This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/social-care-network/2016/dec/02/we-could-all-be-daniel-blake-social-workers-stand-with-disabled-adults
The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| We could all be Daniel Blake: social workers stand with disabled adults | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| I, Daniel Blake, Ken Loach’s study of a working man’s descent into poverty and despair while battling to receive disability benefit, has rightly caused disquiet at the ways the systems and services established to provide welfare can instead cause misery. Many who work in society’s “safety net” – social workers among them – have tried since the film’s release to show that they are shoulder-to-shoulder with people who have been disempowered. | I, Daniel Blake, Ken Loach’s study of a working man’s descent into poverty and despair while battling to receive disability benefit, has rightly caused disquiet at the ways the systems and services established to provide welfare can instead cause misery. Many who work in society’s “safety net” – social workers among them – have tried since the film’s release to show that they are shoulder-to-shoulder with people who have been disempowered. |
| As the film was being created, released and watched, the British Association of Social Workers’ adults policy, practice and ethics group was attempting to address some of these issues. We set up a working group led by the national network of service users and disabled people, Shaping Our Lives, whose aim was to produce a charter to ensure disabled adults and social workers work together to improve wellbeing. | As the film was being created, released and watched, the British Association of Social Workers’ adults policy, practice and ethics group was attempting to address some of these issues. We set up a working group led by the national network of service users and disabled people, Shaping Our Lives, whose aim was to produce a charter to ensure disabled adults and social workers work together to improve wellbeing. |
| We are making a case for disabled people and social workers to join forces, recognising how much we have in common | We are making a case for disabled people and social workers to join forces, recognising how much we have in common |
| This charter [pdf] sets out how we can work together to tackle the physical, social, economic and other barriers to independent living, so disabled adults have the same choices, control and freedom as any other citizen – at home, at work and as members of the community. | This charter [pdf] sets out how we can work together to tackle the physical, social, economic and other barriers to independent living, so disabled adults have the same choices, control and freedom as any other citizen – at home, at work and as members of the community. |
| The working group emerged from some uncomfortable conversations between disabled people and social workers over the past year. We talked honestly about how powerless both parties could feel and how badly we can sometimes relate to one another. One disabled member of the working group described the social care process as “hideous”, saying “you want to prove what you can do and then have to prove what you can’t do”. | The working group emerged from some uncomfortable conversations between disabled people and social workers over the past year. We talked honestly about how powerless both parties could feel and how badly we can sometimes relate to one another. One disabled member of the working group described the social care process as “hideous”, saying “you want to prove what you can do and then have to prove what you can’t do”. |
| Social workers in turn acknowledged the impact of bureaucratic pressures at work. “There are targets for one week to sign off assessments,” explained one, “it’s not long enough for people.” But we also discussed how things could be if we were able to put values back at the centre of social work and prioritise conversations about ability and rights, rather than focusing on what we aren’t able to achieve. This was summed up as “think big – be ambitious for each other”. | Social workers in turn acknowledged the impact of bureaucratic pressures at work. “There are targets for one week to sign off assessments,” explained one, “it’s not long enough for people.” But we also discussed how things could be if we were able to put values back at the centre of social work and prioritise conversations about ability and rights, rather than focusing on what we aren’t able to achieve. This was summed up as “think big – be ambitious for each other”. |
| This small group of disabled activists and social workers decided that together we wanted to create something that would help us work better in partnership. One disabled person summarised this brilliantly: “I want my social worker to feel that she’s not burdened and constrained by her environment and that I am not by mine – this binds us together.” | This small group of disabled activists and social workers decided that together we wanted to create something that would help us work better in partnership. One disabled person summarised this brilliantly: “I want my social worker to feel that she’s not burdened and constrained by her environment and that I am not by mine – this binds us together.” |
| We are hopeful our resulting charter can provide a foundation for lasting change in the relationship between disabled people and social workers. We are making a case for disabled people and social workers to join forces so that we can tackle barriers together, recognising how much we have in common. Despite the very real pressure on services, when we work together we can achieve so much more. | We are hopeful our resulting charter can provide a foundation for lasting change in the relationship between disabled people and social workers. We are making a case for disabled people and social workers to join forces so that we can tackle barriers together, recognising how much we have in common. Despite the very real pressure on services, when we work together we can achieve so much more. |
| We want people to use the charter to lobby for change at national and local level | We want people to use the charter to lobby for change at national and local level |
| Some of the suggestions in the charter are simple and inexpensive: we will be honest about what is possible and what is not, for example. Others require sustained effort and support to promote rights and secure access to services and opportunities. | Some of the suggestions in the charter are simple and inexpensive: we will be honest about what is possible and what is not, for example. Others require sustained effort and support to promote rights and secure access to services and opportunities. |
| We are calling on people to use the social model of disability – which says that disability is caused by the way society is organised rather than by a person’s individual differences – and urge social workers to always begin with a human rights-based approach. | We are calling on people to use the social model of disability – which says that disability is caused by the way society is organised rather than by a person’s individual differences – and urge social workers to always begin with a human rights-based approach. |
| We want people to use the charter to lobby for change and improvement at national and local level, and to get involved in joint action to improve disabled people’s rights and lives. | We want people to use the charter to lobby for change and improvement at national and local level, and to get involved in joint action to improve disabled people’s rights and lives. |
| The charter ends by stating: “We will not be satisfied until everyone has full and equal citizenship.” We don’t know how long this will take. But we do know that this is what all of us should be entitled to. Ultimately, this is about recognising each other as fellow humans – we could all be Daniel Blake. | The charter ends by stating: “We will not be satisfied until everyone has full and equal citizenship.” We don’t know how long this will take. But we do know that this is what all of us should be entitled to. Ultimately, this is about recognising each other as fellow humans – we could all be Daniel Blake. |
| Join the Social Care Network to read more pieces like this. Follow us on Twitter (@GdnSocialCare) and like us on Facebook to keep up with the latest social care news and views. | Join the Social Care Network to read more pieces like this. Follow us on Twitter (@GdnSocialCare) and like us on Facebook to keep up with the latest social care news and views. |