Assessment of Social Work Roles in Community Mental Health Services in Oyo State

Community mental health services represent a critical frontier for social work practice in Nigeria, where the treatment gap for mental health conditions remains among the largest in the world. This study assesses the professional roles of social workers in community mental health services in Oyo State, South West Nigeria, drawing on data from community health centres and the Neuropsychiatric Hospital Aro in Abeokuta's proximity zones. A mixed-method design is employed, targeting 70 social workers, psychiatric nurses, and community health workers in Ibadan North, Ogbomosho, and Atiba local government areas. Structured questionnaires and focus group discussions are used, with descriptive statistics and thematic analysis applied in interpretation. The study finds that social workers perform psychosocial rehabilitation, family education, medication adherence support, and community reintegration functions within mental health teams. However, they frequently experience role ambiguity, limited recognition by other health professionals, and inadequate access to continuing education in psychiatric social work. Coverage of community mental health services remains highly uneven, with significant gaps in rural and peri-urban communities. Recommendations include defining clear professional roles for social workers within mental health multidisciplinary teams, establishing specialised postgraduate mental health social work training, and expanding community-based mental health outreach teams with social work components. Keywords: community mental health, social work roles, Oyo State, psychosocial rehabilitation, multidisciplinary teams