Social workers should feel able to talk about their own care experience

I wish to state upfront that, in writing this, I’m not seeking to force anyone ‘out of the closet,’ as it were.

Likewise, I do not wish to push people with lived experience into discussions and public acknowledgements they’re not yet ready for.

Rather it is my aim to assist in the creation of an environment that would allow for an easy admission, should someone ever wish to discuss their own care experience in the workplace.

There are, of course, many definitions of what it means to be care experienced, but for the purposes of this piece, my understanding of care experience is anyone that has been in care for a period of three months or more - whether that’s fostering, secure care, residential care, kinship care, adoption, or respite care.

For most care-experienced people I’ve come across, their experiences stick with them, often shaping their lives far into adulthood.

Over the last two years of my studies, through discussions and reflections, I have come to the belief that we do not actively engage in discussion about care experience, or the issues faced by care experienced social workers.

IT FEELS AS THOUGH THESE EXPERIENCES ARE ACCEPTED, BUT IN HUSHED TONES AND WITH A ‘DON’T ASK DON’T TELL’ MENTALITY.

Many people qualifying as social workers are entering into a profession that is designed to support people with similar experiences to them, yet they feel unable to publicly acknowledge or speak about their own experiences.

To qualify my interest in this topic, I should explain that I myself am care experienced, growing up under the care and involvement of the Scottish authorities from a young age.

I have spent the last 18 years doing what I can to enhance the lives of care experienced people, and hope to continue this work once I’m qualified. In fact, my care experience and interactions with social workers were driving factors in my choosing to study social work at university.

This subject also holds my interest on a selfish level, as I have already experienced lecturers using language such as ‘LAC’ children, or mentioning how we will not discuss such notions as love in the care system, and even several discussions with colleagues who have deemed it ‘inappropriate’ to mention that they have care experience.

With this in mind, I would like to ask those of you reading, of all the social workers you have worked alongside, do you know how many of them have lived experience?

Do you often speak about care experience in an open and positive manner? If not, then how do you - if at all - talk about care experienced people? How do you and your superiors create an environment that welcomes such discussion?

IN ASKING THESE QUESTIONS, I DO NOT SEEK TO VILIFY THOSE SOCIAL WORKERS AND MANAGERS THAT DO NOT HAVE PERSONAL EXPERIENCE OF CARE, BUT RATHER TO HIGHLIGHT THE FACT THAT LOTS OF PEOPLE DO.

And they may feel - just as I have on several occasions - uneasy discussing their own lived experience, and unable to realise the potential positive influence this could have on a young person they’re working alongside.

To these people, I would ask them to consider why they feel uncomfortable speaking about their experiences, and how they feel they could benefit from colleagues engaging in active discussions about care experience.

From a personal reflection, I believe that discussion and removal of censorship might lead to a more beneficial and thriving environment for all social workers - not simply the care experienced ones - potentially allowing a smoother building of relationships between all social workers and young people.

It is my hope, going forward, that all social workers with lived experience will feel comfortable applying their own experiences to their work - whether those experiences relate to care, addiction, homelessness, people with refugee status, Gypsy/ Roma/Traveller community, or even people who identify under the banner of LGBTQIA+.A

ll should be comfortable to openly discuss their lives, without fear of judgement or disciplinary action. In a final note to all in practice, I would encourage those working at all levels of social work to think about the questions I’ve raised.

I know social workers are extremely busy people, and it’s a demanding environment, but take the time to review how you discuss care experience, and how you respond to people that are willing to disclose their care experience to you.

It’s not always about massive pieces of organisational policy. Small change is better than no change, particularly if it gets the ball rolling.