The 1983 Mental Health Act in five local authorities: a study of the practice of approved social workers

This paper represents the first report of an ongoing collaborative project and charts the activities of social workers undertaking their duties within the framework of the 1983 Mental Health Act in five English Local Authorities for one year. Social workers are involved in a range of duties under the Act, but most commonly they are involved in assessments with a view to compulsory detention. The characteristics of people assessed are examined, and a profile emerges of vulnerable subgroups, typically younger men, older women, and people living in socially impoverished situations. Considerable variation between Authorities is found in terms of numbers of assessments, and in numbers of detentions. Low levels of 'diversion' into alternative care are identified. Comparisons are made with a major national study which took place four years earlier. Higher rates of detention are found on average, but lower rates of use of emergency provision (Section 4). An examination of the organisational context within which Approved Social Workers (ASWs) practice reveals a great deal of variation between authorities in terms of the ongoing experience of assessments available to ASWs. Social workers based in Emergency Duty Teams and Hospital Teams are compared, and a distinctive profile of their work emerges, the hospital-based ASWs being more likely to be assessing 'known' people, often already in hospital, and referred for assessment by consultants. The implications of these findings for the management and deployment of Approved Social Workers are briefly discussed. The emphasis is upon the role of the ASW in terms of balancing the rights and needs of people assessed under the Act.