in the service user’s person centered plan.’(p87) It is important to ensure that nobody creates barriers to Maxine’s need for a relationship of her choice as long as she gets the appropriate support.

Another level of support would be care management considering that Maxine’s mother is now ill and that her father is the sole breadwinner and the problem of committing time for both her care and her daughter’s care needs. Either a local authority social service provider or a private agency could come in to support with care needs for both Maxine and her mother either within their home or at purpose built settings.

There are some social care organizations that can provide housing to individuals moving towards independence and Maxine and her family could be introduced to this option. In Birmingham there is Friendship Community Housing for individual placements or where she can join a residential care environment to meet all her needs whilst still connected to her family. Friendship Community Housing is a not for profit making organization that could be called upon to support the James family (http://www.fch.org.uk/ ).
Community educational service providers could still be called for to ensure that Maxine develops and this could lessen the pressure off her mother. Enrolling at a local college to do a course of her choice could help her improve and widen her social capital and life skills.
Voluntary organizations like Mencap have support programmes that offer housing support, employment and educational support, community and leisure and help families (http://www.mencap.org.uk/download/fc_full_version.pdf). Mencap’s family’s charter helps families work well together in the interest of the service users. The Mencap Charter states that, ‘Families are an important part of a person’s history. They can help shape who a person. Families often have insights that we don’t have. These insights are helpful and contribute to the
understanding of the people we are supporting.’ Suggesting using Mencap in meeting Maxine’s needs would definitely be worth sharing.

Lishman (2007) states that in supporting the family an inter-agency approach can be used in the form of meetings, case conferences so that a well coordinated support strategy is established. Social care organizations must fully make parents and the service user feel involved and informed.

Getting some support from an organization like Mencap might make everyone feel valued, it would ensure everyone is aware of all that could improve Maxine’s position and any differences would be discussed openly and honestly. Maxine’s family would openly express whether they are able to take care of Maxine or if there is need for respite services that would help the entire family. If the respite services idea appeals to the family then another social care organization would be called upon. For such a care package, Local authorities could be approached and a placement could be made based on her needs. Some private social care organizations like Senior Living are specifically for adults with Dementia, so it would be necessary to find a body that deals with young adults with Maxine’s condition.
By: Michael Chipato