The GMSWA recognise and acknowledge that social work can be tough profession. We are committed to providing support across our whole social work community in Greater Manchester, ensuring we have resilient and confident social workers and students preparing for social work practice. Ensuring our students and social workers are equipped and supported to meet the diverse challenges in frontline practice with children and adults.
Each partners provides a full range of support for students and workforce, here we have a network list for support resources available to you and your team.
Here in this section we have provided information on a variety of different support networks that may need support with. To access our sign posting links and other helpful resources just click on the headings below. Please remember, if you are experiencing some challenges at work or at home, to speak to your manager. Your manager is there to help you manage your own health and well being as this can impact on your ability to perform your role, particular in a caring profession like social work.If you feel unable to talk to your manager, please consider speaking with another manager, peer, colleague or friend. A problem shared is a problem halved as they say, opening up about an issue that is on your mind usually helps to make it feel less daunting. There is no shame in asking for help, as social workers you spend your working life supporting others, so it is important that you get the support you need when you need it.
Samaritans Confidential support for people experiencing feelings of distress or despair. Phone: 116123 (free 24-hour helpline) https://www.samaritans.org
National Domestic Violence Helpline Phone: 0808 200 247 www.nationaldomesticviolencehelpline.org.uk
Mens Advice Line Advice and support for men experiencing domestic violence and abuse. Phone: 0808 801 0327 https://www.mensadviceline.org.uk
Women’s Aid Freephone 24 hr National Domestic Violence Helpline run in partnership between Women’s Aid and Refuge Phone: 0808 2000 247 helpline@womensaid.org.uk https://www.womensaid.org.uk/
Alcoholics Anonymous Phone: 0845 769 7555 www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk
National Drugs Helpline Call FRANK To speak to someone about your own, or somebody else’s alcohol or druguse. Phone: 0300 123 6600 SMS: 82111 www.talktofrank.com
National Gambling Helpline Phone: 0808 8020 133 www.begambleaware.org/confidential-help
National Debt-line Phone: 0808 808 4000 www.nationaldebtline.org
Family Lives A UK registered charity which offers advice, information and support on any aspect of parenting and family life. Phone: 0808 800 2222 (24 hour Parentline) www.familylives.org.uk/
Mind Promotes the views and needs of people with mental health problems. 0300 123 3393 (Mon to Fri, 9am to 6pm) www.mind.org.uk
National Domestic Violence Helpline Phone: 0808 200 247www.nationaldomesticviolencehelpline.org.uk
Mens Advice Line Advice and support for men experiencing domestic violence and abuse. Phone: 0808 801 0327 www.mensadviceline.org.uk
Women’s Aid Freephone 24 hr National Domestic Violence Helpline run in partnership between Women’s Aid and Refuge Phone: 0808 2000 247 helpline@womensaid.org.uk https://www.womensaid.org.uk/
Bipolar UK A charity helping people living with manic depression or bipolar disorder. www.bipolaruk.org.uk
Men’s Health Forum 24/7 stress support for men by text, chat and email. www.menshealthforum.org.uk
Anxiety UK Charity providing support if you’ve been diagnosed with an anxiety condition. 03444 775 774 (Mon to Fri, 9.30am to 5.30pm) www.anxietyuk.org.uk
Depression Alliance Charity for sufferers of depression. Has a network of self-help groups. www.depressionalliance.org
No Panic Support for sufferers of panic attacks and OCD 0844 967 4848 (daily, 10am to 10pm) www.nopanic.org.uk
Samaritans Confidential support for people experiencing feelings of distress or despair. 116 123 (free 24-hour helpline) https://www.samaritans.org
SANE Emotional support, information and guidance for people affected by mental illness, their families and carers. SANEline: 0300 304 7000 (daily, 4.30 to 10.30pm) Textcare: comfort and care via text message, sent when the person needs it most: www.sane.org.uk/textcare Peer support forum: www.sane.org.uk/supportforum www.sane.org.uk/support
PAPYRUS Young suicide prevention society. 0800 068 4141 (Mon to Fri,10am-5pm &7-10pm. Weekends 2 to 5pm) www.youngminds.org.uk
CALM CALM is the Campaign Against Living Miserably, for men aged 15 to 35. 0800 58 58 58 (daily, 5pm to midnight) www.thecalmzone.net
Young Minds Information on child and adolescent mental health. Services for parents and professionals. 0808 802 5544 (Mon to Fri, 9.30am to 4pm) www.youngminds.org.uk
Mental Health Foundation Provides information and support for anyone with mental health problems or learning disabilities. www.mentalhealth.org.uk
OCD UK A charity run by people with OCD, for people with OCD. Includes facts, news and treatments. 0845 120 3778 (Mon to Fri, 9am to 5pm) www.ocduk.org
Rethink Mental Illness Support and advice for people living with mental illness. 0300 5000 927 (Mon to Fri, 9.30am to 4pm) www.rethink.org
Relate Relate offers counselling services for every type of relationship nationwide. We provide advice on marriage, LGBT issues, divorce and parenting. www.youngminds.org.uk
Refuge Refuge supports women, children & men with a range of services, including refuges, independent advocacy, community outreach & culturally specific services. www.refuge.org.uk
