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Practical support

Offering practical support and help can communicate a great deal by:

  • helping to ease some of the stress or exhaustion that people may be experiencing (e.g. offering to undertake a task that a person finds difficult, such as making a phone call, help with transport, writing letters)
  • demonstrating our commitment to be helpful in ways that are personalised and that enable people to take up that help

Some research findings indicate that service users and carers value being given practical help (Lishman 1994: 7-9). Being given help and 'access to resources that would otherwise be difficult to access - such as day-care provision, after-school activities, respite accommodation or laundry facilities - can greatly ease the pressures that service users and carers experience, often on a daily basis' (Trevithick 2005: 202). However, the extent to which practical help can be offered is increasingly constrained by resource limitations and/or agency policy and priorities.

In this section you will look at offering practical support and help in relation to the three areas below. Click on each one to find out more.

Throughout this section we will use the story of Tracy Oliver and her social worker, Claire Adams, to help illustrate the importance of practical support.

An introduction to Tracy's story

Tracy is a 20 year old woman who has just served a 6 month sentence for receiving stolen goods having had a history of previous minor convictions. On the day of her release, Tracy has only a few pounds in her pocket and has severed contact with her family where there is a history of abuse. She has been given the address of a hostel for women leaving prison where we take up Tracy's story.

Practical support

Advocacy

As a form of practical help, advocacy is a central skill within social work/social care. According to Brandon (2000: 7), the main communication skills involved in advocacy include:

  • careful listening
  • accurate note taking
  • explaining the process
  • taking instructions from clients
  • gathering relevant information
  • feeding back lucidly
  • negotiating for improvements

Advocacy is most commonly used to represent the interests of others when they are unable to do so themselves. It can involve explaining, arguing or defending the interest of people whose voice may otherwise be unheard, ignored, silenced or excluded.

It is essential that the advocate is non-judgemental yet brave, particularly in situations where differences in power and status mean that non-professional people are denied access to certain information, resources or decision-making opportunities.

Tracy's experience with advocacy

Tracy arrived at the hostel with excruciating toothache and in urgent need of dental treatment. However, all surgeries in the area are only taking private (fee-paying) patients. This problem is not new and in the past, hostel workers have acted as advocates in order to ensure that residents are able to access dental treatment.

Tracy thought she would need advocacy to help her access a dentist but the pain she was experiencing left her feeling unable to advocate on her own behalf (self advocacy) - nor did she know other residents well enough to be able to ask for their support (peer or group advocacy). Instead, Tracy asked if Claire would go to the dentist with her and to advocate on her behalf (practitioner advocacy).

Practical support

Advocacy

You can read below to explore several types of advocacy:

Self advocacy

Representing yourself, e.g. asking for a pay rise or making a complaint

Peer advocacy

Someone who has experienced a similar difficulty and 'knows the system'

Group advocacy

Where discrimination limits the life chances of a number of people, it may be appropriate to explore group advocacy. This is similar to structural advocacy (Bateman 2000: 150) which involves pressing for change in terms of structures or systems that exclude certain groups of people, such as policies that lead to inequalities or that fail to promote the interest of a cross section of society.

Practitioner (professional/specialist) advocacy

An important option where people lack confidence or the necessary resources, knowledge or skills to act on their own behalf - or where the opportunity to collaborate with others is limited.

A helpful publication on advocacy can be found in the MIND Guide to Advocacy (see reference section for further information). Links to Government policy on advocacy and the Dignity Care Campaign can be found in the References section at the end of this resource.

Practical support

Mediation

Mediation is an appropriate intervention when relations between two people, or groups, have become stuck and a third party is needed to work through the issues.

For mediation to be successful, it is essential that:

  • all parties are clear about what mediation involves (i.e. it's not just a one-off event but requires preparation beforehand and follow up work afterward)
  • they know what is expected of them (i.e. neutrality from the mediator, willingness from both parties to explore difficulties and to search for areas of compromise)
  • the mediator is aware of how both parties handle conflict in case a resolution cannot easily be met

Tracy's experience with mediation

Tracy settled in well at the hostel but in time it became clear that tensions were mounting between Tracy and another resident, Sue Thomas.

Claire's use of mediation with Tracy

The arguments were beginning to impact on other residents who suggested that Claire should set up a mediation meeting. Claire discussed this with Tracy and Sue separately who agreed to attend. Claire then discussed the issue in supervision.

Mediation

'Mediation aims to assist people to articulate their concerns, suggest solutions, discuss areas for compromise and try to reach an agreement. . . . The benefits of mediation can include favourable agreement, satisfaction, improved relationships, procedural justice and improved problem solving'(Hughes and Wearing 2007: 107).

