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Professor Sarah Vicary

Profile summary

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Professional biography

As an experienced practitioner and academic Sarah’s interests in social work with adults, especially in mental health, is long standing. Qualifying in 1987 and still registered as a social worker (SW81040), Sarah’s practice roles have included frontline work such as an Approved Social Worker under the Mental Health Act, 1983, the development, creation and management of an innovative multi-disciplinary mental health crisis service and service manager for inner city emergency mental health services.  Sarah worked for ten years as an Area Commissioner for the Government appointed body that oversees the operation of the Mental Health Act, the Mental Health Act Commission. Moving into academic posts in early 2000, Sarah was Associate Head of School until 2022 holding strategic and operational responsibility for academics based in all nations of the United Kingdom in health and social care, social work, nursing and other professional programmes. She is now Professor of Social Work and Mental Health

Qualifications

  • PhD ​(University of Manchester)
  • MA Social Work (University of Nottingham)
  • BA Hons (History) University of Lancaster
  • Senior Fellow Higher Education Authority (HEA)
  • Practice Teacher Award (University of Keele)
  • Certificate of Qualification in Social Work, Central Council for the Education and Training of Social Workers       

 

ORCID 0000-0001-9070-2695

 

 

Research interests

Interested in the way in which practitioners understand and undertake professional mental health work, Sarah is widely published in this field. Sarah's research is based on the generation, dissemination and application of new understandings of legal roles in Mental Health Social Work. This knowledge exchange is at the forefront of explorations of regulatory practices that restrict human behaviour. One particular focus, concerning the Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP), is defined in mental health legislation and entails real-life decision -making about the deprivation of liberty. Current research concerns the impact of interpreter-mediation in Mental Health Act Assessments Interpreters For Mental Health Act Assessments | Our project (manchester.ac.uk)

Sarah is also interested in encouraging practitioners to undertake research and, with colleagues, runs an AMHP Research network. An inaugural conference was held in 2019, a fourth is to take place in 2025. 2 special issues of a journal have been commisioned as a consequence.

Sarah has a particular interest in qualitative research methodologies inclduing Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis and uses visual research methods to collate data. Her latest book concerns Social Work Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis: A Methodological Approach for Practice and Research (mheducation.co.uk)

Her other primary research interests lie in the history of social work. Sarah coordinates the Social Work History Network | NIHR Health & Social Care Workforce Research Unit | King’s College London (kcl.ac.uk)  and edits its e-bulletin; bulletin-of-the-swhn-2023-vol9-iss1.pdf (kcl.ac.uk), which she inaugurated.

Editorial work

Guest editor of special edition:

           Vicary, S., Stone, K. Hemmington, J. and Leah, C. (2020) 

            research informed practice; practice informed research (a special edition of papers on Approved Mental Health Professional 

           research) Practice: Social Work in Action Vol 32. Issue 4

Guest editor of special edition:

           Vicary, S. Cree, V. and Manthorpe, J (2018) Social Work education: a local and

           global challenge Practice: Social Work in Action. Volume 30 Issue 4

Guest editor of special edition:

           Vicary, S. Copperman, J. and Higgs, A. (2018)

           Social work education through distance learning: challenges and opportunities.

            Social Work Education: the international journal Volume 37 Issue 6

Article reviewer for the following journals:

  • Qualitative Social Work;
  • British Journal Social Work;
  • Journal of Social Work;
  • Journal of Mental Health;
  • Journal of Social Work Education: the international journal;
  • Practice: Social work in Action.

Book proposal reviewer for publishers Policy Press, Open University Press and Routledge.

Inaugural and current editor of Social Work History Network Ebulletin,bulletin-of-the-swhn-2023-vol9-iss1.pdf (kcl.ac.uk)

 

Teaching interests

Sarah’s teaching interests lie in mental health, social work and social work law. She supervises doctoral students in all related areas. These currently include the lived experience of visual impairment, the experience of AMHPs as decision-makers and the expereince of students with mental health problmes studying online.

