A lived experience perspective on adult social care practice: Audio Learning Resource

Introduction

This audio learning resource has been developed from a conversation with Clenton Farquharson and is a follow up to the podcast Working together, learning together: A lived experience guide to co-production. Clenton is Chair of Think Local Act Personal Partnership board, a Trustee of the race equality foundation, an Ambassador for disability rights and he has lived experience of social care services.

This series of six short audio pieces and associated reflective questions aim to provide insight into lived experience perspectives of adult social care practice and the development of care and support plans, they consider:

• Co-production, communities and risk – How can local partnerships shape policy and services?
• Equality, diversity, inclusion and intersectionality – What does inclusion really mean for people with care and support needs?
• The houseplant analogy – How can we create care and support that is not static but dynamic?
• The Pursuit of Confidence – How can sharing stories of lived experience build practitioner confidence?
• The three C's – How do we balance capability, co-production and cost-benefits?
• We all carry power – How can we use the power we carry to improve peoples care and support?

. . .

Co-production, communities and risk

Clenton explains organisational and systems co-production – the benefits of engaging with the locality and services in the community and how local partnerships shape policy and services. He discusses some challenges around risk and language/labels. Length: 4 minutes.

Reflective questions

• How does your organisation support bringing diverse and marginalised voices into discussions around service design and delivery?
• How do you use your knowledge and skills to consider risk in a way that supports people to do activities they are interested in?

. . .

Equality, diversity, inclusion and intersectionality

Clenton considers equality, diversity and inclusion – what inclusion really means for people with care and support needs – and some thoughts on unconscious bias. Clenton also discusses how an understanding of how different elements of a person’s life and experience intersect can help a person feel a sense of belonging and inclusion. Length: 5 minutes.

Reflective questions

• Are you able to take time to reflect to help you understand where there may be differences between your own values and the values of the people you are working to support?
• Do you feel confident to discuss issues of race or identity with the people you are supporting?

. . .

The houseplant analogy

Clenton explains that care and support is not static but a dynamic issue that touches all of our lives. Length: 2 minutes.

Reflective questions

• Can you identify relationships in your life where you are or have been the giver and/or receiver of care and do you ever reflect on these relationships for your practice relationships?

. . .

The Pursuit of Confidence

Clenton talks about an approach in Birmingham called The Pursuit of Confidence – and how sharing stories from the lived experience perspective supported practitioners to build confidence in their decisions. Length: 4 minutes.

Reflective questions

• What conditions would support you to build confidence in your decision making around care and support planning?

. . .

The three C's

Clenton explains the three C’s – capability, co-production and cost-benefits. Length: 2 minutes.

Reflective questions

• How do you enable people to use their own agency for choice and control in your practice?
• How do you encourage partnership working with the people you are supporting in the design of their care and support plans?
• Does your organisation encourage and create the conditions for partnership working in your practice?
• Can you identify the benefits of partnership working to the organisation, the individual and society?

. . .

We all carry power

Clenton explains how we all carry power and that it is how we use it that makes a difference peoples care and support. Length: 2 minutes.

Reflective questions

• Can you identify aspects of power in your own practice?