Practical support

Mediation

To help facilitate the mediation session Claire needed to remember some main areas. Click on each heading below to get tips on preparation, the mediation session, follow-up work and expectations.

Claire

Tracy and Sue

Practical support

Mediation

Preparation checklist - Claire has:

  • met both parties separately to discuss the main areas of conflict and what they hope the mediation will achieve
  • chosen a neutral meeting place that is bright, comfortable and protected from interruptions
  • reminded herself of the key issues involved and the importance of negotiating an agreement that both parties can live with and abide by
  • considered the skills needed to remain neutral at all times
  • considered what records to keep (hopes to keep these to a minimum) and the importance of seeking the agreement of both parties to whatever is decided

Practical support

Mediation

Points explored in supervision

  • how to organise the room
  • how to introduce the session and the purpose of mediation
  • what ground rules to negotiate
  • how to facilitate a dialogue in ways that lead to greater understanding, agreement and/or compromise
  • how to end the session
  • what follow-up work might be needed

Practical support

Mediation

Facilitating the session: points for Claire to remember

  • introductions, how long the session will run and what it is hoped that this mediation will achieve
  • discuss ground rules such as the importance of confidentiality, different parties speaking in turns without interruption and respecting the right to be heard, record keeping and access to these records (if any)
  • remind both parties that they can signal for the session to be stopped at any point or if discussion is fraught, ask parties to speak through the mediator
  • attempt to locate areas of agreement where there is common ground such as the desire to live in an atmosphere that is not fraught with tension and misunderstanding

Practical support

Mediation

Follow up work: points to consider

  • If appropriate, encourage both parties to contact you at the first indication that the agreement reached is running into difficulties.
  • Agree how the situation will be monitored and over what period. For example, it may be considered helpful to agree a follow-up meeting in a month's time to review progress.

Practical support

Mediation

Willingness

Willingness from both parties to explore difficulties and to search for areas of compromise

Practical support

Networking

Many people find it difficult to explore new situations or meet new people on their own, for reasons such as:

  • a concern about whether people will be welcoming
  • a lack of confidence and/or unease about new situations
  • a difficulty understanding and relating to information provided in the leaflets and other literature

For these reasons, it is important to think carefully about how to introduce new situations or encounters in ways that are positive and that open up other opportunities.


Social support is very important in situations where there is the danger of social isolation. For example, research indicates that people discharged from psychiatric hospital are less likely to be re-admitted if social support is in place (Huxley 2002: 68; Sheppard 1997: 214).

Tracy's difficult relationship with other members of the hostel meant that she did not feel confident about meeting people. Having spent six months in prison, she also felt unable to go out.

Claire reminded Tracy that these feelings were understandable and that part of the hostel workers' role in relation to residents involved networking, that is, providing information and discussing resources, activities or opportunities within the local community and introducing residents to key individuals.

In order to help give Tracy the confidence needed to venture out alone, it was agreed that Claire would walk with her a few times to the local shops and introduce her to people and resources within the community. This offer of practical support proved helpful and not long after, Tracy felt able to go out by herself and to make contact with people in the local area.

There are a number of ways to help people to connect to existing resources or new situations.

Take a look at this checklist of activities you could undertake to help a person new to a particular community to make contact with existing resources.

Tracy's experience with networking

Tracy's difficult relationship with other members of the hostel meant that she did not feel confident about meeting people. Having spent six months in prison, she also felt unable to go out.

Claire reminded Tracy that these feelings were understandable and that part of the hostel workers' role in relation to residents involved networking, that is, providing information and discussing resources, activities or opportunities within the local community and introducing residents to key individuals.

In order to help give Tracy the confidence needed to venture out alone, it was agreed that Claire would walk with her a few times to the local shops and introduce her to people and resources within the community. This offer of practical support proved helpful and not long after, Tracy felt able to go out by herself and to make contact with people in the local area.

Practical support

Networking

There are a number of ways to help people to connect to existing resources or new situations.

Take a look at this checklist of activities you could undertake to help a person new to a particular community to make contact with existing resources.

  • Check that any information that you have on an organisation or agency is up-to-date


  • If it is a resource that provides services, check whether its list is full and if not, how a person can access its facilities (eligibility criteria). For example, do they hold sessions to introduce people who are new to the area or unfamiliar with the services they offer?


  • Check whether a financial cost is involved


  • Check on accessibility, such as how to get there and whether the resource is accessible for people with a disability.