Sarah also convenes the doctorate for social work : PhD Health and Social Care (DHSC) | Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies (open.ac.uk)

External examining:

Msc Social Work University College Birmingham

PQ Social Wok Manchester Metropolitan University

MSc Social Work Birmingham City University

BSc Hons Social Work University of Northumbria

Health Care Professions Council and College of Social Work Validation University of Chester

BA Hons Social Work Goldsmiths University, London External Examiner 

BA Hons Social Work Studies Duale Hochshule Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany Revalidation 

MA Social Work University of Central Lancashire External Examiner 

Impact and engagement

Sarah's impact and engagement includes:

  • Coordinataion of the Social Work History Network http://www.kcl.ac.uk/sspp/policy-institute/scwru/swhn/index.aspx and is joint covenor of the Europen Research Association Special Interest Group on the history of social work research and from which a book on the History of Settlements ipublished in 2020
  • Member of the European Social Work Research Association Board and chair of Election Committee and Awards Committee
  • Joint convenor of European Social Work Research Assocition Special Interest Group on Mental Health Social Work which held its inaugural meeting in 2019
  • Advising parliamentary researchers on breifing notes for MPs 
  • Academic advisor on the award winning BBC documentary Psychosis and Me
  • Member of the editorial board for Practice: Social Work in Action https://www.basw.co.uk/practice-social-work-in-action/ and has been guest editor for a special issue on the history of social work education and a scond special issue on practitioner research in mental health.
  • Member of editorial board for Open University Press
  • Member of the Mental Health Thematic Group, British Association Social Workers
  • Appointment as specialist social care advisor and vice chair for NICE guidance on transitions between hospital and community care and act a specialist advisor on Quality Advisory Committeee for the same: http://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/indevelopment/gid-scwave0711/documents
  • CCP expert adviser, Mental Health Faculty NICE.

Sarah is a member of the European Research Association and chairs its committees for elctions to the Board and for its Awards.

Sarah has delivered lectures at a number of international conferences for the European Conference on Social Work Research in Denmark, Belgium, Edinburgh, Amsterdam and Vilnius and at the International Academy for Law and Mental Health in Vienna, Prague, Rome and Milan. 

Research groups

NameTypeParent Unit
Social Work Research GroupResearch GroupFaculty of Health and Social Care

 

Externally funded projects

Interpreter-Mediated Mental Health Act Assessments
RoleStart dateEnd dateFunding source
Lead01 Feb 202131 Jul 2022SSCR NIHR School for Social Care Research

Reviews of previous studies in mental health interpreting in general draw attention to the paucity of well-designed and executed studies on interpreter accuracy in this field. Implications for patients in terms of health inequalities of diagnosis, treatment or outcome when spoken language interpreters are present are generally based on small scale, highly context/-dependent, anecdotal studies without qualitative rigour 6,7. Specific studies of collaborative practices between interpreters and other practice professionals in mental health settings are rare 8. Although a range of guidance documents on best practices in mental health interpreting have been produced 9 they are not rigorously evidence based or systematic. Nothing exits that seeks to address our specific concern with MHA assessments (or their international equivalent) and empirically based training and best practice guidelines encompassing spoken and/or signed language interpreting

Social Work England: Commission for research into AMHP and BIAs
RoleStart dateEnd dateFunding source
Lead05 Jan 202116 Apr 2021UCLan University of Central Lancashire;SWE Social Work England

A research project to find out more about social workers working as specialists in mental health and mental capacity. This includes a focus on standards for practice, understanding professionals’ knowledge, skills and experience and exploring the nature of approved mental health professional and best interests assessor education and training. The OU shall support the delivery of the Project by undertaking the following: • Literature review • Data Summary and Report Writing

Integrated Care Models Evaluating Mersey Care NHS Trust’s Mental Health Social Work Integrated Support & Development programme
RoleStart dateEnd dateFunding source
Lead01 Mar 201530 Nov 2015HENW Health Education North West

Aim This project aims to capture confidence in the role of mental health social work interventions, thinking and approaches in integrated settings, including understanding and working with social networks and communities and to disseminate this. Objective The objective is to strengthen the evaluation which has already been started in the Trust from an objective viewpoint and to explore and build an evidence base for integrated working which is then be disseminated across other integrated mental health services. The project will also consider the effectiveness of social care values, principles and delivery within an integrated mental health setting by engaging the workforce, partners, commissioners and service users.

