A snapshot of Australian social workers in palliative care and their work with estranged clients.

SOCIAL workers; SOCIAL alienation; CLINICAL competence; EMOTIONS; FAMILIES; RESEARCH methodology; PALLIATIVE treatment; RESEARCH; REUNIONS; STATISTICAL sampling; SCALE analysis (Psychology); QUALITATIVE research; JUDGMENT sampling; FAMILY conflict; OCCUPATIONAL roles; QUANTITATIVE research; SOCIAL support; DESCRIPTIVE statistics

This paper describes a mixed method survey that was administered to a group of Australian palliative care social workers (n = 27). Specifically, it aimed to investigate the ways that social workers understood and worked with clients who were estranged from family at the end of life. Respondents suggested that estrangement potentially impacted clients emotionally, practically, and existentially. They were challenged to make clear assessments, provide emotional support, encourage news ways of thinking about estrangement, to manage practical issues, work with the client’s family, and monitor their own professional role. Theories and models of intervention and levels of training are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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