Home > Experiences of frontline workers’ engagement with mental health services for homeless adults in Ireland.

Devine, Gerry and Bergin, Michael (2020) Experiences of frontline workers’ engagement with mental health services for homeless adults in Ireland. European Journal of Homelessness, 14, (2),

[img]
Preview
PDF (Experiences of frontline workers’ engagement with mental health services for homeless adults in Ireland.) - Published Version
452kB

Ireland is experiencing a deepening homeless crisis with few sustainable solutions identified. This study explores front-line service providers’ experiences in their engagement with mental health services for adult service users who are homeless within the South-East Region of Ireland. Strauss and Corbin’s Grounded Theory approach was used to guide twenty in-depth interviews with front line service providers. Five key service gaps emerged: (1) inter-agency communication and collaboration; (2) assertive community recovery-orientated care; (3) training, information sharing and up-skilling; (4) building and sustaining trust, and (5) discharge planning and resource constraints. The findings suggest that the provision of bespoke tailored Mental Health Services, improved inter-agency collaboration and the development of relevant staff educational programmes are required. Further research to inform targeted service provision, policy and practice development is recommended.


Repository Staff Only: item control page