Hearing directly from service users and carers can be a very effective learning experience. But how this is done matters. It is important that it is done in a way that is respectful of the contributors because how people who use services and carers are represented in teaching sessions conveys powerful messages about values and attitudes.
“Students particularly value input from service users and carers. They help to make real the issues that we try to teach them about in lectures and seminars. There is nothing more powerful for a student than listening to a person who uses services or a carer sharing their own story and experiences. Students seem to enjoy having the opportunity to ask people questions and are particularly interested in the role that social work has to play. Students leave these sessions determined to make things better.”
—Lecturer, Glasgow
“It gets the message across and has the best impact”
—Carer, West of Scotland
Two of the three HEIs involved service users and/or carers directly with
students.
Four out of 12 FEIs involved service users and/or carers directly with
students.
Top Tip: Increase the range of ways that individuals can be involved with
direct delivery of training and teaching:
People who use services and carers have been involved in course delivery in the qualifying programmes at the Glasgow School of Social Work. This involves presenting their own experiences to students, participating in small group discussions and taking part in question and answer sessions. For example, service users and carers participate in a module called organisational contexts. As part of this module students have to develop their own service. Service users and carers take part in a question and answer session to enable students to think through good and bad elements of service delivery.
First year nursing students at Glasgow Caledonian University complete a two week module on working with people with learning disabilities as part of a problem based learning curriculum for the BA/BA Hons in Nursing Studies. They receive a plenary lecture from a co trainer with learning disabilities and attend one hour tutorials where they have the opportunity to ask a person with learning disabilities questions about their life. The tutors present a “good nurse /bad nurse” handout which they developed as a group to show what they expect of nurses. The students’ learning is supported by the “Getting it Right Together” online materials developed by NHS Education for Scotland for self-study which include the “Just Ordinary People” video in which people with learning disabilities talk about what they expect from health services. All students have reported a positive learning experience and find that being able to talk to teachers withlearning disability is the most valuable aspect of the two weeks.
Training in Citizen Leadership for staff and service users has taken place in North Ayrshire and Scottish Borders Council areas. It is delivered by trainers and co trainers who have experiences experience of using social work services. Social work staff and service user and carer groups had separate training and then came together to share experiences on the final day. A recall day provided a chance to see what action had been taken and the results achieved.
Review how well you are debriefing service users and carers who are involved in your teaching programmes. Good debriefing is essential after people have shared sensitive information about their lives.
Manthorpe J. (2000). Developing carers’ contributions to social work training. Social Work Education, 19 (1):19-27.