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Social Workers in Primary Care
2010 / 11 Chairperson: Deirdre Jacob
Secretary: Patrice Reilly
Introduction:
The Primary Care Social Work Special Interest Group (PCSW SIG) provides a forum and leadership in the promotion of Social Work within Primary Care, acknowledging that Primary Care is the appropriate setting for 90-95% of the population’s health and social service’s needs. Social Workers in primary care across Ireland have to date demonstrated their pivotal role in the development of Primary Care Teams (PCTs), as core team members and through their involvement and support of the joint HSE & Combat Poverty community participation initiative.
Objectives of the PCSW SIG:
To provide members with a network to discuss, explore and exchange ideas on matters affecting their practice as well as providing peer support. To advocate for structures that support professional standards and objectives in the development of the Social Work profession within Primary Care. To identify and organize Continuing Professional Development training and education appropriate to Primary Care. To produce position papers, submissions and responses to issues affecting marginalized communities, as identified, both by those communities and by members of the SIG.
Origins of the PCSW SIG:
Commencing in August 2008, a number of Social Workers working in Primary Care in Dublin and Wicklow began meeting to discuss practice issues and to avail of peer support. In September 2009, this group was recognized as a SIG by the IASW. The PCSW SIG held its inaugural meeting on 1st October 2009 and one of the groups key goals was to make links with as many Social Workers working in the area of Primary Care as possible and to raise awareness of the SIG. Currently the SIG is in contact with 85 Social Workers working in Primary Care settings through its email database.
Current situation:
At the end of 2010 there were 222 Primary Care Teams (PCTs) and 85 Social Workers (including Team
Leaders) in posts allocated to primary Care in the Republic of Ireland who are in regular contact with the SIG. The SIG is increasingly aware of PCTs without Social Work input as well as colleagues who are covering a number of PCTs establishing them as ‘network services’ and not as core team members. The Primary Care Strategy (2001) which clearly indicates the intention of the HSE to place social workers as core team members remains the priority document for the roll-out of that initiative. However, anecdotal information continues to indicate that there is a lack of uniformity across the Local Health Offices in the provision of coherent structures for the supervision and management of Social Workers within Primary Care. This remains a major concern for the SIG, as the lack of structure has resulted in some Social Workers not having access to adequate professional supervision and appropriate lines of ‘social work’ management forcing some primary care social workers to seek new positions in more ‘established and supported’ social work roles. A further concern of the PCSW SIG is the on-going assignment of Primary Care Social Workers to non-Primary Care roles, including:
Elder abuse Casework, due to the non-filling of posts Adult Care facilities Children & Families Social Work Services: to fostering assessments on a temporary basis as a result of the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) Reports (2009) and to the Duty Social Work Service.
As a result, Social Work services within the Primary Care setting are being depleted before they can be established. Furthermore, the HSE Service Plan (2010) states “the assignment of social workers to PTCs and HSCNs provides additional resources in relation to meeting the HSE‟s statutory obligations on child protection matters; the primary role of these social workers is to ensure that these critical organizational priorities are met” (page 19), undermining the role of Primary Care Social Workers within communities and as core PCT members. This is an on-going concern for the SIG and one which will continue to be to the fore as long as PCSW’s position remains ‘unsupported’ at the highest level of HSE policy-making.
In 2010 the SIG established two working groups:
The first developed a primary care social work assessment of need tool which is currently available to all PCSW’s in the republic of Ireland.
The second, developed a document to be presented to the IASW Executive as to ‘The role of the Primary Care Social Worker’.
Working Groups 2011:
PCSW SIG has recently established a research sub-group which will liaise with UCD in the development of the first Irish academic research to identify the activities of Primary Care Social Workers in their unique Irish context.
Plans for 2011:
To continue to provide a forum and place of support for all PCSW’s in Ireland.
To continue to bring to the fore, issues and policies which directly impact on the role of PCSW’s as ‘generalist social workers’ within the context of both PCT’s and of community based social work.
To provide for the diverse education and training needs of PCSW’s.
To aim to hold a themed AGM in 2011 to highlight the findings of the UCD research.
To continue to support the role of primary care social workers as uniquely placed to engage in community development aspects of prevention and health promotion with the communities in which they work, through appropriate training and support from our community work colleagues.
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