Not Desperate, but Disparate – Not Desperate, but Disparate – developing New Partnerships developing New Partnerships with Service Users and Carers with Service Users and Carers in Social Work Education and in Social Work Education and making Involvement making Involvement Sustainable. Sustainable.

Joy Fillingham& Hiran PatelInstitute of Applied Social StudiesUniversity of Birmingham

AimAim

To explore some of the practical implications of developing a cohesive strategy for Service User and Carer Involvement.

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ContentsContents• History• Initial Processes• Cohesive Strategy –

Transparency and Parity• Database• Current Involvement• Keeping Informed• Challenges• Future Plans

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History of Involvement within History of Involvement within Social Work ProgrammesSocial Work ProgrammesLong term Involvement – (since 1990)Tended to be ad hoc When new degree 2004 there was DH

requirement for involvement in ALL aspectsSince new degree small group grew organically

from people through snowball effect. One proactive move to main Service User and

Carer reference group in Birmingham City Council in 2005.

All above characterised by lots of enthusiasm, good will and attempts to be ‘fair’ but no standard procedures of way of capturing information on interests, skills, etc

Commitment from Dept so used teaching money to fund my post.

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Initial ProcessInitial Process

Pulling together the strands, identifying what was there

Listening before acting Liaising with staff, service users,

carers and students Recognising existing strengths

and omissions

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Cohesive strategy – Cohesive strategy – Transparency and ParityTransparency and ParityConsistency amount of paymentInformation of what’s available,

optionsTrainingWhen selecting, clear reasoning

behind itPractical considerations

◦E.g. additional costs for some users, ◦Early mornings for some service

users and carer

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DatabaseDatabaseWith permissionSelf-definition describes in own

wordsOpen questionsInterestsTraining undertakenLength and areas of involvementFuture wishes for involvementCan cost modules or people

(useful for funding bids)

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Current InvolvementCurrent Involvement

Numbers 38 active another 18 Informed

Teaching

Small groupLarge group teaching

◦ alone

◦ as a team

◦ alongside academics

◦ with practitioners

Question time panelsCase studiesShow and tell

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AdmissionsFitness to PracticePortfolio AssessmentGroup Presentation

EvaluationsChange of

Programmes Review Process

Keeping informedKeeping informedReviewsNewsletters Emails Phone callsProgramme change Variety of formats

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Challenges Challenges Benefit system - smaller groups

other options may be possibleVision for broadest range of

inclusion - capturing range of experiences

Skills for who / professional-isation? ExpectationsOpen to all? Appropriate Support around health

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Future PlansFuture PlansDigital storiesConsultancyWebct – link to

external resources and Access

Targeted PQ Involvement

Identity & voiceHandbookAddressing

TokenismAccreditation /

Recognition

Mapping forward wider involvement

Ensuring adequate support mechanisms for widening involvement for people with specific needs

Networking involvement throughout the University

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Hiran Patel, working with Joy FillinghamService User and Carer Co-ordinatorSocial Work Programmes Institute of Applied Social StudiesUniversity of Birminghamj.fillingham@bham.ac.uk

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