TransUnite TransUnite is a comprehensive resource for people in the UK searching for support in the transgender community. Our easy to use, mobile friendly directory connects you to an established network of trans support groups near you. https://www.transunite.co.uk/
Cruse Bereavement Care We offer support, advice and information to children, young people and adults when someone dies. www.cruse.org.uk
Samaritans To speak to someone anonymously about any type of addiction Phone: 116 123 (free 24-hour helpline) https://www.samaritans.org
Alcoholics Anonymous Phone: 0845 769 7555 (24-hour helpline) www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk
Gamblers Anonymous www.gamblersanonymous.org.uk
Narcotics Anonymous Phone: 0300 999 1212 (daily 10am to midnight) www.ukna.org
Talk to Frank Phone: 0300 1236600 www.talktofrank.com/
Adfam A national charity working to improve life for families affected by drugs or alcohol. https://adfam.org.uk/help-for-families
Smokefree www.nhs.uk/smokefree Rehab4Addiction A guide to alcohol addiction treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic
Family Lives Advice on all aspects of parenting including dealing with bullying. Phone: 0808 800 2222 (Mon to Fri, 9am to 9pm. Sat to Sun, 10am to 3pm) www.familylives.org.uk
Home-Start Home-Start is one of the leading family support charities in the UK. Home-Start volunteers help families with young children deal with the challenges they face. We support parents as they learn to cope, improve their confidence and build better lives for their children. www.home-start.org.uk/
Crysis A charity offering help and support to parents with babies who cry excessively or have sleeping problems. www.cry-sis.org.uk/
Young Minds Information on child and adolescent mental health. Services for parents and professionals. Phone: 0808 802 5544 (Mon to Fri, 9.30am to 4pm) www.youngminds.org.uk
Reachout ReachOut is a mentoring charity working with young people in disadvantaged communities to raise aspirations and help them grow in character and attainment www.reachout.com/about/
Papyrus Young suicide prevention society. Phone: 0800 068 4141 (Mon to Fri,10am to 5pm & 7 to 10pm. Weekends 2 to 5pm) www.papyrus-uk.org
Eating Disorders Beat offers support around eating disorders Phone: 0808 801 0677 (adults) 0808 801 0711 (for under-18s) www.b-eat.co.ukwww.nationaleatingdisorders.org/ You can also find a useful interactive eating disorder questionnaire at rehab4addiction. This quiz is useful if you or a loved one is suspected of suffering from an eating disorder. https://www.rehab4addiction.co.uk/resources/eating-disorder-quiz
Support for parents of disabled children KIDS are a national charity providing a wide range of support services to disabled children, young people and their families. They support children with any disability from birth to 25 years of age. Phone: 0207 359 3635 (London) Phone: 07701 312863 (Medway/Sutton/Surrey) www.kids.org.uk
Parents Protect A charity helping parents and carers protect children from sexual abuse and exploitation. Phone: 0808 1000 900 https://www.parentsprotect.co.uk/
NSPCC Children’s charity dedicated to ending child abuse and child cruelty. Phone: 0800 1111 for Childline for children (24-hour helpline) 0808 800 5000 for adults concerned about a child (24-hour helpline) www.nspcc.org.uk
Mencap Charity working with people with a learning disability, their families and carers. Phone: 0808 808 1111 (Mon to Fri, 9am to 5pm) www.mencap.org.uk
Practical support for students with a disability or a specific learning difficulty when on placement
All managers and services have an important role in ensuring their staff and workforce are supported as a team and as individuals. Taking a holistic approach to their needs and support provided.
No doubt each organisation will have its own staff support systems in place which will be accessible to you. However, to support with additional resources where required, here are some useful links and resources in the below headings to consider.
Introduction to mentally healthy workplaces www.mind.org.uk/media/43247/Resource1_Mentally_Healthy_workplacesFINAL_pdf.pdf
How to take stock of mental health in your workplace https://www.mind.org.uk/media/42862/Resource_2_Take_Stock_of_MH_in_your_workplace_final.pdf
How to promote wellbeing www.mind.org.uk/media/428496/Resource3_HowToPromoteWellBeingFINAL.pdf
How to support staff who are experiencing a mental health problem www.mind.org.uk/media/550657/resource4.pdf
Supporting someone else www.mind.org.uk/information-support/helping-someone-else/
www.centerforebp.case.edu/client-files/events-supportmaterials/conf2016cebp-E2-valkenburgh.pdf
Guidelines for the prevention of vicarious trauma www.svri.org/sites/default/files/attachments/2016-06-02/SVRIVTguidelines.pdf
Information on wellness actions plan https://www.mentalhealthintheworkplace.co.uk/the-value-of-wellness-action-plans/
Guide for managers on wellness action plans www.mind.org.uk/media/4229239/mind-guide-for-line-managers-wellness-action-plans_final.pdf
Supporting someone bereaved or experiencing family with a terminal illness www.mariecurie.org.uk/help/support/being-there
The service, funded by NHS Greater Manchester, is for all health and care staff working in Greater Manchester – including all NHS colleagues working in primary care, secondary care and North West Ambulance Service (Greater Manchester only); care homes and social care providers; as well as local authority and VCSE staff who work in health and social care.
We provide consultation, one-to-one and group support for individuals, teams, managers and wider healthcare systems.
Health and care staff can self-refer or be referred by their line managers, HR or occupational health.
Dr Dharman Jeyasingham and Dr Julie Morton (Social Work Education, 38 (5), pp 563-575)
Abstract
This article presents findings from a study which explored the everyday ways race works on social work programmes in England. The study focused on how race was spoken about and conceptualised, how people were categorised and ordered according to race and the social interactions where race was understood by participants to be significant. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight social work lecturers and nineteen black social work students at two universities in England, to explore the following topics: classroom-based and practice learning, assessment and feedback, interactions between students and between students and educators, and university and practice agency cultures. Data were analysed using thematic analysis and the following themes identified: the routine interpellation of black students and communities in terms of absolute cultural differences, black students’ everyday experiences of marginalisation, hostility and othering, and the racialisation of black students in judgements made about their academic and practice performance. The article concludes that social work education must engage more deeply with contemporary theorisations of race and culture, and that social work educators need a reflexive understanding of how notions such as diversity, equality and universal academic standards are put into practice in ways that marginalise and devalue black students.
Link to Research Article:
https://usir.salford.ac.uk/id/eprint/64217/?template=banner
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Dr Dharman Jeyasingham, The British Journal of Social Work, Volume 49, Issue 3, April 2019, Pages 559-576, https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcy077
Abstract
Agile working (flexibility around practitioners’ roles and the location and time of work) is increasingly common across local authority social work in the UK but there is little evidence about the practices it entails, with the small amount of existing research concerned largely with its impact on office environments. This article presents findings from a qualitative exploratory study of eleven social workers’ practices and experiences when engaged in agile working away from office spaces. Data were generated through practitioner diaries, photographs elicited from practitioners and semi-structured interviews, and were analysed using a grounded theory approach. The study found practitioners engaged in agile working in a wide range of domestic, leisure and formal work environments across the public–private continuum. This gave them superficial control over how they worked, in particular the freedom to work in solitude and establish distance between themselves and perceived demands from service users and other practitioners. However, agile working also involved a wider range of material practices and affective experiences for practitioners. These changes provoke questions about data security, increased visibility and unanticipated encounters in public spaces, and the shifting relationship between information-management work and elements of practice involving face-to-face interaction with others.
Link to Research Article: Seeking Solitude and Distance from Others: Children’s Social Workers’ Agile Working Practices and Experiences beyond the Office | The British Journal of Social Work | Oxford Academic (oup.com)
Dr Dharman Jeyasingham of University of Manchester was the lead the ESRC funded project “Becoming agile in local authority children’s safeguarding social work services: examining organisational and individual change in public sector social work”. Details on this project can be found here: GtR (ukri.org)
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Bellamy, C. Struthers, M and Green, L (2023) Cited in Bows, H. (ed) Not Your Usual Suspect: Older Offenders of Violence (Feminist Developments in Violence and Abuse), Emerald Publishing limited, Bingley, pp. 105-119 https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80071-887-620231008
Abstract
Drawing on empirical research which incorporated biographical interviews with two older male perpetrators, this chapter develops theoretical conceptualisations of the histories, experiences and motives of these men. Four key areas are highlighted, which will be subject to closer scrutiny in relation to extant literature: (i) gender, particularly notions of masculinity, power and entitlement; (ii) attitudes relating to the use of violence both within intimate relationships and generally (iii) critical junctures in the life course which triggered attempts to desist; and (iv) an exploration of maturation and completion of treatment programmes in relation to their use of violence, future risks and efforts towards desistance.
Link to Research Article: Not Ageing Out of Violence? Older Men's Biographical Narratives of Their Abuse and Violence in Intimate Relationships With Female Partners | Emerald Insight
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Kirlew MI, Lord H, Weber J (2020) Exploring health and social care professionals’ initial perceptions of caring for trans patients. Nursing Standard. doi: 10.7748/ns.2020.e11383
Link to Research Article Resource: https://journals.rcni.com/nursing-standard/evidence-and-practice/exploring-health-and-social-care-professionals-initial-perceptions-of-caring-for-trans-patients-ns.2020.e11383/abs
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