© British Association of Social Workers
Whatever Happened to Teamwork? Reflections on CMHTs
Morag McGrath is a member of a research team evaluating aspects of the All-Wales Strategy for the development of mental handicap services and based at the Centre for Social Policy Research and Development, University College of North Wales, Bangor. Previous research has included work on a Government Community Development Project and on decentralized social services.
Correspondence to Morag McGrath, Centre for Social Policy Research and Development, Bryn Afon, University College of North Wales, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2DG.
Summary
This paper is based on a survey of Community Mental Handicap Teams (CMHTs) in Wales undertaken in 1987. After briefly describing the range of community teams, individual planning is examined. It is argued that although other models for service co-ordination at a case level are possible, teamwork has the advantage of also providing a framework for service planning and development. Teams' progress in planning and their perceptions of barriers to effective planning are outlined. Despite deficiencies in different areas of team functioning, teams can be seen to have made much progress in terms of service development. Apart from resource limitation, a central theme in discussing constraints to more effective team working was the appropriate level of delegated responsibility. It is suggested that this is a crucial factor when considering three important concepts in the All-Wales Strategy for the development of mental handicap services—needs-led services, local community-based services and consumer participation. These three concepts are explored within a continuum of team development from ‘traditional’ through ‘transitional’ to a ‘needs-led’ service model. The necessary management support to achieve a needs-led model is summarized. Although further research is required to evaluate the different models of multi-disciplinary teams and the new arrangements advocated in the White Paper of separating service assessment and purchasing from service delivery, the experience of the CMHTs in Wales points to the potential of multi-disciplinary teamwork.