ABSTRACT
One of the consequences of community care policies has been the growth of unqualified support workers in a range of care contexts (Johnson et al., 1997). Support workers now make a substantial contribution to the care of people who have experienced mental health difficulties as well as other vulnerable groups. There is some evidence to suggest that this contribution is valued, at least by users of mental health services, although professional staff have mixed feelings about their role (Murray et al., 1996). One issue of concern is the level of training support workers receive and how well they are supervised, particularly when they have been left responsible for people experiencing serious difficulties (Davies et al., 1995).
