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The involvement of service users and carers in training within the field of social care and social work has the ability to influence the perceptions, attitudes and ultimately the behaviour of all key participants within the proces... / June Margaret Barnes

Swansea University Author: June Margaret Barnes

Abstract

This dissertation is about the involvement of service users and carers in training within the field of social care and social work. It considers some issues within participation before moving on to themes of adult learning and approaches to the social work curriculum. It is argued that recent approa...

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Published: 2002
Institution: Swansea University
Degree level: Master of Philosophy
Degree name: M.Phil
URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa42336
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Abstract: This dissertation is about the involvement of service users and carers in training within the field of social care and social work. It considers some issues within participation before moving on to themes of adult learning and approaches to the social work curriculum. It is argued that recent approaches to social work education, with a basis in 'reflective learning', potentially offer a rationale and framework for inclusion. The central argument is that participation by service users and carers in the training of social workers has the ability to influence the perceptions, attitudes and ultimately the behaviour of all key participants within the process. The research design is a qualitative one based on ethical and emancipatory approaches to research in the field of disability. The views of service users, carers and social work students on the training module are collected in the penultimate three chapters. The concluding chapter is a synthesis of what has been learnt and implications for curriculum development. The main message is that the 'insider experience' brought to training by service users and carers is a valuable tool for teaching social work students. However, outcomes cannot be divorced from processes of teaching and learning and there must be ongoing commitment to anti-oppressive practice and to addressing issues of power. There is much to learn about the way in which the experiential is introduced into the curriculum and related to other parts of the curriculum. There is a need for collaboration between educators, disabled people, carers and students in devising, delivering, monitoring and updating the social work curriculum. This means engaging with the emerging discourses of disability, caring and education as a pathway to developing more effective ways of teaching students and preparing them for practice with disabled people and carers.
Keywords: Social work.
College: Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences