Transcript Managing Social Work Education and Inter

Authentic Service User (and Carer)
involvement in social work education ,
training, research and practice:
Setting an Agenda
Professor Allister Butler
North West University
ASASWEI (Cape Town)
26-28 September 2010
Overview
 Anecdotal Evidence from UK
 SUCI – Practice Settings
 SUCI – Mental Health
Services
 SUCI – Research Praxis
 SUCI – HEI’s/education and
training
 SUCI – The way forward for
South Africa
CONTEXT
Last decade (in UK) SUCI became critical component of
social work education and training, research and evidence
based practice, practice context, and programme
evaluation
Integral part of the GSCC 6 roles of Social Work
Practice – similar to 27 Exit Outcomes established by
SACSSP
Linked to research funding streams, practice outcomes,
programme funding, practice education, HEI training
Pathway from tokenistic involvement to active SUC
participation and decision making
South African social work – learn from these transition
pathways and examples of good practice
SOUTH AFRICAN CONTEXT
In SA – pockets of good practice re: SUCI
We need to look at rolling it out nationally, develop a
streamlined strategy for SUCI, and evaluating its impact
on service delivery
Practical Considerations:
Training (for SUCI, educators and practitioners)
Funding streams – SUCI costs money
Insight re: tokenistic response
Power sharing
Ensure it is developed and rolled out nationally in ALL
areas of social work – practice, policy making, legislation,
curricula, research, and education and training
PRACTICE CONTEXT
In UK 2 of 6 identified key social work roles (GSCC)
talk directly to SUCI:
Key role 1: Enable individuals, carers, families, groups
and communities to identify, clarify, and express their
strengths, expectations and limitations – and to make
informed decisions about their needs and circumstances
Key role 3: Advocate with, and behalf of individuals,
carers, families, groups and communities – and help them
to select the best form of representation for decision
making forums and be involved in the outcomes from
these decision making forums
This mapping exercise is critical- should be a first step
in mapping the SACSSP exit outcomes (which ones speak
directly to SUCI) – Social Inclusion?
PRACTICE: Strengths and Challenges
Enables planning, development and provision of services
to make them more effective and responsive to diverse
needs
It should be an essential part of legislation and policy
making
Theoretical move from paternalism to partnership
Need clarity about aims and scope of SUC participation
(Carr, 2004)
 Make resources available and consult on the process
Be aware of power dynamics and clarity of extent and
potential of decision making power
SUCI and Mental Health Services
How do we define service users:
Consumers
Survivors
Providers
All imply different roles and responsibilities of people
and relationship between them and mental health services
Conceptualisation of users and providers is reflected in
the development of user-led services found in statutory
and voluntary sectors across the USA and UK
Why SUC involvement and participation?
Experts about their own lives and their illness
Have different but equally important perspectives
about their illness and care needs
May increase existing yet limited knowledge and
understanding of mental illness
SUCI and Mental Health Services
(Barriers)
Despite benefits to SU involvement in MH services it
still remains patchy, with an emphasis on consultation
rather than influence
Barriers:
Lack of information sharing
Financial and time restraints
Concerns over representation
Resistance to the ideas of users as experts
SUCI and Mental Health Services
(Examples of Good Practice)
SUC involved in prioritising and conducting research
Involvement in staff selection
Employment and paid mental health workers
Involved in planning and redesigning services
Involved in education and training
Meaningful user involvement cannot be a once – off
intervention. It must be a part of the fabric of MH
services that effects every aspect of MH service
provision (Tait and Lester, 2005)
SUCI and Research Praxis
How can people using social care/welfare services
become more involved in research?
 Need to create a shift in where the control lies
Enables people to have greater equality in the research
process
Potential for transfer of knowledge and empowerment
is significant
Research is likely to be more meaningful and relevant to
service users
Important to assess how this fits in with wider picture
of SUCI
New Social Work degree
Clear government directives re: user involvement
SUCI and Research Praxis
Practically how can SUC become more involved in
research activities:
Commissioned research
Design
Data collection and analysis
Report writing
Dissemination
Karen Poole: The Social Care Perspective and Involvement
(UEA, Norwich, UK)
SUCI: SW Education and Training/HEI’s
My own observations in HEI’s: powerful, volatile,
impactful, emotional, unpredictable, worthwhile, complex,
hard work and time consuming, extraordinary story
telling, a very real experience (Butler, 2010)
2 anecdotal examples:
Young Carers (partnership between CYCP and University
of Plymouth, UK)
SUC planning group (Canterbury Christ Church
University, UK)
SUCI: SW Education and Training/HEI’s
Involvement of SUC in HEI’s:
Student Selection
Design of degrees/curricula
Teaching and Learning provision
Preparation for Practice learning
Provision of placements (share the workload and
headaches)
Learning agreements
Student Assessment (Oral/Viva)
Quality Assurance
SUCI: SW Education and Training/HEI’s
Goals and Outcomes:
Type of knowledge that SUC can impart is identified as
a strong lever to improving social services
Goal should be that newly qualified social workers have
a thorough understanding of standards of practice,
processes and outcomes that SUC desire and need
Thus, from the start of their professional career they
will treat SUC as active participants in service delivery
rather than as passive participants
Note: This links to my suggestion for a 10 day “Fitness
for practice placement in Year 1”
SUCI: SW Education and Training/HEI’s
Getting started: Preparing for SUC participation
Everyone signs up to values and principles of SUCI – as
early as possible
Comprehensive strategy from the start – then easier to
include those new roles for SUC where progress may be
slower or more complicated
Involves a lot of people working in new ways
Resources (people, time, money, proper support)
A budget to pay for SUC time is critical
Actively promoting and sustaining SUC participation is a
long term investment
SUCI: SW Education and Training/HEI’s
Barriers to SUCI in HEI’s:
Academics do not attach high enough value to SUC
knowledge
Culture in HEI’s need to change
Access requirements are not fully met
Service user organisations lack capacity and
infrastructure
Training for SUC and their organisations is lacking
Payment policies and practice need addressing
SUCI: SW Education and Training/HEI’s
Ideas for SUCI improvement in HEI’s:
Address issues of equality (in our curricula)
Address issues of access
Develop stronger links with local practice communities
Employ more SUC as staff
Enrol more SUC students
Train staff and SUC
SCIE Guide 4: Involving service users and carers in Social
Work Education (March 2004).
Where can we start: The way forward
SACSSP and ASASWEI set up a planning group re:
SUCI. Critical that this group includes academics,
practitioners and government officers
Conduct nationwide research: What is the state of play
re: SUCI in South Africa
Identify 3 – 5 practice/academic sites
Link with National/Provincial Dpt’s of Social
Development re: developing a strategic plan at all levels
of SUCI (education, research, practice, policy etc)
Identify funding sources
HEI’s work in partnership with practice communities re:
develop and implement small scale SUCI activities
 Ambitious agenda – but let us start somewhere