Publications

[Book Review]: How Social Workers Assess and Manage Risk and Uncertainty (2024-01)
Vicary, Sarah
Qualitative Social Work, 23(1) (pp. 213-215)


The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and Social Work: Evidence for Impact? (2023-10-16)
McCusker, Pearse; Gillespie, Lauren; Davidson, Gavin; Vicary, Sarah and Stone, Kevin
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20, Article 6927(20)


Mental health professionals' (AMHPs) perspectives on interpreter-mediated mental health act assessments (2023-09-07)
Young, Alys; Vicary, Sarah; Tipton, Rebecca; Rodríguez Vicente, Natalia; Napier, Jemina; Hulme, Celia and Espinoza, Francisco
Journal of Social Work ([Early Access])


[Book Review] The medicalisation of everyday life: A critical perspective by Barbara Fawcett, Zita Weber, and Helen Bannister (2022-09)
Vicary, Sarah
Journal of Social Work, 22(5) (pp. 1318-1319)


“Pull;” the Active Use of Dissonance. An IPA Pearl to Show Emotion Management in Action (2022)
Vicary, Sarah
Practice: Social Work in Action, 74(1) (pp. 146-165)


A Scoping Review of interpreter-mediated assessments under the Mental Health Act (1983) and international equivalents (2022)
Young, Alys; Rodriguez-vincente, Natalia; Tipton, Rebecca; Napier, Jemina and Vicary, Sarah
International Platform of Registered Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Protocols (INPLASY), Article 202220086


An Exploratory Survey of Mental Health Social Work in Europe (2021)
Stone, Kevin; McCusker, Pearse; Davidson, Gavin and Vicary, Sarah
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18, Article 10462(19)


“It's about how much we can do, and not how little we can get away with”: Coronavirus-related legislative changes for social care in the United Kingdom (2020-09)
Vicary, Sarah; Stone, Kevin; McCusker, Pearse; Davidson, Gavin and Spencer-Lane, Tim
International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 72, Article 101601


Research Informed Practice; Practice Informed Research [Editorial] (2020-09)
Vicary, Sarah; Stone, Kevin; Hemmington, Jill and Leah, Caroline
Practice: Social Work in Action, 32(4) (pp. 247-251)


Ethical Approval and Being a Virtuous Social Work Researcher. The Experience of Multi-site Research in UK Health and Social Care: An Approved Mental Health Professional Case Study (2020)
Stone, Kevin; Vicary, Sarah; Scott, Charlotte and Buckland, Rosie
Ethics and Social Welfare, 14(1) (pp. 156-171)


‘Role Over’ or Roll Over? Dirty Work, Shift and Mental Health Act Assessments (2019-12)
Vicary, Sarah; Young, Alys and Hicks, Stephen
The British Journal of Social Work, 49(8) (pp. 2187-2206)


[Book review] Newly qualified social workers: A practice guide to the assessed and supported year in employment Steven Keen, Jonathan Parker, Keith Brown and Di Galpin (2019-03-01)
Vicary, Sarah
Journal of Social Work, 19(2) (pp. 304-305)


Picturing social work, puzzles and passion: exploring and developing transnational professional identities (2019)
Wiles, Fran and Vicary, Sarah
Social Work Education, 38(1) (pp. 47-62)


[Book Reviews] 'Critical issues in social work law' by Brammer & Boylan, and 'Mental health' by Hutchinson & Hickman (2019)
Vicary, Sarah
Journal of Social Work, 19(1) (pp. 163-165)


