Critical Evaluation of Recovery Support for a Specific Mental Health Condition in the UK

Discussion of findings (should consist of different headed sections/subsections; subheading titles should also appear in your table of contents)8.Appendix/Appendices. If used, appendices should be given titles and these titles should appear in the contents page. (Note you do not have to use appendices.)

Choosing ONE mental health condition, or illness, critically evaluate how service users are supported in their recovery and treatment processes by mental health services, private providers and third sector support organisations.

(1)You are expected to draw on both qualitative and quantitative data. You are to focus on the UK so data provided must relate to the UK.

(2)You can briefly discuss/define the mental illness but the report must focus on critically evaluating the support service users receive from mental health services as well as private organisations and the voluntary sector in relation to their recovery. As you are looking at support in their recovery, you need to think more broadly than just treatment for the illness; you need to think about what other types of support a person with a mental illness might get e.g. back to work support, assistance in training or education, social activities, and so on.

(3)You are not to choose a specific age group or a gender, you are to choose a specific (one) mental health condition/illness but you can choose to look at children/young people under 18 with that condition or working age adults (adults 18-64) with that condition as the services provided will differ for children/adolescents and working age adults.

(4)In your critical evaluation of the support service users receive, you are expected to draw on qualitative studies where service users speak about what they think about support they receive.

(5)You are expected to use a minimum of 8 academic sources (peer-reviewed journal articles/academic books) to support your discussion and all sources used must be cited according the Harvard referencing system.

(6)Remember good written communication is about structuring your work so that your discussion is clearly signposted and developed and you guide the reader logically from one section/subsection to the next.

(7)No more than 5 –10% of the assignment should be in the form of quotations.

(8)Proofread and edit your work before handing it in and/or ask a trusted person to read it through for you.                         

(9)Your work must be word processed, double spaced and page numbered. You must also include a word count. This is part of the assignment guidelines/task so you are expected to follow these instructions.

(10)The portfolio must include a full Reference List of texts and sources cited in the main body. All referencing and citation must follow the Harvard style, as specified in the Faculty's Harvard referencing guidelines which you will find on the Unit's BREO site under the 'Assessment' section.   Please remember you only ever list primary sources in your reference list - Please look up secondary referencing under point 8 of the Faculty's Harvard referencing guidelines

If you are unsure what recovery means in relation to mental illness, please see the last slide on the lecture that looked and anti-psychiatry and service user movements.

If you search DISCOVER for 'recovery' AND mental illness you will find many sources on the subject. You must use a range of sources for the assignment, which must include academic sources such as peer-reviewed journals