Guest Editors
Dr Anne-Maree Sawyer, Department of Sociology & Anthropology, School of Social Sciences, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, La Trobe University, Australia.
Dr Sonya Stanford, Social Work, School of Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts, University of Tasmania, Australia.
Professor Jim Campbell, Department of Social, Therapeutic and Community Studies, Goldsmiths University of London, United Kingdom.
This Special Issue of Australian Social Work focuses on the way in which risk regimes are negotiated by mental health professionals, service users, families, carers, and organisations in contemporary democracies. While much has been written concerning the impact of risk and regulation on social work practice across the past decade, this Special Issue aims to showcase recent developments in the mental health field, especially in light of new policy initiatives and ways of working, notably the growth of peer support services, public–private partnerships, and recovery-based approaches.
The Special Issue provides an opportunity to contribute to ongoing discussion and debate about questions of risk in mental health social work. Submissions to the Special Issue will focus on, or incorporate, critical analyses of policy and its implications for practice, research that explores the work experiences of mental health social workers, and broader factors such as access and equity in service provision. The following topics are suggested, but other relevant areas will be considered:
Analyses of work experiences in mental health “risk work” in particular types of services, such as recovery-focused services, early intervention, peer support services, and housing services.
New forms of partnership working (especially alliances between state-based services and “non-government” or private services) that address risk in mental health work.
E-counselling and the impact of new information communication technologies on workers, workplaces, and service users as a new context for addressing risk in mental health work.
Individualised funding and service user payments that signal risk issues in the mental health context.
Risk issues in mental health work with specific groups (e.g., young people, older people, refugees).
Theoretical research that explores current thinking and practices around risk assessment and risk management and how they apply to mental health practice.
Guidelines for Submissions
Authors should prepare manuscripts of no more than 6,000 words (including reference list). Manuscripts should accord with the style requirements of the Journal, including APA 6th edition. Submitted papers will be subject to the Journal's usual independent peer review process.
Deadline for Submissions
All manuscripts should be submitted via Scholar One Manuscripts: http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/rasw no later than 31 January 2015.
Authors are encouraged to contact Dr Anne-Maree Sawyer ([email protected]) or Dr Sonya Stanford ([email protected]) in the first instance to discuss their intended submission.