Toward coercion free, trauma-informed care in Australian adult mental health services: strategies for social workers. Issue 5 (2nd September 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Ross, Dyann
• Is Part Of: Social work in mental health. Volume 18:Issue 5(2020)
• Page Start: 536
• Page End: 553
• Publication Date: 2020-09-02
• Subjects: Coercion -- seclusion -- least restrictive practice -- trauma-informed care strategies -- mental health service users' perspectives; Psychiatric social work -- Periodicals; 362.2042505
• DOI: 10.1080/15332985.2020.1801552
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1533-2985

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Least restrictive practice is a key principle of mental health legislation. It seeks to minimize coercion and maximize the human rights of mental health service users. Coercive practice, with a focus on seclusion, is explored from a whole-of-mental-health-system perspective as distinct from the behavior of individual service users. Exemplar coercion-reducing strategies arising from the reviewed research and literature are outlined. The exemplars can strengthen the utility of the least restrictive principle by extending non-coercive practice options for mental health social workers. The strategies bring a focus to proactive trauma-informed systemic changes and community level alternatives to hospitalization, coercion and seclusion.