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Personal budgets aim to increase choice and independence for people with social care needs but they remain underused by people with mental health problems compared to other disability groups. The use of personal budgets may impact on families in a variety of ways, both positive and negative. This paper draws on interviews, undertaken in 2012-2013 with 18 family carers and 12 mental health service users, that explored experiences of family involvement in accessing and managing personal budgets for a person with mental health-related social care needs. The sample was drawn from three sites across England, with additional carers being recruited via voluntary sector networks. Our findings show that for many people with severe mental health needs who lack motivation and confidence to negotiate access to personal budgets, carers may provide the necessary support to enable them to benefit from this form of social care support. We illustrate the role carers may play in initiating, pursuing and maximising the level of support available through personal budgets. However, some carers interviewed considered that personal budget funding was reduced because of practitioners' assumptions about carers' willingness and ability to provide support. We also report perceived tensions between family carers and practitioners around appropriate involvement in decision-making. The study findings have implications for local authorities, practitioners and family carers in supporting the involvement of family carers in support for people with severe mental health problems., (© 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: In England, personal budgets are offered to eligible people with severe mental health problems to enable them to purchase what is helpful for their quality of life or recovery. However, in-depth insight into people's own perceptions of the outcomes is lacking., Aims: To investigate people's own reporting of outcomes from using personal budgets in relation to social care needs arising from severe mental health problems., Method: A convenience sample of 47 individuals receiving personal budgets was recruited from three English local authorities. In-depth semi-structured interviews were subject to thematic framework analysis., Results: Most participants identified positive outcomes across domains interconnected through individual life circumstances, with mental health and wellbeing, social participation and relationships, and confidence and skills most commonly reported. Some needed more support than others to identify goals and make use of the personal budget to take a more active part in the society., Conclusions: Personal budgets can enable people to achieve outcomes that are relevant to them in the context of their lives, particularly through enhancing their wellbeing and social participation. Consideration should be given to distinguishing those individuals potentially requiring more support for engagement from those who can engage more independently to identify and pursue their goals.

This article explores how role boundaries and professional priorities in integrated mental health teams have impacted on the implementation of personalised approaches to social care support. We focus on the use of personal budgets to meet mental health-related social care needs as a key mechanism for personalised care. Drawing on 28 qualitative interviews with mental health practitioners from three local authorities in England undertaken in 2013, we report nurses', social workers', and occupational therapists' attitudes towards, and engagement with, personal budgets. Professional boundaries and competing priorities heavily influenced the extent to which personal budgets were perceived as a legitimate part of their roles. Across different professional groups, a sense emerged that personal budgets should be somebody else's job. A focus on attention to treatment, stability, and risk management often resulted in low prioritisation of personal budgets and led practitioners to avoid recommending them or to exclude service users from the process as a way to save time. Implications of the dominant medical model and the protection of traditional professional roles for the implementation of new, person-centred models of practice are discussed.

Background: People with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder experience mood fluctuation from depression to mania, and their support needs may differ during these fluctuations., Aims: To investigate support needed during periods of mania and depression, and when 'going up' or 'going down'., Method: Five service user researchers were supported in a reflexive-collaborative approach to undertake and analyse semi-structured interviews with 16 people with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder and 11 people providing informal support., Results: Support needs differed when becoming manic or depressed. When manic, people needed a calming approach and encouragement to avoid overly stimulating activities. When depressed, positive activity and engaging in everyday life routines were helpful. Three core themes determined the effectiveness of support: (1) being listened to with active engagement through affirmation and encouragement, (2) empowerment through development of personal coping and self-management strategies, and (3) early action and understanding of early warning signs to respond to developing crises and protect wellbeing., Conclusion: Periods of depression or mania, and lesser 'ups' and 'downs', all require different support needs. Active listening and engagement, facilitating empowerment and appropriate early action are crucial elements of effective support.