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Kent 4 star Council

Service user/carer involvement

Canterbury Christ Church University educates many of Kent's social workers. Since 2003, like all providers of social work education, it has been expected to involve carers and people who use services. Social work values are traditionally based on respect for the individual; so power sharing is not a new element.

It's not just a matter of getting students to sympathise and empathise with service users, but also to be challenged by them.

Funding from Skills for Care has allowed the University to develop a long-term project for promoting service user and carer involvement. There are two aims of the project. The first is to promote service user and carer involvement in the education of social work students. The second is to promote networking opportunities among people who use services across Kent and Medway.

Benefits

  • Helps 'normalise' people who use services and break down barriers and preconceptions the students might have about the people their work will empower.
  • Service users involved in the programme can be involved on a voluntary basis or be paid for different tasks.

Find out more

Visit Canterbury Christ Church University's website for more information about the project.

Copyright Kent County Council 2009