Service User Perspectives: Being seen through the eyes of professionals
Learning Objectives
After considering this resource, you should be able to put yourself in a service user’s shoes.
Amanda spent time in care as a child. In this video, she talks about accessing her notes in later life and how she felt reading what care professionals had written about her.
Between August 2012 and August 2013 the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) co-ordinated a project to record video oral histories of people whose lives have been affected by experiences in residential and foster care. Four volunteer interviewers, themselves formerly in care, were trained in oral history interviewing techniques and conducted the interviews. This video is an extract taken from a fuller interview with Amanda which is now lodged with the British Library.
Reflective Questions
- Amanda does not agree with some of the comments that were made about her. But social workers also have a duty to make professional judgements. What are the conflicts that arise from this situation and how could they be managed?
- How much do you consider the service user’s point of view when writing up case notes?
- If you were a social worker working on Amanda’s case, what would you have done to help her feel more included in the process?
- How do you think Amanda’s case would be managed differently now?