Managing Social Work Education and Inter
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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