[Book review] Mental health law Brenda Hale (2019)
Vicary, Sarah
Journal of Social Work, 19(6) (pp. 833-835)


[Editorial] Social Work Education - A Local and Global History (2018-09)
Vicary, Sarah; Cree, Viviene E. and Manthorpe, Jill
Practice, 30(4) (pp. 223-226)


Social work education through distance learning: the challenges and opportunities (2018-07)
Vicary, Sarah; Copperman, Jeanette and Higgs, Alison
Social Work Education; The International Journal, 37(6) (pp. 685-690)


Exploring the history of settlements (2018-05)
Vicary, Sarah; Gal, John and Koengeter, Stefan
Bulletin of the Social Work History Network, 5(1) (pp. 4-5)


A deliberative study into the impact of integration on mental health social work in England: merely a dialogue or activism? (2018-03-12)
Vicary, Sarah and Bailey, John
Journal of mental health training education and practice, 13(2) (pp. 77-89)


[Book Review] Critical and Creative Research Methodologies in Social Work by L Bryant (2017-08-28)
Vicary, Sarah
Qualitative Social Work, 16(5)


The future has a long history: the influence of the study of social work history on education and practice (2017-07)
Vicary, Sarah
Bulletin of the Social Work History Network, 4(1) (pp. 8-10)


[Book Review] Ethics and Law for Social Workers by Robert Johns (2017)
Vicary, Sarah
Journal of Social Work, 17(5)


[Book Review] Mental Health and Mental Capacity Law for Social Workers by Simon Godefroy (2017)
Vicary, Sarah
Journal of Social Work, 17(2)


[Book Review] Innovations in Social Work Research: Using Methods Creatively Louise Hardwick, Roger Smith and Aidan Worsley (eds) (2016)
Vicary, Sarah
British Journal of Social Work, 47(4) (pp. 1270-1271)


[Book Review] The Social Workers Guide to Children and Families Law 2nd edn., by Lynn Davies (2016)
Vicary, Sarah
Journal of Social Work, 16(1) (pp. 123-124)


Bruising in older adults: what do social workers need to know? (2015-12-14)
Vicary, Sarah A. O. and Reynolds, Janet
Journal of Adult Protection, 17(6) (pp. 351-359)


[Book Review] Making Good decisions: Law for Social Work Practice by Michael Preston-Shoot (2015)
Vicary, Sarah
Journal of Social Work, 15(4) (pp. 450-451)


[Book Review] Research Methods for Social Workers: A practice-based approach (2nd ed.) by Samuel S Faulkner and Cynthia A Faulkner (2015)
Vicary, Sarah
Journal of Social Work, 15(1)


[Book Review] Qualitative Research in Social Work, Anne E Fortune, William J Reid, and Robert L Miller (eds) (2015)
Vicary, Sarah
Journal of Social Work, 14(5) (pp. 549-550)


[Book Review] Social Work Law and Ethics by Jonathan Dickens (2014)
Vicary, Sarah
Journal of Social Work, 14(2) (pp. 219-220)


A note on 'image' methodology for social work qualitative research: socially inclusive research methods for service users (2011-09)
Vicary, Sarah
Social Work and Social Sciences Review, 15(3) (pp. 119-127)


Social Work Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis: A Methodological Approach for Practice and Research (2024-01-23)
Vicary, Sarah and Ferguson, Gillian
ISBN : 9780335252374 | Publisher : McGraw Hill, Open University Press


The Approved Mental Health Professional Practice Handbook (2020-07-09)
Vicary, Sarah; Stone, Kevin and Spencer-Lane, Tim
ISBN : 978-1-4473-5152-8 | Publisher : Policy Press | Published : Bristol


Nurses as AMHPs: From 'Unclean' to 'Honorary Social Worker' (2023-03-28)
Vicary, Sarah
In: Hemmington, Jill and Vicary, Sarah eds. Making Decisions in Compulsory Mental Health Work: Boundaries, Frames and Perspectives (pp. 131-145)
ISBN : 978-1447362890 | Publisher : Policy Press | Published : Bristol


