Supporting the Fans: Learning-disability, Football Fandom and Social Exclusion

In Britain, within the contemporary drive of using sport to tackle the isolation of socially excluded groups, association football (football) fandom has been implicated in many policy documents as a possible site for learning-disabled people to become more socially included. However, whilst there is some evidence of the benefits of playing football for learning-disabled people, there is little evidence to support these claims. Drawing on empirical data from learning-disabled people about their experiences of football fandom and from relevant authorities responsible for facilitating the fandom of learning-disabled people, this thesis provides a critical analysis of the opportunities to tackle social exclusion that football fandom provides learning-disabled people. This includes examining the experience of football fandom for the learning-disabled people involved, any opportunities for social inclusion football fandom provides, and the response of relevant football authorities to learning-disabled fans. The thesis concludes that whilst football fandom offers social benefits to learning-disabled people in terms of opportunities for social interaction, a sense of belonging and a shared social identity that go some way towards tackling their social exclusion, football fandom is unlikely to result in the 'social inclusion' characterised by Government

The Meanings of Mental Health Recovery for African and Caribbean Men in the UK

Racial disparities for African and Caribbean men are nowhere as stark as in mental health services and outcomes. Men from these communities who have been in contact with mental health services seemed to be stuck in a stalled cycle of recovery. This paper reports the findings from a study that aimed to explore how African and Caribbean men and their supporters conceptualise mental health recovery at the intersections of masculinity, racialised identities and mental distress. It illuminates the perspectives of service users,family, carers and practitioners on recovery in relation to ethnicity and culture.Owing to the exploratory nature of this study, a qualitative design using a phenomenological approach was adopted to capture the dynamics of recovery processes and outcomes for African and Caribbean men across two study sites. Interviews were conducted with African and Caribbean men, their supporters and service providers. Interpretive Phenomenology Analysis (IPA; Smith J, Flowers P, Larkin M. Interpretative phenomenological analysis: Theory method and research. London: SAGE; 2009) was used to offer insights into how recovery was understood and experienced by study participants.Seven overarching themes emerged from the data in relation to the meanings of recovery: recovering from social suffering, leading a normal life, (re)gaining control and agency, a sense of hope, (re)gaining identity, reduced medical involvement, and recovery being a healing journey. The paper concludes that recovery is an ongoing process, not merely a narrow outcome to be achieved for men. The paper advances previous understandings by conceptualising mental health recovery for African and Caribbean men as a journey towards addressing individual and collective “social suffering” that occurs at the intersections of masculinity, “race” and mental distress, and moving to a better social location.</jats:p

Maintaining employment and improving health: a qualitative exploration of a job retention programme for employees with mental health conditions

Purpose: A proportion of the working age population in the UK experience mental health conditions, with this group often facing significant challenges to retain their employment. As part of a broader political commitment to health and well-being at work, the use of job retention services have become part of a suite of interventions designed to support both employers and employees. While rigorous assessment of job retention programmes are lacking, this paper examines the success of, and distils learning from, a job retention service in England. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative methodology was adopted for this research with semi-structured interviews considered an appropriate method to illuminate key issues. Twenty eight individuals were interviewed, including current and former service users, referrers, employers and job retention staff. Findings Without the support of the job retention service, employees with mental health conditions were reported to have been unlikely to have maintained their employment status. Additional benefits were also reported, including improved mental health outcomes and impacts on individuals’ personal life. Employers also reported positive benefits in engaging with the job retention service, including feeling better able to offer appropriate solutions that were mutually accepted to the employee and the organisation. Originality/value Job retention programmes are under researched and little is known about their effectiveness and the mechanisms that support individuals at work with mental health conditions. This study adds to the existing evidence and suggests that such interventions are promising in supporting employees and employers

Barriers to non-residential respite care for adults with moderate to complex needs: A UK perspective.

Respite aims to alleviate the stress and burden of caring for someone with an intellectual disability and/or autism. Respite can take place in a number of different ways, but most commonly occurs in a residential setting. Based on survey and interview data with carers (CAs), service users and stakeholders (STs) in a northern city in England, this article explores some of the perceived or actual barriers to availing 'non-residential' respite. A number of barriers to non-residential respite are identified. Residential respite appears to be the default conceptualization of 'respite' for carers, service users and stakeholders. Persuading carers, service users and stakeholders to give up the familiarity and safety of residential respite in favour of a non-residential alternative will be challenging unless those involved are more informed. Limitations and directions for future research are suggested

Complexity and Community Context: Learning from the Evaluation Design of a National Community Empowerment Programme

Community empowerment interventions, which aim to build greater individual and community control over health, are shaped by the community systems in which they are implemented. Drawing on complex systems thinking in public health research, this paper discusses the evaluation approach used for a UK community empowerment programme focused on disadvantaged neighbourhoods. It explores design choices and the tension between the overall enquiry questions, which were based on a programme theory of change, and the varied dynamic socio-cultural contexts in intervention communities. The paper concludes that the complexity of community systems needs to be accounted for through in-depth case studies that incorporate community perspectives

An evidence-based framework on community-centred approaches for health: England, UK

Community participation is a central concept for health promotion, covering a breadth of approaches, purposes and activities. This paper reports on a national knowledge translation project in England, UK, which resulted in a conceptual framework and typology of community-based approaches, published as national guidance. A key objective was to develop a conceptual framework linked to sources of evidence that could be used to support increased uptake of participatory methods across the health system. It was recognised that legitimacy of community participation was being undermined by a scattered evidence base, absence of a common terminology and low visibility of community practice. A scoping review, combined with stakeholder consultation, was undertaken and 168 review and conceptual publications were identified and a map produced. A ‘family of community-centred approaches for health and wellbeing’ was then produced as way of organising the evidence and visually representing the range of intervention types. There are four main groups, with sub-categories: (i) Strengthening communities (ii) Volunteer and peer roles (iii) Collaborations and partnerships and (iv) Access to community resources. Each group is differentiated using key concepts and theoretical justifications around increasing equity, control and social connectedness. An open access bibliography is available to accompany the framework. The paper discusses the application of the family of community-centred approaches as a flexible planning tool for health promotion practice and its potential to be used as a framework for organising and synthesising evidence from a range of participatory methods

Information, Advocacy and Signposting as a Low-Level Support for Adults with High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Example from the UK

‘Low-level’ support is championed to support adults with high functioning autism spectrum disorder (HFASD) to achieve good quality health and social care, yet research in the area is sparse. Drawing on semi-structured interview data, this paper considers the efficacy of an intervention to provide low-level support to adults with HFASD with little or no funded support. The intervention led to a number of perceived positive outcomes for adults with HFASD, their families, and service providers in the city, including increased access to education, volunteering, support and information, socialising, improved health and wellbeing, and managing day-to-day. Although many of life’s difficulties still persisted, the intervention helped service users overcome barriers to availing further support, possibly leading to beneficial outcomes down the line