How social workers can identify and tackle problem gambling

Problem gambling is a factor behind many of the problems social workers encounter in their practice: poor mental health, including suicidal feelings, child protection issues and domestic abuse, not to mention debt and poverty.

However, research has found (Manthorpe et al, 2018) that gambling is “invisible” in social work qualifying programmes, while social work itself is “invisible” in literature about gambling.

To help social workers this gap, Jim Rogers, senior lecturer at Lincoln University’s school of health and social care, will deliver a session on problem gambling and social work at Community Care’s inaugural Festival of Learning.

Jim, whose practice background is in mental health and whose research specialisms include different forms of addiction, will examine:

• Why problem gambling is relevant to adult social care.
• How to identify this ‘hidden’ problem.
• The social work role in supporting someone with a gambling addiction.

The session, on 1 April, from 3.30pm-4.30pm, is one of 20 webinars, delivering essential learning to social workers, at the week-long, and virtual, Festival of Learning, which starts on 28 March.

Register now to book your place on any of the webinars.

Other sessions include:

• Developing cultural competence with those who are criminally exploited: cultural competence is a critical factor in social work with young people who are being criminally exploited by gangs and organised crime groups. But how do you put that into practice? Catherine Bennett, county lines pathfinder lead at Suffolk Youth Justice Service, and Heidi Dix, senior social work lecturer at the University of Suffolk, will answer these and other key questions in a session from 9am-10am on 28 March.
• Identifying shame in child protection practice: shame continues to be a neglected aspect of child protection practice despite its connection with trauma and attachment. In this webinar, clinician and PhD research student Laura Hanbury will help practitioners recognise the role shame might play in a child or adult’s life, including its protective effects, and respond differently to its behavioural manifestations (29 March, 2pm-3pm).
• Safeguarding children with disabilities – practice tips and direct work ideas: research consistently shows that children with physical and learning disabilities are at least three times more likely to experience abuse or neglect than other children, but despite this, are under-represented in the child protection system. In a webinar on 1 April from 2pm-3pm, service manager Rachel Lovelady will share learning on using ecomaps and chronologies to support safeguarding practice and give examples of tools to use in direct work and supervision to develop a closer understanding of the child’s experience.

All webinars cost £25 + VAT per place, with the exception of those delivered by our three event sponsors, London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, Medway Council and Surrey County Council, each of whom is delivering a free session at the event.