The Settlement House Movement Revisited: A Transnational History Conclusion (2021)
Vicary, Sarah
In: Gal, J; Kongeter, S and Vicary, S eds. Research in Social Work (pp. 221-229)
Publisher : Bristol University Press


Introduction (2020)
Gal, John; Kongeter, Stefan and Vicary, Sarah
In: Gal, John; Kongeter, Stefan and Vicary, Sarah eds. Settlement House Movement Revisted: A Transnational History. Research in Social Work (pp. 1-11)
ISBN : 978-1-4473-5423-9 | Publisher : Policy Press


Conclusion (2020)
Vicary, Sarah
In: Gal, John; Kongeter, Stefan and Vicary, Sarah eds. Settlement House Movement Revisted. Research in Social Work (pp. 221-229)
ISBN : 978-1-4473-5423-9 | Publisher : Policy Press


Underpinning themes, theories and research (2014-04-11)
Vicary, Sarah
In: Vicary, Sarah; O'Hare, Philip and Hemmington, Jill eds. Approved Mental Health Practice: Essential Themes for Students and Practitioners (pp. 7-22)
ISBN : 9781137000132 | Publisher : Palgrave Macmillan | Published : Basingstoke


Introduction (2014-03-31)
Vicary, Sarah and O'Hare, Philip
In: Vicary, Sarah; O'Hare, Philip and Hemmington, Jill eds. Approved Mental Health Practice: Essential Themes for Students and Practitioners
Publisher : Palgrave Macmillan | Published : Basingstoke


Conclusion: Old Values, New Problems? (2014-03-31)
Hemmington, Jill; O'Hare, Philip and Vicary, Sarah
In: Vicary, Sarah; O'Hare, Philip and Hemmington, Jill eds. Approved Mental Health Practice: Essential Themes for Students and Practitioners
Publisher : Palgrave Macmillan | Published : Basingstoke


The changing role of social workers in developing contexts for mental health professionals (2011-09-03)
Vicary, Sarah
In: Seden, Janet; Vicary, Sarah; McCormick, Mick and Morgan, Alun eds. Professional Development in Social Work. Post-qualifying Social Work (pp. 83-89)
ISBN : 978-0-415-55335-3 | Publisher : Routledge | Published : Abingdon


The Liverpool Mental Health Crisis Service and its effectiveness’ (1999)
Vicary, Sarah
In: Tomlinson, Dylan Ronald and Allen, Kevin J. eds. Crisis Services and Hospital Crises
ISBN : 1840143894 | Publisher : Ashgate | Published : Farnham


Making Decisions in Compulsory Mental Health Work: Boundaries, Frames and Perspectives (2023-03-28)
Hemmington, Jill and Vicary, Sarah eds.
ISBN : 978-1447362890 | Publisher : Policy Press | Published : Bristol


The Settlement House Movement Revisited: A Transnational History (2020-12-16)
Gal, John; Köngeter, Stefan and Vicary, Sarah eds.
Research in Social Work
ISBN : 978-1-4473-5423-9 | Publisher : Policy Press | Published : Bristol


Approved Mental Health Practice: Essential Themes for Students and Practitioners (2014-04-11)
Vicary, Sarah; O'Hare, Philip and Hemmington, Jill eds.
ISBN : 9781137000132 | Publisher : Palgrave Macmillan | Published : Basingstoke


Professional Development in Social Work: Complex Issues in Practice (2010-09-03)
Seden, Janet; Vicary, Sarah; McCormick, Michael and Morgan, Alun eds.
Post-qualifying Social Work
ISBN : 978-0-415-55336-0 | Publisher : Routledge | Published : London


The Critical Practitioner in Social Work and Health Care (2008)
Fraser, Sandy and Vicary, Sarah eds.
ISBN : 978-1-4129-4840-1 | Publisher : SAGE Publications Ltd | Published : London


