Family-oriented practice in disability Services in Hong Kong: A cross-sectoral social work perspectives in the fields of intellectual disability and mental illness

Abstract

Supporting the families of people with disabilities has become a crucial aim of disability services. In disability services, where people with disabilities are usually positioned at the centre of service provision, family-oriented practice implies practice directions to work with clients' families in service delivery. The study aims at exploring how social workers in intellectual disability services and mental health services deliver a family-oriented practice in Hong Kong. We performed a qualitative analysis, using in-depth interview data collected from two broader studies about social workers' experiences in the fields of intellectual disability and mental illness respectively. Thirteen participants in intellectual disability settings and another 13 participants in mental health settings shared their understanding of and concern with family-oriented practice. Four themes were identified in the participants' accounts regarding the importance of family connectedness, family members' constructions of clients' identity, the scope of activities and the intervention space between individual and family. These findings reflect that family-oriented practice was jointly shaped by clients' family systems and disability service system, and shed light on the strategies for future service development at the broader systematic level.