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Title of Study
What are Social Workers'
Perceptions of Carer Support and
Assessment within Adult
Services?
Abstract
Context
Informal carers are individuals who care for another person unpaid, such as for
a friend, neighbour or family member, due to illness or disability (Carers Trust,
2023). It is estimated that there are over 290,000 informal carers living in
Northern Ireland (Carers UK, 2023). Informal carers provide a substantial
contribution to the health and social care system by helping to maintain the
safety and well-being of the people that they care for. Consequently, carers
frequently report that they are stressed and burnt out but receive inadequate
support to maintain their own health and well-being (Carers UK, 2022).
Therefore, social workers play a crucial role in supporting and assessing the
needs of informal carers to help them continue in their caring roles.
Methodology and Methods used
This study draws upon a small-scale service evaluation within a Health and
Social Care Trust, in Northern Ireland. Qualitative methods were used to
explore the perspectives of community-based social workers across adult
service directorates, on assessing the needs of informal carers and provision of
carer support. Purposive sampling resulted in the recruitment of twenty-seven
social workers across eight different service areas within adult services. Jisco
Online Surveys © tool was used to protect the anonymity of participants and
collect the data. The survey consisted of a combination of closed, scaling and
open questions. The survey was piloted with a small number of social workers
who were not part of the final evaluation, to test for reliability and validity. The