Service users and carers nearly always get involved in social work training because they want to make things better for others. Nonetheless this involvement can lead to new opportunities and the chance to learn skills. In this section we recommend that you ask for these opportunities for personal development and create a record of the skills you have gained to assist you to access future training or work opportunities.
“Be good to learn other skills”
—Carer, West of Scotland
“We can learn from it and it gives us more knowledge.”
—Service User, West of Scotland
Many participants identified the learning possibilities for themselves as an additional benefit of being involved in the education of social work students. They felt that learning should be a two-way process.
Top Tip: It isn’t selfish to think about the skills you are developing by being involved in social work education. Are there other ways you could put these to use?
Involvement can increase service users’ and carers’ confidence and skills (Brown and Young, 2008).
A service user who regularly took part in training was offered the opportunity to attend conferences that might further her interests.
Keep a record of the work you do with universities and colleges. Ask for information about the courses you have contributed to and for copies of feedback about your contribution. In this way you may be able to create a ‘portfolio’ that you can use when seeking work or entry to educational opportunities.
Brown K. and Young N. (2008) Building capacity in service user and carer involvement in social work education. Social Work Education 27 (1) 84-96.