Service User Perspectives: Assessing needs without disempowering a service user
Learning Objectives
After considering this resource, you should be more aware of how needs can be assessed without disempowering a service user.
For a care plan to be effective, it arguably needs to meet the needs of the service user and empower them to be as independent as possible.
In the following video, Kevin, a service user, share his own experiences of care planning and relays discussions he has had with his care manager about being able to plan his own care.
Reflective Questions
- In what ways are direct payments and individual budgets empowering for the service user?
- In the video, Kevin says it's as if social workers do not trust their own assessments. What other factors might impact the delivery of a care plan?
- Consider the idea of service users as care managers. What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of this concept?
- What skills are necessary to help you build a trusting relationship with a service user in order to understand a typical day in their life?