An Inclusive Approach to Knowledge for Mental Health Social Work Practice and Policy

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Abstract
As the integration of health and social care services progresses in the mental health sector, there is concern that mental health social workers are disadvantaged, relative to health professionals, because they cannot identify the knowledge base for their practice. This paper argues that this concern is partly the product of assuming that the knowledge base has to be premised upon randomized controlled trials. Instead, it proposes a non-hierarchical framework based on that developed in health research in Canada by Upshur and colleagues that generates a typology of knowledge which is congruent with the main forms of inquiry that are relevant to mental health social work practice. The framework recognizes the contribution of randomized controlled trials to the knowledge base but also validates knowledge drawn from qualitative, epidemiological, practitioner and user knowledge. It is argued that the framework profiles a wider knowledge base than that promoted by conventional evidence-based practice, and also could be a basis for future development of the research agenda in mental health social work.

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