Service user and carer participation in social work

153 Pages·2007·0.912 MB·English

by  Janet Warren

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Service User and
Carer Participation
in Social Work
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Transforming Social Work Practice – titles in the series
Applied Psychology for Social Work ISBN 13 978 1 84445 071 8
Collaborative Social Work Practice ISBN 13 978 1 84445 014 5
Communication and Interpersonal Skills in ISBN 13 978 1 84445 019 0
Social Work
Effective Practice Learning in Social Work ISBN 13 978 1 84445 015 2
Management and Organisations in Social Work ISBN 13 978 1 84445 044 2
Practical Computer Skills for Social Work ISBN 13 978 1 84445 031 2
Social Work and Human Development ISBN 13 978 1 84445 015 2
Social Work and Mental Health (second edition) ISBN 13 978 1 84445 068 8
Social Work in Education and Children’s Services ISBN 13 978 1 84445 045 9
Social Work Practice: Assessment, Planning, ISBN 13 978 1 90330 085 5
Intervention and Review
Social Work with Children and Families ISBN 13 978 1 84445 018 3
Social Work with Children, Young People ISBN 13 978 1 84445 031 2
and their Families in Scotland

Social Work with Drug and Substance Misusers ISBN 13 978 1 84445 058 9
Social Work with Older People ISBN 13 978 1 84445 017 6
Social Work with People with Learning ISBN 13 978 1 84445 042 8
Difficulties
Using the Law in Social Work (second edition) ISBN 13 978 1 84445 030 5
Values and Ethics in Social Work Practice ISBN 13 978 1 84445 067 1
What is Social Work? Context and Perspectives ISBN 13 978 1 84445 055 1
(second edition)
Youth Justice and Social Work ISBN 13 978 1 84445 066 4
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BH12 3LL. Telephone: [phone], email: [email protected]. You can also
find more information on each of these titles and our other learning resources at
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Service User
and Carer
Participation
in Social Work
JANET WARREN

Series Editors: Jonathan Parker and Greta Bradley
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First published in 2007 by Learning Matters Ltd
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise, without prior permission in writing from Learning Matters.
© 2007 Janet Warren
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN -13: 978 1 84445 074 9

The right of Janet Warren to be identified as the Author of this Work has been asserted by
her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
Cover and text design by Code 5
Project Management by Deer Park Productions, Tavistock, Devon
Typeset by Pantek Arts Ltd, Maidstone, Kent
Printed and bound in Great Britain by Bell & Bain Ltd, Glasgow
Learning Matters Ltd
33 Southernhay East
Exeter EX1 1NX
Tel: [phone]
[email protected]
www.learningmatters.co.uk
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Contents
Acknowledgements vii
Introduction ix
1
Understanding service user and carer involvement and
participation 1
2
Origins and development of service user and carer
involvement and participation 30
3
Service user and carer involvement and participation:
rhetoric or reality? 46
4
Empowering service user and carer participation 61
5
Participation in practice: involving adults 79

6
Participation in practice: involving children 97
Conclusion 117
Appendix 119
References 127
Index 139
v
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Acknowledgements
Sincere thanks are due to the many service users, carers, practitioners, students and higher
education teams who, over the years, have nurtured and helped to develop my own
knowledge and understanding of service user and carer involvement and participation in
social work practice. I would also like to thank all the individuals and organisations who
have offered advice and support in the drafting of this work. I hope very much that its
contents reflect the richness of their knowledge and experience.
I must also extend thanks to my family whose patience and support have made this book
possible.

vii
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Introduction
This book is written for student social workers who are beginning to develop their skills and
understanding of the requirements for practice, specifically with regard to the involvement
and participation of service users and carers. Whilst it is primarily aimed at students in their
first year or level of study, it will be useful for subsequent years depending on how your
programme is arranged, what you are studying and especially as you move into practice
learning. The book will also appeal to people who are considering a career in social work or
social care, but not yet studying for a social work degree. It will assist students undertaking
a range of health and social care courses in further education by providing them with an
understanding of some of the ways in which social workers practise. Nurses, occupational
therapists and other health and social care professionals will be able to gain insight into the
new requirements demanded of social workers. Experienced and qualified social workers,
and service user and carer-led organisations, especially those contributing to practice learn-
ing, will also be able to use this book for consultation, teaching and revision, and to gain
insight into the expectations raised by the qualifying degree in social work.
Requirements for social work education
Social work education has undergone a major transformation to ensure that qualified
social workers are educated to honours degree level and develop knowledge, skills and
values which are common and shared. A vision for social work operating in complex
human situations has been adopted. This is reflected in the following definition from the
International Association of Schools of Social Work and International Federation of Social
Workers (2001):
The social work profession promotes social change, problem solving in human
relationships and the empowerment and liberation of people to enhance well-being.
Utilising theories of huma n behaviour and social systems, social work intervenes at the
points where people interact with their environments. Principles of human rights and
social justice are fundamental to social work.
This definition encapsulates the notion that social work concerns individual people and
wider society, working with people who are vulnerable and may be struggling in some
way to participate fully in society. Social workers work at the interface between the mar-
ginalised individual, and the social and political environment that may have contributed to
their marginalisation.
Social workers need to be highly skilled and knowledgeable to work effectively in this con-
text. The government is keen for social work education and practice to improve. In order
to improve the quality of both of these aspects of professional social work, it is crucial that
you, as a student social worker, develop a rigorous grounding in and understanding of the
theories and models underpinning service user and carer involvement. Such knowledge
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Introduction
helps social workers to know what to do, when to do it and how to do it, whilst recognis-
ing that social work is a complex activity with no absolute ‘rights’ or ‘wrongs’ of practice
for each situation.
This book will help students to meet the demands outlined by the Department of Health in
the prescribed curriculum, and especially in relation to the expressed need that all social
workers must involve service users and carers in social work practice.
The book will help to meet the Quality Assurance Agency subject benchmark statements
for social work. These include being able to understand the nature of social work and
developing knowledge and understanding about the following:
● social work services and social work users;
● values and ethics;
● social work theory;
● the nature of social work practice.
The book will also help to meet the National Occupational Standards (NOS) set for social
workers. The standards state clearly that operational process skills are central to compe-
tence. Social workers must:
● prepare for work with people and assess their needs and circumstances;
● plan, carry out, review and evaluate in social work;
● support individuals to represent needs, views and circumstances;
● manage risk;
● be accountable with supervision and support for own practice;
● demonstrate professional competence in social work practice.
In essence, the book will concentrate on models of service user and carer participation
that are current in practice and transferable across different settings. These models are
active, practical and open to evaluation. Case studies, which focus on a range of young
and adult service users and c arers, will be used throughout to enhance this process and to
illustrate key points.
Book structure
There are six core chapters to this book. We begin in Chapter 1 by taking a broad
approach to the participation of service users and carers in social work practice, thereby
setting a context for this particular area of practice. You will be asked to reflect on what is
meant by the term ‘service user and carer participation’ and to identify some of the oppor-
tunities that exist within social work practice for service users and carers to become
involved. In considering who participates, there will be opportunities for you to reflect
upon whose voices may not be so readily heard, and to consider some of the factors that
may prevent individuals and groups from participating more fully in social work practice.
From this you will be asked to consider why participation is important and to explore
some of the practical benefits to services.
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