The consequences of assistant roles in the public services: Degradation or empowerment?

Bach, Stephen; Kessler, Ian; Heron, Paul

doi:10.1177/0018726707082848

Cited by 33 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Existing Peer Workers had been motivated to take on the role as an opportunity to use their personal experiences to help others who shared similar problems, although managers sought to recruit those individuals who they thought would benefit most from employment as a developmental or vocational opportunity. Research into new non-professionally qualified support roles in education and social work has suggested that these roles can either become a first step on new career pathways where the work is worthwhile and satisfying, or employment ‘ghettos’ where new workers find their role to be a repository of professionals’ unwanted tasks [33,34]. Lack of a clear job description has been shown to result in allocation of task outside of the job role as perceived by Peer Workers [35].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Introducing peer worker roles into UK mental health service teams: a qualitative analysis of the organisational benefits and challenges

Gillard

Edwards

Gibson

et al. 2013

BMC Health Serv Res

130

150

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BackgroundThe provision of peer support as a component of mental health care, including the employment of Peer Workers (consumer-providers) by mental health service organisations, is increasingly common internationally. Peer support is strongly advocated as a strategy in a number of UK health and social care policies. Approaches to employing Peer Workers are proliferating. There is evidence to suggest that Peer Worker-based interventions reduce psychiatric inpatient admission and increase service user (consumer) empowerment. In this paper we seek to address a gap in the empirical literature in understanding the organisational challenges and benefits of introducing Peer Worker roles into mental health service teams.MethodsWe report the secondary analysis of qualitative interview data from service users, Peer Workers, non-peer staff and managers of three innovative interventions in a study about mental health self-care. Relevant data was extracted from interviews with 41 participants and subjected to analysis using Grounded Theory techniques. Organisational research literature on role adoption framed the analysis.ResultsPeer Workers were highly valued by mental health teams and service users. Non-peer team members and managers worked hard to introduce Peer Workers into teams. Our cases were projects in development and there was learning from the evolutionary process: in the absence of formal recruitment processes for Peer Workers, differences in expectations of the Peer Worker role can emerge at the selection stage; flexible working arrangements for Peer Workers can have the unintended effect of perpetuating hierarchies within teams; the maintenance of protective practice boundaries through supervision and training can militate against the emergence of a distinctive body of peer practice; lack of consensus around what constitutes peer practice can result in feelings for Peer Workers of inequality, disempowerment, uncertainty about identity and of being under-supported.ConclusionsThis research is indicative of potential benefits for mental health service teams of introducing Peer Worker roles. Analysis also suggests that if the emergence of a distinctive body of peer practice is not adequately considered and supported, as integral to the development of new Peer Worker roles, there is a risk that the potential impact of any emerging role will be constrained and diluted.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Introducing peer worker roles into UK mental health service teams: a qualitative analysis of the organisational benefits and challenges

Gillard

Edwards

Gibson

et al. 2013

BMC Health Serv Res

130

150

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…One body of research that has sought to develop our understanding of the NPA role is the word led by Kessler and Bach in the education, health and social care sectors (Bach et al ., , ; Kessler et al ., , ; see also Bach and Kessler, ; Kessler et al ., ). Four basic types of NPA worker were identified: relief, substitute, co‐producer and apprentice (Kessler et al ., ), and the basic features of each of these are set out in Table .…”

Section: Conceptual Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

The non‐professionally affiliated (NPA) worker as co‐producer of public services: how is the role experienced in UK mental health services?

Procter

Harrison

Pearson

et al. 2018

Industrial Relations Journal

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Recent workforce reforms have led to the widespread expansion of non‐professionally affiliated (NPA) support and assistant roles within UK public services. Research into these roles has been confined to a limited range of settings, with a focus on the consequence of change for professional workers. This article explores the emergence of ‘co‐production’, whereby NPA workers contribute alongside the professional in a distinct, complementary way. Findings are drawn from semi‐structured interviews with frontline workers and managers within the context of mental health workforce reform. The results build a picture of NPA working life characterised in part by autonomy and responsibility. At the same time, NPA workers rely on colleagues for support and are subject to being used indirectly by professionals. Contextual influences are considered. The conceptual implications of the analysis are brought out, both for the NPA role itself and for the broader issues involved in front line service work.

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“…Empowerment is described as being contrary to traditional management control; empowerment establishes new expectations and forms of accountability that are associated with corporate goals in conjunction with increased personal autonomy and variety (Bach et al, 2007). The responsibilization process, however, may undermine this personal autonomy.…”

Section: What Responsibilization Is Aboutmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘We are all responsible now’: Governmentality and responsibilized subjects in corporate social responsibility

Siltaoja

Malin

Pyykkönen

2014

Management Learning

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The corporate social responsibility promise is a fascinating one: companies are able and willing to regulate themselves, and self-regulation is manifested in collaborative efforts that promote individual well-being. Yet, this macro-level promise has a silenced flip side in organizational contexts. We argue that corporate social responsibility has diffused the idea of employee responsibilization into organizational environments, so it entails a dual role for employees: employees become both the objects and the subjects of corporate social responsibility. The primary aim of this article is thus to develop a theoretical understanding that acknowledges the role of individual members of the organization in communicating and defining corporate social responsibility while taking into consideration the well-being perspective. We draw on critical management studies as a form of counter-conduct towards mainstream theorizing and seek an alternative to Freirean critical dialogue as a tool to promote empowerment alongside ethics in corporate social responsibility.

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The consequences of assistant roles in the public services: Degradation or empowerment?

Cited by 33 publications

References 26 publications

Introducing peer worker roles into UK mental health service teams: a qualitative analysis of the organisational benefits and challenges

Introducing peer worker roles into UK mental health service teams: a qualitative analysis of the organisational benefits and challenges

The non‐professionally affiliated (NPA) worker as co‐producer of public services: how is the role experienced in UK mental health services?

‘We are all responsible now’: Governmentality and responsibilized subjects in corporate social responsibility

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