Role over or roll over? Dirty work, shift and Mental Health Act Assessments (2019-05)
Vicary, Sarah
In : Approved Mental Health Professional National Conference 2019 Research-Informed Practice Practice-Informed Research? (14 May 2019, Birmingham, United Kingdom)


“A stout pair of shoes and an umbrella” how much has the experience of mental health social work changed? (2019-03-26)
Vicary, Sarah
In : Researching the history of social work research (26 Mar 2019, University of Chester)


A critique of drawing as a research method for data generation in Qualitative Inquiry (2019)
Vicary, Sarah
In : ECQI 3rd European Congress of Qualitative Inquiry (13-15 Feb 2019, Edinburgh, United Kingdom)


Emotion management and the Approved Mental Health Professional (2017-11-14)
Vicary, Sarah
In : Contemporary Issues in Mental Health: A seminar series from SCWRU and MRC (14 Nov 2017, Kings College, London, UK)


Emotion management and the Approved Mental Health Professional: "pull" the active use of dissonance (2017-07)
Vicary, Sarah
In : XXXVth International Congress on Law and Mental Health (9-14 Jul 2017, Prague, Czech Republic)


Being a social worker: exploring and teaching about professional identities (2017-06)
Wiles, Fran and Vicary, Sarah
In : EASSW-UNAFORIS 2017 European Conference (27-29 Jun 2017, Paris, France)


Social work research and IPA: A contemporary study into approved mental health practice. “Pull”: the active use of dissonance (2017-05)
Vicary, Sarah
In : 1st International Conference on IPA (21-22 May 2017, Glasgow, UK)


Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis in social work research: a current study (2017-04)
Vicary, Sarah; Young, Alys and Hicks, Stephen
In : European Conference for Social Work Research (19-21 Apr 2017, Aalborg University, Denmark)


Mental Health Social Work: its social, legal or psychiatric character? (2016-08)
Vicary, Sarah
In : 6th Conference on Sociology and Social Work (25-26 Aug 2016, Zwolle, Netherlands)


Emotion management in statutory social work (2016-05)
Vicary, Sarah
In : Social Work seminars, Department of Social Work and Interprofessional Education (25 May 2016, University of Chester)


Exploring the relationship between research and practice in mental health social work; narrowing the dialogue between research and practice (2016-04)
Vicary, Sarah
In : 6th European Conference for Social Work Research (30 Mar - 1 Apr 2016, Lisbon, Portugal)


Exploring the role and experience of Approved Mental Health Professionals (2016)
Vicary, Sarah
In : Inaugural UK Mental Disability Law Conference (30 Jun - 01 Jul 2016, Nottingham, UK)


Mental Health Social Work: the evidence? (2015-03-31)
Vicary, Sarah
In : Launch Mental Health Social Work Forum (31 Mar 2015)


Conducting Research Online Using Surveys: An Exploratory Survey of Mental Health Social Work in Europe (2022-03)
Vicary, Sarah; McCusker, Pearse; Davidson, Gavin and Stone, Kevin
Sage


Approved Mental Health Professionals, Best Interests Assessors and People with Lived Experience: An Exploration of Professional Identities and Practice (2021-05)
Hemmington, Jill; Graham, Matthew; Marshall, Alan; Brammer, Andy; Stone, Kevin and Vicary, Sarah
Social Work England


Mental Health Social Work: its social, legal or psychiatric character? (2017-05)
Vicary, Sarah
Historical Association, Chester


The Feeling rule and approved mental health practice (2016-11)
Vicary, Sarah
London Consortium of Approved Mental Health


Mental health social work in [name] National Health Service Trust; a model for integrated care (2015-09)
Vicary, Sarah and Bailey, John
The Open University


Using Drawing to Generate Data: Exploring the Role and Experiences of Approved Mental Health Professionals (2014-02-17)
Vicary, Sarah
SAGE Publications, Ltd., London.